Why the alternative is called alternative
Happyplaces Stories
Did we finally understand that what we call ‘alternative’, always has been the alternative for everything we see and do as ‘normal’? But now, when ‘normal’ does not work anymore, we start to see that it’s the reason why it always has been called the alternative?
Last week I filmed André Platteel of Your Lab in his beautiful home in Amsterdam. It was a mesmerising experience. Doing these interviews is a funny thing. You enter a person’s space, have a conversation, and at a certain point in time it is right to assemble the camera and start filming. From the about 100 people I talked to, I recorded 65 until now. André was number 65. André’s home caused a severe flashback.
A long, long time ago, I have been in his house. We used it as a set for a music video. So entering that space really odd. One of the things I always remembered from that space was a huge table that was full of the most beautiful books. As I was a big Andy Warhol fan back then, I remembered one particular book. He had a really rare book with drawings by Andy that was just released back then. Inbetween filming, I really enjoyed going through that book. Yes, Andy’s silkscreen work is nice and famous, but I’m a big fan of his perfect imperfect drawings. ‘I still have that book’ André said. ‘It’s on a shelf somewhere.’
Filming André was really easy. He knows what he wants to say because he is what he wants to say. No need to think or hasitate. He just really comfortably shared his story, without a single ‘eh’. Sitting behind the camera is a but strange though, since the talks are always quite personal. And I am wrapped in stuff, sitting only a meter away from a person, watching a small monitor. So, even though he is there, I’m watching live tv, with headphones on. Which makes it also really intense: it’s like being in a one-person tiny cinema with great sound where you can actually talk to the main character. Most of the time, it’s quite a transcending experience of which I really need to restore from afterwards.
I knew André as a marketing strategist for big companies. But a lot has happened since. He collapsed just before he had to give an important presentation and he spent seven years to overcome that — not that particular moment per se. But that was a massive turning point, after which he spent to recalibrate himself, finding who he really is, which eventually led to starting Your Lab. Your Lab has brought him home. He learned that everything he desired is already in him. And at Your Lab he offers other people a place for transformation too.
I silently sat there, filming, listening, absorbing. Even eventually he stopped talking and I stopped filming. What an amazing trip. The André who was once a highly commercial brand strategist transformed into a really aware, balanced, wise human being. Almost to a, as one would say alternative guy.
You know, when we see people doing things differently, talking about finding one’s true self, most of the time or thoughts wander off and applaud that person with the accomplishments in his personal quest and achievements. It’s stuff we rather not talk about. Our doubts, fears, feelings, thoughts, because it is scary to do so. Feels weird, naked, like being exposed. Funnily, one of the things almost al 65 people I filmed have in common, is exactly the same thing: that they all are insecure, don’t know if they do things right, just figure things out as they go along. Human things. And they suffer from assumptions, projected images by other people, and more. For me, this is really comforting, because if everyone has these things, why would you then be limited, restrained, held back?
Having thoughts like this now, and sharing them is becoming more and more normal. You could say, that the alternative is becoming the normal. These thoughts were dancing in my head when I was listening to André. Next to initiatives like Your Lab, there are loads of places where people go to for self-exploration and self-searching. Places like School of Life by Alain the Botton that now has ‘school’s’ from London to São Paulo. Or the Society of Grownups where you can go to to find your inner adult. Or De Nieuwe Poort, located in the business district in Amsterdam, where you can go to for reflection, inspiration meeting people, bringing people together in order to get the best out of ourselves in a world where business prevails. Yoga is more popular than ever with new initiatives like House of Yoga and many more. And there are many magazines and books about happiness, mindfulness and balancing your life.
In business, it’s no different. Companies are searching for their purpose and why, their raison d’être — the claimed reason for the existence of something or someone; the sole or ultimate purpose of something or someone. Doing things differently, out of the box, out of your comfort zone, out of the box — alternatively is becoming, or has become the norm. With all the rules and principles that go with it. We no longer work as a company with rules, no, we work as tribes with principles following a belief with a common mindset, ideally balancing your work and life to be happy, to be good for the world at large.
So I asked André: ‘Wasn’t the alternative always named alternative because it’s the alternative for everything we consider normal today, but doesn’t work anymore? Like another, alternative, scenario we can use now, because the one we are using does not work anymore? And, if that’s true, what’s our new alternative? Is that the world we have now, so we can have a look at that at given times to remember that the alternative was always the normal, and the normal never was?’
He said: ‘Hm. Great question. I’m going to write something about that.’ He just did. Read it here in Dutch.
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