Semi-Permanent is back, returning to Auckland on 3-4 July 2015 at Victory Convention Centre. With a legendary line up including such luminaries as Michael Bierut, Jessica Walsh, Christopher Doyle, Andrew Gordon of Pixar and many more this is one gathering you don't want to miss! 

To get us in the swing of things we had a chat with MASH studio and ‘micronation’ leader, James Brown, a renowned art director for hospitality, wine, food and interior design (AKA ARTchitecture™).

James will be kicking off Semi-Permanent on July 3 and after talking with him we’re certain he’ll serve up some fascinating perspectives and learnings. For the full speaker & workshop lineup, and to grab yourself a ticket, head over to the Semi-Permanent website.

Who are you?
I’m James Nathan Brown VIII (that’s 8th in Roman) and I was put on earth to help with the evolution of the human race through making the place that we are temporarily living on, a little bit more fun, less serious, and to add a serious amount of colour. That being said I’d really like to make the colour beige aspirational. I’m also here to contradict myself.

But yep I’m James. I was born on the Kuarna nation in Australia but I’d prefer not to be known as an Australian. How do I become a Kiwi?

What gets you up in the morning?
The sun, bird music, the need to pee, a boner, ideas - they are my true alarm clock. Most of the good ideas I have happen between the point of deep sleep and waking point. If the surf is good I am up in the dark. I like getting up, I’m happy you know. I clap my hands like that guy from Jerry Maguire. I shave to Bill Withers “Lovely Day” after I saw a guy do it in a fishing village I was staying at in the North of Colombia. Only sometimes though.

Explain what you do in five words or less…
Love consume create fart happy.

What’s a surprising fact about you?
I’m James Brown the 8th, I used to be a woman (not). I was a Ninja when I was 6. My gravestone will read “pardon me for not getting up”, its in my will but I stole it from a famous writer. I would to play prince buster’s “hard man fe dead” when people walk over my grave, essentially it will make people dance. I’d like to design a really sweet tomb and it won’t be among other dead folks, it will be atop a mountain in the Basket Range so when you visit you feel good, clean air. Imagine building your own tomb. Self dedication! Love thyself. Because you are worth it.

Tell us about your creative community: 
The peoples make the commune. I collect mentors. One mentor is Gerry Wedd, he is a 60yr old grouch ex Mambo artist, slash potter. We make ceramics and we surf. He abuses me and I like it. 

Kaspar Schmidt-Mumm is like my little brother best mate and energetic lunatic we lose our marbles on a regular basis and make really bad rap in the car. Then Carlo and Andy from Mash are part of the regular gang of inspo freaks. Fruitcake is my Knowledge Shepard. The list goes on. There’s a lot. 

I wouldn’t change anything other than perhaps being somewhere where it was warm all year round and you wouldn’t need cars, just horses and bikes and foots.

Best piece of advice you’ve received?
Early yrs: my dad said to me “humility - look it up”, I was 5.

Career: Rocky said “your work isn’t very diverse”, it inspired me to embrace diversity in all facets of life

Fruitcake: Lennon was right “all you need is love”

Me: “if you love everything, you will never be unhappy” 

Jim/Tom: “Fast, Cheap, and Good… pick two. If it’s fast and cheap, it won’t be good. If it’s cheap and good, it won’t be fast. If it’s fast and good, it won’t be cheap.” Fast, cheap and good… pick (2) words to live by.   

Who would you love to hear speak, alive or dead?
Wade Davis ultimately, My grandfather James Brown the 6th, my friend’s dog Marley (she tries so hard!), Zapatista Subcomandante Marcos, David Holmgren, Fruitcake, Brasilians, Sixto Rodriguez, The Irish, Gil Scot Heron, Che Guevara, Mandela, Pele, Jamaicans, myself (to be able to remove yourself from your body and watch yourself live! Outer body experience).

When you get stuck creatively, what is the first thing you do to get unstuck?  
Share my problem with as many people as I need to. Or go to the mentors. Or anyone really.

What’s your Secret Superpower?
Manifestation. Its the magic of the earth, that everyone has. Some just haven’t unlocked it. Everything I think will come true. The only reason I truly believe it because I had this incredible journey once and I said at the start ‘I want to believe in magic’. And a series of events allowed that to become a reality. See I told you things come true. 

Peyote was one thing that has changed me forever. Its a long story.

What’s the most recent thing you learned?
I just learned that Steiner education system shares a lot of my belief systems. I also just learned the Koji tribe keep their children in a cave until they are 18yrs and they take them out on their 1st sun rise and they have an immense appreciation of the world (beyond what we have) how wild. I’d probably get reported to the animal welfare if I did it with my future children. Oh well. 

What would you lead a revolution on?
My heart wants me to be stupid here but I won’t. I would say “DEATH TO CLOTHES and SADNESS” but I’m going to be a 35yr old grown up. For once.

 A revolution to make humans respect each other, and realise we are all cousins, religion in the long term is pointless when we are destroying our home, there is no saviour but the earth, worship the earth, we are all part of it, love it, it made us, it keeps us living. Indigenous cultures were far smarter than advanced civilisation. But that is far too airy fairy for the modern human. I’m going to focus on something more current and now. 

“DEATH TO CONSUMPTION and BORDERS”. The world is about to face the world’s worst refugee crisis beyond what we can ever imagine. The African population is set to double by 2050. We wont have to go looking for poor/sick people, they’ll be everywhere, on the doorstep, they’re already banging on the gates right? Boats in the Indian Ocean, in the South China sea, in the Med. 11 billion people on the planet by 2050. 11 billion!!!! We’re 7 billion now, so more than half what we have again.  

We are buried beneath the weight of information, it is being confused with knowledge; mass quantity of shit is being confused with abundance, and wealth has forever been confused with happiness. 

Keiko the Killer Whale earned $36 million for Free Willy… and Graham and Anne-Marie, organic farmers in Gawler, made $40,000 (before tax). There is a madness that grows in every one of our stupid heads. We are apes with cash, guns and iPhones. Destroying more than we realise. I’ll just grab that $99 Chinese Ikea bed thanks. 

OPEN THE BORDERS, STOP CONSUMING. EDUCATION FOR ALL (it is more important that we know).  

What is the one question we haven’t asked that you want to answer?

Q: What’s hard for you?

A: I ride the great pegasus on the border of reality and the imagination. The reality of James Brown needs imagination like pavlova needs kiwi fruit. The imagination of James Brown needs reality like a blind man needs a seeing eye dog. 

And then just the general things like being on time, following orders, behaving, to stop eating, threading a needle, winning the lottery, getting things done on time, dealing with time in general, not being retired, not being on hiatus more.

SEMI-PERMANENT AUCKLAND 2015
3-4 July 2015, Victory Convention Centre, Auckland

Thanks to good folk at Semi-Permanent we have a few tickets to give away to the CreativeMornings community! Sign up to our newsletter, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and get yourself to our June talk to be in to win!