Behind the Scenes of Better

Better: The Everyday Art of Sustainable Living is a book of many parts. Utilizing memoir, environmental theory, storytelling and step-by-step DIY projects, Better will help you turn your life into a more sustainable, creative and loving work of art. The inspiration for Better springs from my journey from cubicle to country, and the subsequent transformation of a 1970s commune into a sustainability campus and artist colony. This page serves as an interactive tool that will introduce you to the history, culture and characters of Better Farm—and the Better Theory it's based on. Better was released in July of 2015. Get your copy here.

Clip from Possible documentary.

betterArts resident Kareema Bee shares a photo montage and spoken word piece set to music by fellow artist-in-residence Mikedelic Brownage (Slipperreal on YouTube). Learn more about Kareema here: http://www.kareemabeeonline.com/

A small collection of images, video and audio clips to be used as a bit of a preview as the BetterArt coalition takes a crack at a Better Farm documentary. Because of the nature of this rough trailer, not all information is factually accurate-the audio is more of a perspectives piece.

Jon Hawley reads a poem he wrote in memory of Stephen F. Caldwell

Intellectual arguments alone will not sway the dominant paradigm; to be motivated to create change, people must be moved. Art has the power to inform, influence, and inspire. The creative impulse can, quite literally, change the world.Better explore…

Intellectual arguments alone will not sway the dominant paradigm; to be motivated to create change, people must be moved. Art has the power to inform, influence, and inspire. The creative impulse can, quite literally, change the world.

Better explores the intersection of sustainability and art, showing how each of us can reinvent our lives as our greatest artistic achievement. Presented in the context of the unique story of Better Farm, a blueprint for environmentally conscious living originally established as an intentional community, this unusual guide blends theory with practical, hands-on, DIY ideas to incite your own creative adventures, including:

Upcycling trash into treasure

Turning your fish tank into a garden

Making your yard or balcony a work of art.

Better is a concrete application of the Better Theory, which views every experience—good or bad—as an opportunity for exponential personal growth. Packed with life lessons and tips for making any lifestyle more sustainable, while drawing on everyone's inherent creativity, this unique book provides the inspiration to live more simply, take more chances, and engage more with the natural world. A must-read for anyone who questions the purpose of the daily grind or grapples with the need for more meaning in his or her life.