Authenticity
Authenticity
January 24, 2012 by Taylor Studios
What is Authentic?
Authentic is the latest and greatest buzzword. I first thought of authenticity when the book by the same name by James Gilmore and Joseph Pine was published in 2007 . They describe some businesses as offering fake, contrived, phony products or experiences. Given this and all our digital friends it seems people are craving something real. Clients want to buy from companies that are authentic. . In a philosophical sense it would be seen as being true to yourself. You could say it is as old as Socrates with the admonition that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” In the philosophy of art is the work faithful to the artist’s self or does it conform to external values? In psychology it refers to living one’s life according to the needs of one’s inner being, rather than the demands of society.
Hearing the word over and over again on the news shows this weekend made me think that it is bantered around unjustly. What does it mean for someone to be authentic or for a business to have authenticity? I think these words describe it:
With these adjectives in mind, I don’t think they describe our political figures too accurately. That’s a bummer.
When we hire we look for people that match our core values. When teaming up with outside partners we look for a match in our philosophy. This would mean a lack of pretentiousness, a lack of arrogance (which can run prolific in the art and academic world), friendly, honest at all costs and dedicated to offering value to our clients. I think we are looking for authenticity.
How would you describe authenticity? Where do you see it?