Yancey Strickler (Website, X, Metalabel) is a writer, entrepreneur, creative, and founder of Metalabel, a network and platform that allows creative people to release work together. He is also a board member, co-founder and former CEO of Kickstarter and is currently working on establishing a new kind of corporate structure, the Artist Corporation.

Yancey's life and work has revolved around what it means to be a creative individual, and how to improve the cultural and mechanical forms that enable artists and creatives.

We talk about how much of modern society is rooted in individualism, how that wasn't always the case, and how the internet is evolving our sense of self. We get into creativity, the term's surprisingly recent origins, and why Yancey believes the 21st will be the "Creative Century." Then, we go beyond the individual and discuss the deeply-rooted longing that all of us have to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Yancey suggests that is not simply about being subsumed by a collective, but by maintaining our individual star while becoming part of larger constellations—like the labels that have empowered the distribution of ideas for centuries. Finally, we discuss the forms Yancey has or is helping to build and imagine a future where even more of the world creates professionally.

May we all shine more brightly and find others who inspire us to make wonderful things.

Full transcript and all links available at https://dialectic.fm/yancey-strickler.

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Timestamps

1:41: Individualism, Identity, and the Internet
19:13: Creativity — Its Origins, Art, and Reaching Toward Something Deeper
33:30: The Creative Century and a Case for the Continued Growth of Professional Creativity
38:27: Hampton
40:02: Something Bigger than Ourselves — The Post-Individual, Bentoism, Being a Star and a Constellation
51:51: Labels & Conspiring Together in Practice
1:07:15: New Forms & Kickstarter
1:18:44: Metalabel
1:31:56: Creativity and Commerce & A Brand New Form: The Artist Corporation
1:46:22: The Long Game: Supporting the Artistic and Creative Life

Key Links & References (all available at dialectic.fm)

Dolly Parton meme
Nine Creative Meditations - Yancey
The Cult of Creativity - Samuel Weil Franklin

The Post-Individual - Yancey
Bentoism
The dark forest theory of the internet - Yancey
The Dark Forest Anthology of the Internet

Our Band Could Be Your Life - Michael Azerrad

Introducing Metalabel

New Creative Era with Yancey & Joshua Citarella

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EP 471: Philosophical Habit and Human Flourishing with Dr. Brian Kemple