Scalability Vs. Creativity.

scalable-ideas
Do u evr wonder why everything u want 2 do seems meaningless, insignificant and pointless?

U can easily think of an idea. In the moment, the idea makes u feel alive. The thought of putting that idea into action, creating something, showing something 2 the world makes u feel alive. More alive than anything u’ve ever felt.

In a matter of seconds, u r simply overcome with the thought, “Why effing bother?”

Ur idea will never reach EVERY1 in the world.
They will not be MOVED by ur idea.
Ur idea will not IMPACT their world.
The world does not care abt ur idea.
The world is fucking busy and does not have time 2 give a shit abt u.
The world won’t even ‘get’ ur idea and ‘appreciate’ the true beauty of your (in)tangible originality.
N e ways, some1 already tried ur shitty idea, and it failed fucking miserably, so stop thinking ur special anyways.

Ur idea will nvr SCALE in2 something bigger.

big-ideas

Whether ur a writer, a musician, a startup, a blogger, a Youtuber, a chef, a famous Instagrammer, a person who opens up a knick-knack store, a local cronut bakery, a person with a dream, or any type of solo entrepreneur, u have 2 achieve scale or else ‘it is all just a waste of time.’ No matter how pure ur product is, don’t kid urself–it’s all about scale.

No1 can compete with Nike not bc they have the ‘swaggest effing kicks’, but bc they have the best network of enslaved AZNs who ‘have 2 keep making those Nikes.’ The great idea is not the shoe, but the massive network of enslaved humans that must create the idea ovr and ovr again.

“Don’t overthink the idea–think abt how to create ur legally enslaved workforce.’
-Uber & Lyft

lyft car driver

Why do u need 2 scale evrythng?
Scalability is the way society validates ideas. If ur idea is useful, u should have the opportunity 2 scale. Scalability is the ultimate ‘pat on the back’ via society. You can be reminded that the world NEEDS u. Ppl ARE DEPENDENT upon u 4 something ‘unique.’ Thanks 4 manifesting that scalable idea.

Established brands protect themselves, bc scalability is the ultimate barrier 2 entry.

Our eternal standards of societal success are defined by scale.
We must achieve scale in order 2 feel as though we have ‘fans,’ which is the nice term 4 ‘recurring customers.’
While u scale (especially online), u must retain customer data in a widely-used contemporary medium in order to eternally re-market to your fans/users.
Scale creates a ‘fear of missing out’ by those who have not interacted and/or invested in ur brand. 4 example, ppl who don’t live in California think In & Out Burger is some rare fucking burger. However, In & Out is scaling across the nation, bringing their ‘amazing burger’ 2 the world.
Eventually, u’ve scaled s0o0o big that u don’t even have 2 try n e more. U can just do whatever u do in a shittie way, and it doesn’t even matter. U will continue 2 exist bc u’ve scaled 2 the point that it doesn’t matter.
Even if u tried 2 make ur product ‘more meaningful’, it will actually just be a waste of time and money. Ur product is what it is.

The questions of asserting urself in the world have less 2 do with the thoughts and ideas manifesting themselves, and more 2 do with ‘how u can scale them.’ Be realistic abt ur potential customer base.

Subconsciously, I want this blog post ‘2 reach the entire world and change the way every1 thinks.’ This is what drives me to keep typing, 2 keep crafting my words in2 something ‘beautiful’ that describes ‘the human condition.’ I want 2 believe that ‘what I write’ could mean something 2 every1 bc ‘the universal message is inside me’ [via Millenial Gen Y vibes]. I want 2 feel comfort in feeling that what I feel is the exact same way people who are like me feel, except that what I feel is different, too.

The only infinitely scalable idea/feeling is depression.

Ur not unfulfilled because u ‘can’t be creative.’ Ur unfulfilled bc u can’t instantly scale your idea 2 feel validated.
I think it’s always going to be difficult to have a ‘creative existence’ and feel ‘fulfilled.’ Gen-Y’s identity is very tied in2 ‘creativity’ being the thing that frees u from feeling like ur trapped at the bottom of an employment pyramid. When u create something beautiful, nothing else matters… until u realize ur poor. :-(

If u aren’t thinking abt scaling ur idea, u have conceded the ideas:
I am poor
I am not going to ascend towards the top of an industry or business’ employment pyramid.
I am not going 2 create a personal narrative of ‘substantial growth’ that ‘started from the bottom.’
I have ‘settled’
I am just another idiot in this world continuing 2 arbitrarily exist even though all i really want is food, shelter, and periodic indulgent experiences.

A.B.S.: Always be scaling.

so-much-scale
We go 2 school to learn abt other ppl who have scaled ideas. Whether it is for commerce or art, every ‘successful historical entity’ has undertaking a successful scaling project, like that time Hitler scaled the Holocaust 2 unchill levels. No matter what niche u r interested in, u can’t avoid the stories that involve scaling towards money and notoriety. Like that time Obama ‘scaled’ the idea of HOPE.

Scale = Ambition?
Scale = reaching the Zuckerberg-level of fame, creative fulfillment and societal validation?
Does wanting more = keep u driven?
Does presenting the idea that u ‘want more’ keep ppl ‘respecting u’ bc they are 2 lazy 2 actually want more?
Does ‘achieving scale’ mean u have reached the top of an employment pyramid and have a perpetual stream of income

“Content is not scalable.
Technology is scalable.”

“We’re not a content company. We’re a technology company.’
-online media companies trying 2 convince ‘investors’ that they are ‘valuable’ even though scalable media is all worthless so they pretend they ‘know how 2 make things go viral’ and ‘are building ad solutions of tomorrow’ and ‘glorified content management systems’

authenticity-not-scalable

Every ‘great idea’ that we’ve seen created on the internet has greatly warped our perception of ‘success.’ We were manipulated into ‘championing’ these new scalable business in trackable conversations that were stored in the cloud.

I struggle with the difference between finding fulfillment by scaling vs creating.
Am I driven 2 scale?
Or am I driven 2 create?
Do I want to create in order to feel in control of a process that I feel meaningful?
Or do I ‘create’ in order 2 create an entity that is scalable into mass customers/users/audiences?
Am I driven 2 conform 2 an existing business model?
Am I driven 2 be a cog in the machine of another person’s scalable project? [via consistent employment]
Does my message even matter?
Or does the idea that I am scaling matter the most?

Should I actually be thinking of new ideas and concepts, or should I just focus on the process of scaling? Should I just replicate existing models of scalability in existing industries? Or is there some abstract message that can be ‘scaled’ [via ‘art’]?

Why is a traditional job seen as ‘settling’ in the eyes of most generations? Bc u have given up on any sort of scalable ideas. Ur a quitter. Ur not ready 2 ‘build something.’

scale-ideas-small

The process of scaling = ‘the meaningful narrative’
Ur supposed 2 have ‘some sort of great idea’ that ‘reaches the world’ and ‘changes lives’, like the iPhone or some shit.

Because ur existence is attached to this ‘idea’ or scalable innovation, u some how have ‘more meaning.’ Why am I jealous of Steve Jobs? Bc he was rich? Bc he had a network of scalability? Bc he was perceived as a thought leader? Bc he had mad black mock turtle necks?

I guess we r supposed 2 find meaning during the process of scaling. The idea that we #grew and getting some sort of validation that our product ‘means something 2 ppl’ [via ppl are willing 2 pay 4 it]. We think abt when it was all just an idea.

U have the opportunity 2 scale.
More ppl will like u.
More ppl will become dependent upon u.
More ppl could not live without u.
More ppl see u as a source of ________.
More ppl = scaling.
scaling = more ppl.

The misleading perception of ‘scalability’ on the internet.
I don’t think we are even impressed by $$$ figures. Instead, we just have arbitrary assumptions of scaled values. The idea that 1,000,000 Youtube views = $1,000,000.

The illusion of online scale is that one thing u must achieve in order 2 frame ur value. It’s why ppl buy Twitter followers Facebook likes, and Youtube views. Remember the time that fat North Korean guy got a billion Youtube views?

Is the current crop of ‘the creative class’ actually just an enslaved 2 scalable mediums on the internet?
Can u really measure anything [via success]?

Is there room for creativity on the internet without the pressure 2 scale? Is all content created ‘2 go viral’? Has internet entrepreneurship created false scaling expectations 4 every creative/business/life idea?

‘One man’s 2,000,000 Instagram followers are another man’s 450 Myspace friends’
-the internet

creative-flow-chat-graph

We’ve been told that if we do something ‘creative’, it will make us happie, which is basically why HOBBY LOBBY exists–2 prey on the empty dreams of failed creative types who can only rlly evr replicate existing mediums of self-expression.

There are always the standard artistic issues of authenticity and ever-changing mediums. However, I think the biggest challenge for the current creative class are the limitations of reasonable scalability in mediums that only create an illusion of ‘reach.’ By pumping more content in order to validate the monetizable metrics of the internet, content is no longer seen as ‘created bc it is important.’

Users now see the entire world as clickbait, and every message is compromised in order 2 scale.

Should creative entities have 2 worry abt undertaking projects 4 the purpose of scaling?
How do new artists succeed when online mediums are built to promote topics that already have an expansive reach?
Can websites rlly ‘be cultural hubs’ when their ultimate goal is 2 scale at all costs?
Does ‘the best art’ eventually reach appropriate audiences so none of this bullshit even matters?
‘Pop music hasn’t gone anywhere for a reason, yall’ -some1 being deep

I believe that the future of authentic independent culture cannot continue as a mechanism of large scale content farms.

Art cannot exist in the scalable landscape.
Art criticism does not exist on scalable media websites.
Audiences who process ‘art’ in the scalable media landscape are not ‘authentic’.
The message of artists becomes compromised when they are ‘promoted’ on scalable media.

Do we rlly like bands that exist 4 the purpose of scaling?
Do we rlly ‘trust’ websites that primarily exist 2 scale?
Do we like businesses that only rlly want to scale and don’t actually care abt their customers?

Why do we ‘celebrate’ scalable ideas?
Do ideas that are ‘scalable’ represent the optimal solutions 4 human existence? Or are they the businesses that have the most successful scalable ideas eventually oppress us by marginalizing necessary human actions into metrics & monetizable opportunities?

Is it worth it 2 post 2 Instagram/Facebook/Twitter when ‘some1 else’ is just making money [via u]?
Is it worth it 2 take an Uber when some driver is just ‘getting ripped off’ and virtually enslaved?
Is it worth it 2 click on a clickbait when u represent $0.0001 of their monthly revenue?
Is it worth it 2 romanticize the hit Aaron Sorkbro film ‘The Social Network’ when it is just a celebration of scalability?
Do u evr feel like u r just a Winklevoss ass bitch? [via ‘I swear I had a scalable idea!’]

Is scale worth ‘resenting’?
Should u ‘believe in ur message/product’ 2 scale because u ‘want 2 change the world’?
Or is it better 2 approach ‘scalable opportunity’ like it is some sort of fight by ‘the human spirit’ in order 2 ‘survive’?

Should we continue 2 scale 2 the point of ubiquity?
Do u want 2 be evrything? [via god?]
When will u be happie?
How do u ‘rationalize’ the way u spend ur time?

Is ‘authenticity’ rejecting scalability?
Is ‘happiness’ embracing the narratives of scalability?

What r u gonna scale in ur lifetime?
Or do u not actually have an idea/product idea that could evr matter 2 n e 1?

Does ‘Nothing Matter‘? [via free downloadable eBook being ‘pushed’ on this website by Carles]

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  • Broford Cox

    first …nice to read this as i recover in my ATL suburban parents home

    – broford cox

  • Brewski

    Second :(

  • Rob

    Thanks for making these recent posts.

  • Jim Leeds

    Do we only Create to feel validated, thus pursuing only ideas that will scale in a vain effort to achieve “success”? I do hope not, but fear my own motives.

    The most insightful rant I have read for some time in any medium, so thanks.

  • Elizabeth Rogers

    Fucking on the mark about Hobby Lobby.

  • GUEST NAME

    Its like ive been scalin’and failin’ all my life!

  • peter kropotkin

    just randomly checked hro for the first time in a long time. i thought carles was dead. whoever this post resonates with, you should read Guy Debord and the situationist international. carles is just talking about the Spectacle of consumer capitalism here, whether he knows it or not.

    • FrantzBarosy

      Pretty much nailed it peter. His other posts have a situationist slant as well but only more accessible for today’s disaffected netizens.

  • Advocatus Diaboli

    Unlike the “auth” stuff, I dig this shit A LOT!

  • madmaxmedia

    Well how else are you gonna get seed funding?

  • JuicyDingo

    i think your first tier citys got you hooked on this idea of scalability bro, we just work at factories n offices in my fourth tier city and aren’t obsessed with these delusions of grandeur and validification and upward mobility

  • lilshrimpingboy

    u dun fukd me up carles

  • headache

    unsure of catching up or just flowing away.
    the mindset of scale is horribly profound with 10 fingers.
    sometimes i wish to cut them off for being in a free creative creation process.
    horrible fascination where everything is in scale and not more clues for a peaceful world coming out.
    china is buying much of pakistan… profit is there promise.
    harder to scale via new form of colonialization.

    the unscalabilety of nature spirit. showing as nature forces which as tried in calculating the weather to scale a change of apocalyptic prophetical boredom of not understanding how the earth sprit function as creating noah’s arc by scaling the one who scale in our scale.

    to scale the production line of a design of creation. to fulfill the possibility of a growth which can be scaled for a – to catch up with your you want all ppl in the world to read this to change something – every fuck got a duck means we can all work together on a robotic mind of daily routins to blow the head fully away.

    the scale of the steps you make via scaling it over the iPod. we like the possibility to be in control of our independent life by living the painful ignorance that the angst that we can be controlled by others flows away. via health system and prices in europa

    hope you doing good

    xoxo

  • fishy

    Is this even the real carles, i’d say at the very least not anymore, the breeves was relevant on hro but when ur actually trying to communicate some lame, wuss-ass message its embaressing

  • designer (uni studied)

    Sounds like a very limited perspective. Loads of people sell without having a huge scalability, loads of people create for the joy of creating and sharing. I find this article really creepy.