a whole new mind

I just starting reading Daniel Pink's book, "A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future", and I have to say, it's pretty fascinating. I haven't read enough to legitimately talk about it yet, but I'm really enthused so I thought I'd share what I know so far. Its premise is that we're entering into a more conceptual age, one where more traditional careers like Accounting and Lawyering and such are going away - some even literally away to India and China. According to Pink, the future in the West belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind. His central idea is that the era of left-brain dominance and the information age that it engendered are now giving way to a new world in which right-brain qualities like inventiveness, empathy, and meaning are predominate. And it makes sense... anything that can be automated or programed or outsourced to Asia is systematically disappearing from the landscape, which leaves space for something new... and more and more, people are wanting their work to have meaning.

According to Pink, the keys to success are in developing and cultivating six senses - design, story, symphony (seeing the big picture), empathy, play, and meaning. All of this feels very affirming to me, being a former left-brainer myself, and having spent the last few years creating and developing a very right-brained business in SpoonFed Art. I do value my left-brain abilities... I think they're essential. It's just nice to know that there's a larger trend toward businesses that have meaning, that are creative, that engage business interaction on a more personal level - and that people are becoming more interested in the story behind the business and in where their goods come from and how they're made. It feels like a trend toward people being more personally connected to each another, and that's pretty darn great. It also seems that this shift toward a more right-brained workplace is a balance that's essential to our overall development, and it certainly seems to be part of the larger change that's taking place in the US and the world. It's pretty exciting... can't wait to read more!