manifesto energy

three elements of creative power

The best manifestos share a common energetic signature that makes them feel utterly and viscerally alive.

Compared to normal essays or “brand vision documents” or whatever, which try to convince you of something in logical fashion, a manifesto crackles with a sense of emotional vibrancy that transcends the actual words on the page. Upon reading such a document, you don’t just feel logically convinced. You feel intrigued and animated at the possibility carrying this energy forward into your own life.

After plenty of pondering—probably too much tbh—I’ve got a working model of what this energy is, and the three elements that make it such a distinctive emotional experience.

First, there’s the energy of the old story. It’s animated by a clear-eyed awareness of the injustice and suffering woven through the status quo. Old story energy is fire, anger, urgency, compassion. It’s what emerges when the veil is lifted on the inner workings of our disquiet, and you see what you’re fighting against. You’ve met the enemy, and are no longer willing to turn a blind eye to it.

The second energy is that of the new story. It’s animated by the human capacity to create, to dream, to believe what lays beyond the horizon is more beautiful than what lays behind us. It is the energy of possibility, hope, airiness, and faith. It's what emerges when we drop the protective shield of cynicism, allow our hearts to act as compass, and let our imaginations run free, like children. Where might we end up if we're courageous enough to follow those heartfelt directions? What kind of world might we build?

The old and new stories are diametrically opposing energies. Like yin and yang. You can get lost in them, swept up into their totality. Many manifestos—and humans, for that matter—end up consumed by one or the other as they grasp at certainty and control. Pulled completely into the old story, you become consumed by despair and bitterness and rage. You focus endlessly on what’s broken, and so end up manifesting more brokenness. If you’re fully captured by the new story, you live in the clouds, in a naive sort of escapism that distracts from the very real problems before you. Some might call it spiritual bypassing.

Bridge energy, therefore, is the capacity to hold the old and new stories simultaneously, then choosing to dance between them in the present moment. Bridge energy is pragmatic, grounded, earthy, gracious. It's a sense of responsibility. When we embody bridge energy, we acknowledge that every breath we take, every action, every word, is a chance to solidify an old story of life or affirm a new one. Perhaps the greatest power we hold as humans is the ability to choose the stories we live, and to break the ones no longer serving us. Step by imperfect step.

These are the three alchemical elements of manifesto energy. Old story, new story, bridge. Fiery, hopeful, grounded. The process of writing a manifesto helps you cultivate and balance these energies within yourself. Reveling in the dynamic tensions between them provides fuel not just for creative work, but for bringing a more beautiful story of life to fruition.