Editorial

So Long As It’s Black

by Éric P. Lemoine

In these times we’re living in, success is more often than not valued by the end result. Little is thought of the process leading up to it, not to mention the lengthy detours that may have been required in the making.

Efficiency being paramount, as a society we quickly reach the point where true creativity runs thin. If one could judge the vivacity of creative endeavours by what is deemed to be the pinnacle of entertainment, one would notice how many of them are simple variations, if not shameless rip-off’s, of old themes, series, movies, songs and so on. Not so surprising, after all: what could be more efficient than copying something that works? In the 1920s at the beginning of the era of industrialisation, Henry Ford, one of the fathers of this movement, was famous for saying “any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black.”

With all the developments since the 1920s, Ford’s ideal of an efficient production system has assumed proportions he perhaps would never have imagined. Needless to say, it’s far easier to produce things now (even with the current state of economy) than it has been for decades.

One could easily be fooled, however: that promise of delivering the means to unleash your creativity to your doorstep (if not in the comfort of your home) with that customised experience is often but a pretence. For while it may be easy to manufacture a T-shirt tailored for you, or a website made with your own branding, oftentimes none of this creates anything novel beyond the boundaries of what is offered.
There is a mirage in that, which aligns with the basis of the observation behind Ford’s reasoning. Only five percent of individuals know exactly what they want if asked about the design of a specific thing —let’s say, the type of vehicle they want. The remainder simply don’t know (or in some cases will want to have a say on a minute detail).

It becomes rather interesting to ponder, when you consider that more and more people (if you’re reading this, you are probably one of them) align with the idea that they are creating their own reality based on the desires they project to the universe at large. If Ford is to be trusted on his observations (and history seems to give him credit for them), it means that most people will gladly adopt whatever is handed to them.

So what about the five percent, you may ask? If read too quickly, it may seem that they would be fated to an unwarranted uniformity.

In actuality the statement can be seen in a more optimistic light. It means that for any boxed concept, at least five percent of people would come up with out-of-the-box ideas. We are not talking of a tiny rainbow stripe surrounded by black; we mean: any boxed concept. Perhaps you are in the 95% when it comes to favourite beverages, but definitely in the 5% when it comes to an idea of spirituality.

It’s been a year now that Wisp has been online, and on paper. Thanks to the various means provided by Ford’s legacy (within the 95% of the webzine production tools) we are able to reach many people with new ideas. We intend to stay in the fringe 5% when it comes to ways of thinking, art and imagination.

We hope also to continue to take the time it requires to produce a magazine worth reading, sharing and re-reading. When it now only takes the push of a button to copy-paste and reproduce quantities of information, let us then not mistake instantaneity for being in the present (in other words, being present).

With that in mind, we hope you’ll enjoy reading the lines that follow, may it be along, across and between.