When is selling your soul for the sake of a sale ok? Generally that’s considered a bad thing to do, but this weekend I witness the results of what happens when your soul becomes your brand and your brand is so inspiring, so motivating that others will pay to be a part of it.

After three non-stop days of meetings and trade floor displays at Greenbuild (the USGBA’s annual conference last week in Phoenix) I needed to clear my head. I drove north and covered about 65 miles of  wide open desert before spotting the ethereal place that has captured the imagination of students for decades – Arcosanti.

Arcosanti

I first heard of Arcosanti in 1970 while taking design courses at Eastern Michigan University. As you see it off in the distance, it looks like the back set for a SyFi movie. As you get closer, it takes on the essence of a reverse “dig” – only instead of uncovering a lost civilization it’s uncovering the sustainable ideals that can save this one.

Arcosanti is the sweat and inspiration of Paolo Solari, now 90 and still visiting once a week to lecture. His vision was to create a city for 5000 on only 15 acres of land. The final vision wouldn’t be a sky scraper, but an undulating system of structures where material, space and energy are minimized and spirit, delight and engagement are maximized. So far he has succeeded even though only 100 people live and work there now after four decades of construction.

This is where the soul comes in…

How many people would come visit your product’s birthplace and want to pay you for the experience of being part of the expanded creative moment?

Paolo Solari

Over 100,000 come to visit Arcosanti and 6000 can claim Arcosanti on their resume of on-site work experience.

In comparison, 30,000 people attended the Greenbuild conference which is the modern day manifestation of Paolo’s ideals.

How about it? How is the soul of your work selling?

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