In the almost eight years since I first launched the Empire of Australia project, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what the Empire of Australia should be.
A big part of that stems from what the Empire of Australia stands for, and after a lot of deliberation, I think I’ve come to some conclusions that I will share.
Imagination & Creativity Are Immeasurably Important
Imagination is the act of forming new ideas or concepts not present to the senses.
Creativity is the act of producing new things based on what has been imagined.
For us, these two are inextricably intertwined.
The foundation of all of our imaginative and creative endeavors is the idea of a parallel universe, the Empire Universe, which is eerily similar to and disturbingly different from our own.
In some respects, the Empire Universe is a kind of thought experiment.
This parallel universe is not a utopia. Like our universe, it is filled with both the divine and the devilish, the extraordinary and the mundane, the inspiring and the disturbing. It is a world that begs us to ask the question: what if?
All Voices Are Valuable
Great ideas can come from anywhere.
The Empire seeks to empower all voices to participate in a vibrant and respectful conversation.
This means facilitating engagement from those whose voices have been stifled both historically and systematically.
It also means that if a project of the Empire returns a profit, that the participants of that project reap the rewards of that project.
Sustainability Is Required
Sustainability is the key to an effort that has longevity and impact. This is a natural law that the Empire Company must adhere to in all things.
Efforts of the Empire Company must be sustainable in that they must be economically self-sufficient. No effort of the company can burn its resources without a plan to return those resources to the collective.
Likewise, the Empire’s activities must keep its environmental footprint neutral at worst and be a net-positive at best.
For example, reuse and re-purposing of materials is encouraged over original consumption.
Entertainment Is Not A Dirty Word
The Empire Universe must also entertain, because only by creating engaging, addictive experiences can we ensure success and impact.
We must create experiences that drive people to ask “What’s next?” and push them to the next exhilarating experience.
If people are entertained, they will come back so let’s put on a good show.
Giving Back Is In Our DNA
The Empire Pledge is at the core of everything the Empire Company does.
It requires that the Empire Company donate 50% of its profits to causes that fit the following criteria:
- Empowering Dis-empowered Communities
- Caretaking of the Planet and its Non-Human Creatures
- Supporting the Rule of Law and fighting corruption
Continuous Evolution
What doesn’t adapt dies.
The Empire of Australia must continue to reinvent itself, rebuild itself, and adapt to whatever changes come our way in the world.
We do this by creating a flexible, fluid, ever-changing, ever-adapting collective that constantly evolves what it does and never rests on its accomplishments.