Woodstock, Gatherings, and Growth.
Woodstock- it was the mecca pilgrimage of the 1960s. From the Grateful Dead to Creedance Clearwater Revival to Janice Joplin, Woodstock was the greatest musical convergence of its era. 1969 was a year of turmoil; a time in which individuals were questioning common societal assumptions. Steeped in the thick of Nixon-era Vietnamization, 500,000 people united for what they believed in: peace, love, and rock n roll.
What does Woodstock have to do with social entrepreneurship? Reading about Nathaniel's pilgrimage and seeing numerous bloggers refer to SoCap09 as the "Woodstock" of social capital markets this week, I've started to think about the energy of large-scale group collaboration. More simply put, I'm seeing the importance of "Gathering." In tribute to the greatest musical event of our lifetime, I've compiled some Woodstock highlights about "Gathering" and how they relate to the growth of the Social Capital Markets movement. On a broader scale, events like SoCap09, TED, Skoll World Forum, Maker's Faire, and even Burning Man have much to teach us about the need for large-scale gathering among social entrepreneurs.
Woodstock created a roadmap for a generation:
"We thought we were all individual, scattered hippies. When we got there, we said, 'Wait a minute, this is a lot bigger than we thought.'" — David Crosby(Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young) on Woodstock.
For a generation of wandering youth, this experience must have been profound. The process of meeting supports an understanding and celebration that causes social landscapes to materialize. It is through shared principles and values that groups create infrastructure and roadmaps that lead to the future. In the case of Woodstock, this resulted in the end of the Vietnam War. In the case of Socap08, this resulted in the emergence of a new social capital market.
Woodstock was birthed in opposition and challenging circumstances:
Woodstock was steeped in opposition. With Richard Nixon's announcement of a need for a "silent majority" to rise up and support the war, the political climate of 1969 was tense. Even more importantly, Woodstock was steeped in local opposition. Members of the conservative local community were outraged at the hippy constituency invading their village. It took great public lobbying just to get the event off the ground. Woodstock was creatively rebellious and overcame assumptions. Society expected a large gathering of its magnitude to be violent, yet, it was peace the audience was most recognized for.
A day after the fall of AIG and Wachovia, the media had concluded it was the worst time in history to consider Impact Investing. SoCap08 welcomed 600 attendees, 300 more participants than it had originally expected. The consensus for many was that the crash marked a new era in finance. There was excitement in the air as it seemed the evolution of the capital markets was happening before our very eyes.
Woodstock was a collaboration between a diverse set of change-makers:
What many people don't often realize about Woodstock was that it was two New York entrepreneurial investors who made the even possible. John Roberts and Joel Rosenman sent out an advertisement to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal stating, “Young men with unlimited capital looking for interesting, legitimate investment opportunities and business propositions.”
They were then contacted by Artie Kornfeld and Michael Lang who both were steeped in the music industry. Imagine the challenges of coordinating traditional hard-lined investors with music loving hippies. It was this mix of business-savvy with music expertise and technical ability that created the event. The innovation of gathering occurs when non-traditional networks are mixed and new roadmaps are formed through critical collaboration. The Burning Man festival attracts every type of artist imaginable, and through it's diversity has become renown for extreme creativity.
Woodstock was defined by technology and program disruption:
Woodstock's sound design was organized by Bill Hannley, one of the greatest sound engineers of the day. Hannley designed the most innovative concert sound system in the world. The massive speaker columns were integrated into the shape of the hill to utilize the full capacity of the valley. Creating an audible system capable of pleasing 500,000 people was an extraordinary feat. This intentional understanding of sound and its interaction with the surrounding environment was critical to the success of the event.
While the sound, stage and infrastructure were intentional, the performers and program were unpredictable. Acts like the Who would begin playing at 3 and 4am. The words of musicians like Jerry Garcia were uncontrollable. One of the largest program disruptions was the rain that showered the event. The crowd danced and played as if the storm was part of the show. Woodstock's audience cultivated the ability to respond to and ignite disruption, and in doing so, became they became an integral part of the gathering. The memories of the group run parallel to the individual memories of each participant.
Whether it is the ability of an individual to watch a TEDtalk at home and organize a Tedx, or a SoCap participant to pitch their idea on the unconference day, it is this ability to join the show that creates for a true gathering experience.
Woodstock was the mantra of an era:
Woodstock's key takeaway was that it embodied the soul of a generation. When people thought of the 60s, they automatically considered Woodstock. This is why social innovation gatherings have so much significance to this era. The Janice Joplins and Jimmy Hendrixes of yesterday are the Kjerstin Ericksons (Forge) and Matt Flannerys (Kiva) of today. Those who seek good for the world will always gather. It is only when we jump in our lovebus and drive to the convergence that we realize we have become part of a very significant movement.
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