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astra — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 06:04:55 +0000

Creator culture is the antidote to consumer culture. It’s about what you create rather than what you buy. Our society is already moving in this direction, and The Beauty Engine is here to encourage and assist this transformation.

Check out the archives to see some of the events and experiments that we have instigated, or check out the Beauty Engine book to read more in depth stories and find out more about our framework for building and maintaining happy, creative communities. You can buy a copy or just download it directly from this website.

If you have ideas, feedback or suggestions then please let us know. We would love to hear from you.

Peepshow Minigolf

admin — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 03:46:46 +0000

Perhaps the closest to our hearts of all our projects, Peepshow Minigolf is a totally ridiculous foray into a playful, colorful, absurd, surreal, interactive world, where clowns and dancing food mascots are the norm. We have taken it to many places, including Burningman, Lightning in a Bottle, many events in the Bay Area, and most notably, our infamous ‘iPhone line’ stunt.

Peepshow Minigolf continues to be our all time favorite thing to do. Stay posted for news of our Food Mascot Peepshow Minigolf bus trip to LA…. coming soon!

iPhone Stunt

admin — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 03:14:08 +0000

What could be more fun than playing Peepshow Minigolf in downtown San Francisco? Most of the time we would have been moved along by the cops, but this was a special occasion. The iPhone was being released and there was a media frenzy. The line was around the block by the time the door opened, but when we arrived there were only four people ahead of us. We set up Peepshow Minigolf right in front of the Apple Store, and played golf for 36 hours straight. We were there for the media circus. Our pictures were seen in global printed press from New Zealand to India. Here are just a few of the pictures, nabbed from websites across the internet far and wide.

The Evolution Revolution Roadshow

admin — Sun, 20 May 2007 21:30:11 +0000

The flatbed of a pickup truck which had been transformed into a alternative-fuel-wood-burning-gasifier was the stage for our community based ‘talent show’ at the Lightning in a Bottle festival in Santa Barbara. We drove 30 of our core members there in Chicken John’s bus- the whole experience was designed to be a journey of self discovery and transformation, and we wove everything we have learned over the past few years into it.

J-Rad: ” I have had a lot of amazing experiences in my life, mainly since I met you guys, but this weekend was the most amazing experience I have ever had.”

Polly: “In your whole life ever?”

J-Rad: “In my whole life. Ever.”

The Ua Noa Festival

admin — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 20:56:02 +0000

In March 2007 we produced a festival in Maui with two Japanese groups- Izanai, a dance community, and New World Group an educational organization. It was a ‘Celebration of the Creative Spirit’, and we asked everyone who came to contribute or participate.

Ua Noa means ‘Freedom’ in the poetic native language of Hawaiian.

Click here to see the Ua Noa website

Guide Training at Mission Control

admin — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 02:50:57 +0000

We invited a group of Japanese educators to Mission Control for a deeper delve into our work.The intention of the course was for them to learn our methods for facilitating creative community and take them back to Japan. It was a fun few days- we played interactive games, made sock puppets, and went on some inspiring adventures together. At the end of the course, they honored us by sharing their traditional flower arranging.

Japan Tour

admin — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 20:49:33 +0000

In the summer of 2007 we toured Japan, visiting communities all the way from Hokkaido to Shikoku. We were the keynote speakers at the 10 year anniversary of the Global University and facilitated workshops in 4 different cities. You can read more about our adventures in our book

Crushlab

admin — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 04:54:20 +0000

Crushlab is our alternative singles night. What better demographic to test out some ideas on than the singles scene? They are game for anything!

We have developed a series of scripts which create an experience that optimizes their chances of meeting someone! We use a combination of stickers, cards and games to get people talking and finding out about each other.

Abundance League

admin — Fri, 06 May 2005 02:43:21 +0000

In the spring of 2005 we launched the Abundance League with our friend and colleague Neal Gorenflo. It was designed to be an evening of celebration and sharing. We had featured speakers, presentations, facilitated discussion, and some eclectic music and performance. The Abundance League is still meeting every month, although we are no longer directly involved.

You can see their website here

The Superstar Nation

admin — Sun, 05 Dec 2004 21:02:06 +0000

Between March and December 2004 we carried out a 9 month pilot study. It was a series of events combined with a website and some simple tools, with a test group of 100 people.

It was an amazing opportunity for us to try out ideas and see what worked and what didn’t. A lot of our major ideas and theories were tested and refined during this process.

The story was even picked up by our local newspaper- the SF Weekly.