Think Like a Startup, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 3 The future is informal

We’ve already established that the number of careers requiring formal validation can be listed in a short paragraph, so it’s worth taking a look at how the informal market is starting to shape our world economically. People with something to offer and a risk-is-good attitude are starting to get noticed and finally gaining respect in our world. Let’s take one of the world’s most famous living artists — Banksy. For the uninitiated, Banksy is a street artist from the UK. Given that much of Banksy’s art has been created illicitly (he has commonly been accused of trespass and vandalism, for example), he has chosen to keep his true identity closely guarded. But ask someone on the street about him and at least they’ll know who he is, which probably cannot be said for Gerhard Richter. There’s something special about what Banksy does that can offer us clues as to where the world is going. We are quickly moving from a world where the formal hierarchy rules to one where you can pick your own rules.

Surprisingly, Banksy makes the list of the top 100 living artists (based on the total value of works sold), sitting comfortably at number 84 on the list.⁶ Unlike most of his fellow artists, however, Banksy wasn’t ‘chosen’ or legitimised by anyone as an artist — he picked himself. He didn’t rise up through traditional channels of art appreciation. Starting out as a streetwise graffiti artist with something to say, a bit of humour and a rebellious determination, ...