ramblings on creativity

So, the last few weeks I have been interviewing for jobs, looking for jobs, and turning down job offers...long story. I'm holding out for a semi-ideal opportunity.

Over the last few weeks, I have reconnected with some of my passions in exploring career opportunities. As a result, I am now pondering a career-field change of sorts; we can just call it a quarter-life crisis. In an ideal world, I want to use things like the arts, food, and fashion to develop communities. At first, I did not think that there were that many places doing this in the area. However, as I continued searching, I ran across a plethora of opportunities. There is this one place that I found called "Brainfood." They're doing something really cool and innovative-using culinary arts as a vessel for youth development and mentoring.

In stepping up to the plate and looking for my "dream job," i've been looking at opportunities where I can either 1) learn design myself and later connect these concepts to a bigger movement, or 2) connect a business with cool ideas that are already underway and help them think outside the box about how to develop communities in new ways.

So often, when we (the US as a conglomerate, specifically i'm talking about the government but i'm also generalizing more broadly) develop communities we only strive to meet people's basic needs. True community development does much more than meet basic needs, it gives people a hope for the future and tools for a better future. Innovative strategies that use things like painting, or culinary arts, allow people to see the uniqueness and value of human life. Additionally, they encourage others to think in imaginative, vibrant, sustainable ways. Perhaps the biggest problem with businesses in America's floundering economy is that they're often trying to maintain the status quo, instead of pressing forward to new heights of opportunity.

For instance, let's look briefly at the Starbucks business model:
Starbucks is a great company. They have great employee benefits and strive for social responsibility. In almost any shop, you will find brochures on everything from efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay to fair trade coffee. Now, while this is all well and good, why is it that so many people would choose a local shop over Starbucks? I would argue because there is little novelty or uniquity to Starbucks, and honestly S-bucks lacks the community feel that many local shops exude from their walls. Where are the open mic nights? Why don't most Starbucks shops have cool art exhibits on the walls that promote some of the very ideas that they carry in their brochures? Bulletin boards in Starbucks stores often advertise cool local venues, concerts, and opportunities? Why has Starbucks not harnessed more ways to make their shops "gathering places?"...especially now that they're starting to carry more food? If you want vibrant, creative community, you won't typically go to Starbucks, which is unfortunate. To some extent "The Bucks" has become the McDonalds of American coffee.

Taking this argument further, Starbucks is doing more than most businesses. How often do companies think about how to use eco-friendly design elements for their decor or building materials? How often do business owners think about giving a shop a sense of place in the very way that they organize all elements of development, from construction, to menu, to layout, etc? Some do, but most don't do it enough. Further, if business is about more than money (which I strongly advocate-see TRIPLE BOTTOM line), why are so many quick stop, grab a cup and jet out the door, type places out there? Why is the fast food industry BOOMING?

I've rambled enough; needless to say i'm passionate about what I would call "creative community development" and think that American businesses could really prosper by exploring strategic, creative models more readily. Sure i'm 23 and maybe inexperienced, but I have some great ideas. Here's to hoping someone wants to hire me.