Main

 Manifesto

 Updates

 Staff

 Contact

 Forum

 Gallery

 Inner Muse

 Art School

 Affiliates

 Chat

The Art Garden Manifesto

The Art Garden Manifesto is an articulation of the ideas that exemplify the Art Garden beliefs, motivations and strategies. It also tells how the Art Garden works. It is a never ending process, and therefore the document might change over time, as we continue to grow and learn.

• Art. This is a site which is dedicated to art in its digital form, and therefore, the contents of this site will centre on that.



• Free. Art should be free, as should information.



• Sharing. As art and information should be free, you must be willing to share what you have.



• Quality. It is better to focus on quality rather than quantity.



• Learning. We are never ceasing to learn new things. Always have an open mind, and see what you can learn today.



• Growth. By learning, we grow. Be willing to grow, and harvest ideas.



• Free your mind. Dare to be different, and dare to look beyond the edges.



• Community. Community is about people and what they do together. Don’t be afraid to lean on the community, and explore what is there for you.



• Creativity. Be creative no matter what. Come up with wild ideas, bad ideas, good ideas, great ideas.



• Think with your mind. Forget technology – creativity is not dependant on the software you use.



• Explore. Explore the art, the site, the knowledge, the people. You never know where you might end up.



• Capture accidents. The wrong answer is the right answer in search of a different question. Collect wrong answers as a part of the process. Ask different questions.



• Listen. Every person who enter this site brings with them knowledge and experience different from all others. They have desires, ambitions and needs. By listening, we fold their world into our own, and neither of us will ever be the same.



• Laugh. A smile is contagious, so be prepared to share it with others.



• Dare to ask. No question is too stupid to ask, and make sure to ask whenever you have one.



• Begin anywhere. John Cage tells us that not knowing where to begin is a common form of paralysis. His advice: begin anywhere.



• Stay up late. Strange things happen when you’ve gone too far, been up too long, worked too hard, and you’re separated from the rest of the world.



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



• Process. Life is a process, you never stop learning, and you are constantly changing. A site is also always in process, changing and growing.



• Power to the people. Play can only happen when people feel they have control over their lives. We can’t be free agents if we are not free.



• Enjoy. Life is about living, and there is nothing wrong about enjoying yourself while doing such. Meet the world with a smile.

© Hippolyta 2007