When looking at John Hatherly’s work, the word that comes to mind is radical — radical in the sense that their work cuts through the negativity of the world by providing audiences with messages of hope, sanity, and wonder.
In Hatherly’s work, there’s evidence of analog mediums — whether working in charcoal, paint, scraps, goldleaf, or ink, Hatherly ensures, whether consciously or subconsciously, that there’s a visceral element of the human hand, in the artifacts they produce.
Their approach as described by them mentions “believing in mastery taking generations, and approaching work with a sense of naïvety and wonder—an infinite search for voice through a series of discrete, playful explorations in a search for forms that illuminate life.”
Hatherly shares their upbringing, creative process, and more, in our conversation on episode two of our podcast, Underscore.
By day, Hatherly art directs for corporate clients and aims at fostering a collaborative space amidst their teams that is grounded in understanding, compassion, resiliency, and wonder. And by night, Hatherly runs their studio Sondwerk which encompasses an endearing manifesto that is hard to argue against.
The manifesto is simple
Timing Matters.
Remember the past to help create a better future right now. Action exists at the intersection of what came before us, those around us, and what we believe is possible.
Never lose the wonder you have for life.
Never lose your naïveté, the sense of wonder you have for life. It is highly improbable that you should even exist in your current state. Respect that.
Everything is matter. Everything matters.
Consider the Universe a stakeholder—the flora, the fauna, the planets, the solar systems, the dark matter, the economies, the experiments, the techniques, the industries . . . the people. We all breathe, together.
Practice radical transparency.
Without truth, love fades. We believe that radical transparency is needed to facilitate peaceful human coexistence. Our intent is to help create a society where people can freely express themselves and engage in thoughtful disagreement without harmful conflict, even when ideas are controversial. The future is open-sourced and radically transparent—live your truth.
Coöperation is key.
Humans are a coöperative species. Don’t be afraid to stand on the shoulders of giants, but leave the ego at the door. No one goes it alone. Keep moving, together.
Be generous.
That’s it. Just be generous. Time. Effort. Money. Love. All of it.
And it is this manifesto that is ingrained into the fabric of the work that they do. Never falling short of their mission, as they describe, to cooperate in wisdom, in humility, and love.
Follow John Hatherly on Instagram.
Written by
