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Bruce Mau on Growth

I’m still de-cluttering. In pile of papers that have been in the corner of my office for the last year, I ran across "An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth" by Bruce Mau. According to his website, his design studio works with "architects and institutions, artists and entrepreneurs, writers, curators, academics and businesses."

Out of 40+ items, here a few of my favorite from the Manifesto:

3. Process is more important than outcome. When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we’ve already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to be there.

4. Love your experiments (as you would an ugly child). Joy is the engine of growth. Exploit the liberty in casting your work as beautiful experiments, iterations, attempts, trials, and errors. Take the long view and allow yourself the fun of failure every day.

17. ____________________. Intentionally left blank. Allow space for the ideas you haven’t had yet, and for the ideas of others

23. Stand on someone’s shoulders. You can travel farther carried on the accomplishments of those who came before you. And the view is so much better.

26. Don’t enter awards competitions. Just don’t. It’s not good for you.

36. Scat. When you forget the words, do what Ella did: make up something else … but not words.

I would add one more to Bruce’s list:

44. Let go of the image of yourself. When you are willing to release who you think you are, you create the freedom to be who you want to be.

Let me know your favorites and what you would add to the list.

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