Letter from the Editor
We hope our “lab for ideas” can inspire all our friends to dream as big as possible.
We recently published a manifesto called The 12 Absolutes. It’s a book documenting our company’s core beliefs, the distinct qualities that have allowed us to do some pretty fantastic things though the years. Each of these absolutes comes with a corresponding patch—like a Boy Scout merit badge—which we selectively bestow upon individuals for going above-and-beyond.
Three of these absolutes are Be Curious, Be a Muse, and Dream Big. In fact, these may be among the trickiest badges to award. But not because they’re so difficult to achieve. It’s the opposite. All of our people here at Real Art are simply overflowing with curiosity and inspiration and grand ambitions. To such an exceptional degree that to go above-and-beyond, well, now we start talking crazy-town. (And yes, we go there).
The purpose of our Thought Lab is to give friends outside our doors a taste of the kinds of curiosities, musings, and dreamy notions that flow through our people and our work. It’s a “lab for ideas” which anyone, anywhere can tap into. We believe that our collective ability to wonder and deeply obsess about all sorts of things is what allows us to come up with totally original ideas. By sharing this kind of storytelling, we hope to inspire our readers in the same way.
The thinking we share in our Thought Lab is as varied as the many passions of our people. Within Real Art we have so much uniqueness—each of us bringing different strengths and skills to the table. Among us are book lovers, skateboard lovers, sci-fi lovers, video game lovers, and music lovers. We are tech hackers and print nerds and letterpress enthusiasts. We are woodworkers and welders and seamstresses and builders. There are those among us who live exclusively on the bleeding edge of what’s next in the world. Others have a deep respect for the past and what we can learn from it. This mashup of individuality, along with the deep camaraderie and respect we have for each other, is how we’ve been able to invent astonishing things.
We hope our “lab for ideas” can ignite others with creative thinking. Be curious, be a muse, and dream as big as possible. Thank you.
-SM
