The way Liz G explains it: If you could read people’s thoughts as they were passing you on the streets of any given place, you would discover that most of them are thinking the same thought. Whatever that majority thought might be - that is the word of the city.
Liz learns this theory from a friend in Rome, where the word is ‘Sex.’ (Can’t argue with that.) She and various friends offer the opinions that the word of the Vatican is Power, New York’s word is ‘Achieve,’ Los Angles’s is ‘Succeed’ and the word of Stockholm, ‘Conform.’ (This does not make me want to go to Stockholm.)
I love this theory. It’s a challenge to evoke the mood of a place in one word, but if you get it right, it fits so well. I first read Eat Pray Love three years ago, and I have been trying to think of London’s word on and off ever since. (I knew the word for DC almost immediately. It’s Win.)
I’ve always thought the London’s word was definitely a verb, like New York and LA, but it didn’t feel right for it to be so ambition-focused. That’s not to say people in London don’t work hard, but they also play hard and enjoy much.
The city it is such a mash up of different cultures and modernity, mingling with equal amounts of tradition and history. I’m always conscious of these elements co-existing, blending together, and occasionally clashing with each other. Usually it’s spectacular. It’s definitely never boring.
I think it’s the awareness of so many different characteristics combining to make something so completely unique to London, that’s made me decide that London’s word is Create.
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I think this really fits. The buzz of London, all those thoughts that people are having as they’re passing you on the street, I don’t think it’s about achievement or success for the sake of money, or recognition. So many of the people I know and meet here are doing what they’re doing because they love it.
Yes, of course they want to be successful enough to support themselves and do the things they enjoy, but often what led them to their work, or the hobby that they’re trying to turn in to work, was passion. And a desire to create something that they’re really proud of.
Encountering that kind of feeling over and over really makes one want to contribute!
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Creating has certainly been on my mind recently. My boyfriend, Michael, is wrapping up his two year MA course at the Royal College of Art and his graduate show is on right now.
For his main project, he’s not only created a new product, he’s constructed it from scratch! It’s the world’s first portable, professional, expandable CNC system. (That stands for computer numeric controlled laymen!)
Here’s a video of it in action:
Pretty nifty, eh?
It’s not doing too badly for itself. So far it’s garnered Michael two big-deal awards: as an RCA Selected Work, the university is funding its patent process and as a Dyson Fellowship winner, Michael’s going to get development support and a salary so he can work on bringing it to market. Whooooo!
It’s also made me want to turn all the thoughts in my head in to a real creation.
Very exciting times ahead ladies and gentleman! Watch this space!
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