container
the space where everything happens.
take a look around you, wherever you are, and notice how many containers surround you. maybe you see water held in a glass, a book filled with photos, leaves growing from tree branches, or text living inside paragraph tags. containers can be physical, virtual, or ideological. they can be sparkly or plain, cozy or expansive. some may be fixed while others may adapt to what they hold.
a container = space + boundaries that surround something.
our current work culture operates through containers too. consider a company wiki—a container holding values, processes, team directories, and logos. this document might live within multiple nested containers: a folder, inside a laptop, inside an office, inside a building. each boundary shapes what is shared within and how it is accessed.
as we evolve, so does our understanding of containers. the metaverse hints at possibilities that can become realities. in the year y3k, what kinds of containers will house human creativity and purpose and who will control their boundaries?
no matter what your purpose, skills, and gifts are, they have the potential to thrive inside of a container created just for them. how do you know what your container is? think about your mission statement. your container is likely represented by the place where everything happens, like a platform, app, or newsletter.
if you're a tarot reader, your container might be a session inside of a studio space, with your physical deck living inside of a sun-charged box. but what if that same skill and medium could exist in containers we haven't yet imagined? what kind of container for tarot readings might exist 1,000 years from now?
current popular containers offer varied levels of accessibility, customization, and support. a content creator might use tiktok, not because it's their ideal container, but because it's available, allowing them to start. for others, tiktok might feel impossible, restricting them from starting at all.
many of us feel limited by available containers, sensing our most authentic work can't flourish within existing structures. the dreamy idealist roles we envision seem incompatible with traditional workplace boundaries. the innovative solutions we want to create don't fit into conventional business models. so, a lot of us just give up, or give in.
but do we have to?
imagine a container that perfectly houses your purpose, your work, your talents. what does it look like? is it soft? does it exist irl or in your mind only? is it cloudy? is it sunny? does it have a fragrance? what does its energy feel like?
how can you create this container today?
the future we're co-creating depends on our willingness to question current containers and to be imaginative enough to design new ones that serve our highest potential—individually and collectively.
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