We are a human-realization centered platform, which is also why we own, control, and benefit from it under the cooperative model. In a co-op, by design, everybody has an investment in the education and participation of everybody else. It is also why we go beyond traditional co-op forms—and even platform co-op innovations—in the design of our norms and structures of our organization to meet needs, build wealth, amplify one another’s talents, etc. Because we’re not just about meeting members’ essential needs; a huge aspect of our coming-together is to explore our aspirations for a better world.
People matter/are sacred! Attention, time, energy, and our minds–these things are all precious, and deserve consideration, care, and nurturing. In Cosmos, we treat people with care and honor. We wish to co-create online communal spaces in which our inner spirit is acknowledged as sacred and invoked to transform the world.
In some ways, for modern Internet-using humans, “the only scarcity is attention,” and human attention is a sacred concentrated and integrative channel of energy. (In fact, we desperately need to channel this abundant energy source on the planet into regenerative, reparative solutions—and urgently!) We highly value our members’ time and meaningful engagement, and this is expressed through our internal economy (LitCoin), our members’ control/customizations over their experiences, and our blend of protective development spaces AND diverse/dialogs/discourses/experimental/mixed spaces (i.e., we flexibly serve different qualities and fluctuations in people’s attention and their needs.)
Centered on people’s felt needs, and serving the whole person. We see you and care about you as a whole person, and craft a mindful, nurturing media garden for your participation, inspiration and pleasure of the senses. Here, you get an opportunity to really be seen and heard, and to be a listener and a feedback-giver. In this basic process of seeing and being seen, we affirm one another’s humanity and brilliance—something we are desperately needing, even in this age of instantaneous communication. Through vibrant community and inter-creative being, we model cooperative and mutual alternatives for living, being and working together.
We encourage creative diversity but remain urgently focused on improving human situations in holistic ways. Though Cosmos encourages a broad and diverse range of perspectives, we don’t talk about just anything here. We talk diversely about enriching humanity and human potential efficacy in the world—including the patterns affecting our individual, artistic and social lives. We are focused on these conversations, focused towards improving our lives holistically and better realizing human potential. Because we need experimentation and putting our ideas to the test if we are going to realize more beautiful complex forms.
We support each other to produce our best works. The simple process of having one’s creative works seen by peers and patrons, who themselves derive inspiration, and who offer critique, guidance and encouragement to the artist, is an ancient reciprocal flow of human relations exemplified by patterns of mentorship-apprenticeship and guilds. Nourishing people with recognition and inspiration leads to a creative and social “spiral of abundance.”
We seek an intensification of creative energies—to recognize the gem within each other and amplify that. We seek to interact in ways that are empowering—which doesn’t mean flattering, it may mean critiquing; and which doesn’t mean dismissing, it may mean supporting. The community functions of Cosmos are paramount. As an overall aesthetic, we strive for a culture that is inclusive and welcoming of new members (by providing them warm communications, information, and opportunities as soon as they are onboarded, “matchmaking” with mentors, collaborators, sponsors and conversations to enrich the member’s experience, and frequent check-ins/solicitation of feedback). Through these efforts we aim to achieve a “multiplier effect” that intensifies creative energies. Cosmos allows individuals and small teams working toward shared objectives to use the resources provided by the co-op to develop and promote their work.
We want the effect of using Cosmos (in contrast to other online platforms) to be a heightening of mindfulness, personal/artistic cultivation, courage to engage, and a sense of increased fulfillment in one’s life. This involves design mechanisms built into Cosmos which help users manage their attention, choose relationships intentionally, intentionally integrate the development of their creative works with supportive communities and potential collaborators, meaningfully contribute support to others, and hold/be held accountable by the community.
Lastly, if it has not yet been made clear, we are futuristic. In aiming to produce culture for the next civilization, the exclamations of revelatory, ground-breaking, and mind-blowing are baked into our aesthetic.