GENERATE IDEAS, FORGE LINKS
James Carlson has had several lives. A serial entrepreneur, he launched coworking spaces and in particular makerspaces in the USA in the early 2000s. He launched several companies before turning his attention to education, and collaborating with the CRI (now the Learning Planet Institute), whose values of interdisciplinarity, collective intelligence and openness he shares. Interview.
James Carlson is in Colombia when we call. The mischievous-looking American entrepreneur always has a new idea in mind for forming communities and forging links to build a better future. It's in his blood, and has been since his youth.
As a child, raised by a single mother, James felt he was wasting his time at school. He went through 13 different schools before leaving the school system for good. «The education system clearly didn't suit me».» At 16, he dropped out of school and set up his own technology company. Four years later, he sold it and began working for companies in the same sector. However, he could already see the limits: the personalization of data, which would give rise to the much more advanced algorithms we know today, was already scaring him. What's more, James isn't interested in selling exclusively. He needs to give real meaning to what he does. «I had to leave this environment, he says simply.
If we were to train citizens, many of the world's ills would disappear.
The year is 2003. War breaks out in Iraq. A time of great soul-searching for James. «At that time, a lot of things didn't ring true. The education system didn't seem to be working for most people in the world. I wanted to get involved to get to the root of the problem with one idea in mind: if we ensured that we were training citizens, many of the world's ills would disappear.» James could have worked for the government to change the education system. An entrepreneur at heart, he decided instead to trust his intuition: if the education system isn't working, people can learn differently and outside the classroom.
This is how James founded collaborative makerspaces in the United States. Students, adults, seniors: different generations come together, each bringing their own artistic or technical skills. «I wanted to create a brain makerclub, a campfire around which we could gather and exchange ideas». These are the beginnings of Bucketworks, when coworking spaces didn't yet exist, even at Facebook. In 2011, people from New York and California came to see James in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. «They asked me, ‘Why don't we have places like this too?’». These are the beginnings of collaborative workspaces.
«These spaces enable - outside of schools - intergenerational learning, but also the use of art and creativity in training.» James aspires that the community spirit of these places can then infuse the schools.
It was at this point that James heard about the CRI from one of its associates. He was invited to speak at a CRI event in Paris. « It was an event with people from all over the world, a very rich and dense environment.» At the time, the CRI was still based at the Hôpital Cochin. James remembers the event with great enthusiasm: «It was really great and I soaked up as much of that energy as I could.» James vows to return to Paris every year. «I really like Paris. I lived there for 9 months in 2000, when I was working in the technology sector. I never thought I'd go back, but I find that Paris gives me a better balance between my professional and personal life.», he says with a touch of nostalgia.
Art really is part of the learning process. What would science be without the stories we tell?
What really brings James back is the CRI. He can totally relate to it. «Our goal was the same. The way we do things is very similar. The Learning PIanet Institute has an incredible culture, bringing together smart, humble people. There are so many ideas in one place!. As well as the community aspect, dear to James, what really stands out for him is interdisciplinarity, and in particular the bridges between art and science. «I have a passion for art and creativity. I believe that art is really part of the learning process. What would science be without the stories we tell?.
James also developed strong ties with François Taddei, Gaell Mainguy and Ariel Lindner, three of the initiators of CRI. He remembers moments with each of them, when they would sometimes take walks around Paris. «The people who have driven this momentum are passionate and visionary. They have also had a significant impact on the Institute's culture.»
In 2016, James joined CRI for several months as a «strategic catalyst» (Strategic Catalyst). His role is to structure it, and to ensure that the CRI lives as long as possible. « I worked a lot with the learners at CRI. It was an exciting and fun experience, he says.
In terms of fun, James has fond memories of his time at CRI «Before the renovation of the buildings in the Marais, we did a giant paintball with the teams and students. It was a lot of fun.» A way of showing that at CRI, we don't take ourselves too seriously - while doing things that can be taken seriously. «You have access to a diversity of brains from all over the world, it's incredible. James remembers his trip to China. «We were able to compare ways of working and studying between China and France (or the United States). We coordinated design thinking programs, rapid prototyping programs, etc.», he explains, eyes still filled with enthusiasm. You can tell that James, a self-taught multi-entrepreneur, has learned a lot from his experiences at CRI. «This is THE place where I could have studied!» he says, laughing. It seems he didn't need to earn a degree to have a collaborative, innovative spirit, and to work on exciting projects.
A portrait of Marie OLLIVIER
