Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with creativity

How do I make the most of the Internet?

logicalsequence — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 06:05:42 -0800

How do I make the most of the Internet? I find myself reading the same (primarily boring) websites on the Internet and want to make more use of my online time. What can I do to connect with others more effectively, to discover new ideas more easily, to partake in my hobbies more effectively, to become more innovative/creative or to contribute to society more?

All I seem to be using the Internet for at the minute is for checking Facebook and a couple of forums and blogs relating to my hobbies.

Please feel free to suggest ideas or specific websites.

Thanks.

Seeking clicking mechanism or design...

pallen123 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:21:02 -0800

What kind of small toys or devices click when you rotate them forwards and backwards? Seeking mechanism or design... I’m trying to help a friend design a small toy and she needs a mechanism that will click in very small increments as she rotates a small (1 inch diameter) dial that turns 360 degrees on its axis. She needs the dial to click precisely as it turns clockwise and counterclockwise in smallish increments. I was thinking a fishing reel mechanism might work, but that just allows turning in one direction. Then I thought a ratchet wrench mechanism might work, but that also turns in just one direction (and I’m not sure how the inside of a ratchet wrench works either). Can anyone think of existing toys or devices that have a clicking mechanism that freely rotate? Novel solutions? Suggestions? Thank you!

Perhaps a chair coated with glue?

BitterOldPunk — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:09:03 -0800

With NaNoWriMo looming ever nearer, I would like to hear your best tips, tricks, habits, and techniques for staying chained to the keyboard. Realizing that the point is to get 50,000 words written, I've jettisoned all illusions of producing quality, publishable prose. My only goal is to finish without having to copypaste "All work and no play makes BOP a dull boy" five thousand times. I have a (rather vague) outline, I have some preliminary character sketches, and I have every expectation that the first ten thousand words will flow fairly quickly. But. I suck at follow-through. I have the attention span of the common housefly. So, writers: how do I stick with it, fight through discouragment and ennui, and produce 50,000 reasonably coherent words?

Note: I'm not looking for tips like "prepare moar" or "work your plan". I'm looking for how to stay motivated when the fun stuff stops and the hard work begins.

Art and culture inspired by a dream or vision, a la Coleridge's Kubla Khan?

lhall — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:27:48 -0800

I'm looking for examples of creative works which seem to have come from a place outside the artist's deliberate, conscious effort (be it the collective unconscious, drug-induced, the subconscious of the author finally culminating, whatever). Famously, Coleridge "received" his poem Kubla Khan while in the grip of an opium high, and wrote it all down upon awakening (or so he claimed, but for the purposes of this question, assume it's true). I can think of a couple of other examples where an author had a waking dream which inspired their work (Mary Shelley and Frankenstein) or where the contents of their work appeared to them fully formed (Gabriel Garcia Marquez and the town of Macondo in One Hundred Years of Solitude). Stephen King also wrote that he wrote Cujo while under the influence, and doesn't actually remember writing any of it.

Do you know of more examples of similar and tangential events, in any medium and for any creative person? Thanks in advance. (And sources for these stories are greatly appreciated if you have them handy!)

I made it so it must be good.

yorick — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:35:45 -0800

Looking for a word/phrase that describes when someone thinks an artistic work they created is marketable/likable, yet is something they wouldn't care for if it was created by someone else. Example (that is truly hypothetical yet sounds fueled by bitterness): Someone films a movie they think deserves an audience/financier/praise. However, if someone else had made that same film, they'd be unimpressed.

To clarify, this has nothing to do with sense of accomplishment, and I fully acknowledge that art is subjective. This is specifically "You'd hate it if you didn't make it".

Lomo–tastic!

t0astie — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 16:23:18 -0800

I just got a Lomo Fisheye 2 for my birthday! I am super excitemented. Hive, hit me with your bestest Lomo / fisheye tips and tricks! Background: my experience level is medium, but I haven’t used a film camera for years. I’m located in the middle of nowhere for the next week (the South Australian outback) and then I’ll be in Brisbane, Australia mostly.

So far, I’ve been browsing the Lomography.com forums and looking at lots of pics on Flickr, as well as taking my new toy everywhere and shooting lots of different stuff – everything from concerts to landscapes to close-ups of my long-suffering boyfriend and camera-gifter. It’ll be a while before I can get the film developed though. In the meantime, I’m hoping AskMe has some Lomo-lovin’ experience to share.

So I’m wondering…

-Best film? (A couple of rolls of 100 and 100 redscale were part of my gift and I went and bought a few rolls of 400 print film, which is all that’s available here. I’ll be able to order over the net back in Brisbane, and camera stores there will have more variety, I’m sure.)
-Processing tips? (I won’t be doing it myself and I'm not really interested in prints, more in having the film developed and scanned to CD.)
-I’m especially up for fun and creative photo adventures and experiments. I have nearly a whole week of free time! Ideas?

All suggestions, ideas, inspiration welcome!

How do I start a poetry group at work?

zooropa — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:25:37 -0800

How do I start a poetry circle at my company? I just purchased a new book called Leading from Within: Poetry That Sustains the Courage to Lead. Originally, I bought it to read and inspire myself at work. Now, as I go deeper into it, I'm thinking this would be a terrific thing to do with other people at work.

Does anyone have ideas or thoughts on how to start a poetry reading group? Obviously, I would perfer thoughts on how to start one at work, but I'll take general poetry circles at this point. Do multiple read a poem or does one person? Do you ask people to share their own? Do you ask them to read it aloud or to themselves? What kind of questions are good to start conversation?

Please bear in mind, I'm not trying to start a prayer or meditation circle. I work for a media agency and it's difficult to keep the bigger picture in mind as we rush from project to project. My goal is to bring people together for 45 minutes one day a month where we read poetry together as a way of recharging our creative batteries.

Your thoughts and recommendations are more than welcome.

Tell me about creativity as an external anima, please.

Cantdosleepy — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 03:33:59 -0800

Looking for information about creativity as an external force or spirit (or manna or anything even vaguely similar). Things like the Greek Muses, from any cultures. I've the hatchling of a plan for a story that involves a creativity-inducing environment, and am looking for background reading / idea-spawning stuff.*

If you can think of any rituals people perform in other cultures to commune with creative spirits, the names of any sprites or nymphs or kami involved in this, any great speeches by poets declaring opiates to contain idea-giving properties, any of that would be gold.

Famous arguments to the contrary would also be appreciated. I'm not looking for a discussion about the merits of this worldview, particularly (although if you want to hash it out a little in this thread don't let me stop you) but am more interested in historical proponents of both sides. This thread about conceptual blending, for example, was gold. If a moustachioued Edwardian had said something pithy about something similar, even better.

Looking to spend some time filling my brain with this stuff and seeing if anything useful comes out.

(*What's that you say? Using external materials to induce creativity? Good spot, but not exactly what I mean. I'm after external anima-type things that people think they can commune with.)

Looking for goal-oriented, creative hobbies

Quizicalcoatl — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:48:01 -0800

Ms. Quizicalcoatl is looking for an artistic hobby, but she is very goal-oriented. Help! Now that all the schooling is done and the job is got, Ms. Quizicalcoatl is looking for a creative outlet. 30-odd years of working towards a career type goal have left her a very goal oriented person.

She'd love to explore some artistic or creative activities. The problems she's run against are 1) she's not a naturally creative person and 2) she likes objective benchmarks and much of art is subjective.

Things she's already explored are amateur level knitting, and jewelry making. She's mentioned accordion lessons, but doesn't really know where to begin with it. She'd like something unique and something where part of the artistry is being able to complete it at all.

Finally, between job and family, a suggestion to spend a year in Tibet learning Buddhist chant would probably not be the best suggestion.

If you had 2-3 days and a plane ticket, what would you do to jump-start your creativity or inspire your mind?

Occams Hammer — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:43:53 -0800

If you had 2-3 days and a plane ticket, what would you do to jump-start your creativity or inspire your mind? I am in desperate need of a mind-shifting creative experience. I'm getting ready to take some time off from our startup and I want to jump out of my life for a couple of days. I'm looking for suggestions of cool/creative/stimulating things to do for a couple of days.

Parameters: US & canada, experiential vs drug induced.

Any suggestions?

Doing creative work on a schedule?

Alabaster — Wed, 27 May 2009 22:14:18 -0800

How to do creative work within scheduled, time-limited sessions? I've always done my best creative work when my schedule is open-ended -- a full day of solitude, all-nighters in college, etc.

Now work and family life intervene and I simply can't isolate myself the way I used to. I'd like to start scheduling regular sessions (e.g. every Saturday from 8-10am, etc.) to work.

The problem is, I've never been able to work that way before. Give me 2 hours to create and sometimes I'll come up with absolutely nothing. Other times I'll come up with something brilliant and have to wrestle with it for several hours in order to work it out.

I'm not asking about scheduling, deadlines, time-management, self-discipline, etc. I'm looking for advice on how get my brain and creative juices to work on a regimen -- how to do my best work during those 2-or-so hours, and particularly how to *stop* when time is up, even if I'm in immersed in an idea which demands an 8-hour stretch.

I know the answer is "just do it," but tips on *how* would be appreciated -- especially from people who naturally tend towards marathon work sessions but have managed to adapt to creating on a finite schedule.

Art project with/for/about my newborn son

sandor — Wed, 27 May 2009 05:50:48 -0800

What long-term art project should I do with/for/about my newborn son? We've got this baby on the way. Coming in a couple/few weeks. And as if giving him my name, my everlasting love, sustenance for survival, a roof over his head, and my genes weren't enough, I'd also like to involve him in some kind of hare-brained, long-term art project. I'm not sure what, exactly, so I turn to you, creative MeFites.

Obviously choice is some kind of photo-a-day project. This would be great, but I'm not sure I have the stamina for it. Photo-a-week may be a more feasible endeavor. But either of those would be pretty obvious. I'm looking for something new(-ish) to do.

The goal here is to have some kind of artistic document of his growth over time that can be experienced in, say, a minute or two, rather than, you know, real time.

Ideas? Links to similar projects you've seen online?

Best answer gets to name him.

Inspired vs. Prompted Writing

pauldonato — Wed, 06 May 2009 19:29:47 -0800

I can only write well when I'm inspired, and even then it's only at blog-post length. Any time I set out do something larger, my brain shuts down. I've tried at least 100 different approaches to move beyond random, spur-of-the-moment blogging to something I could get published.

One Saturday morning, I followed the advice to just keep putting words on paper. What followed was a 10-page piece of short-story fiction written in about 2 hours. However, the rest of my weekend was shot. My eyesight was blurry, and I felt off when socializing. I had to spend the rest of the weekend playing video games and watching TV to recover.

I then showed the piece to some friends and they thought it was good but needed some corrections. I tried to revise my work, but then came this nagging sense in my mind like, "what's the point??" I hated my work. I felt no connection to it at all. I forced myself to keep revising though, and then I submitted it to a couple magazines. One replied back saying it needed some minor technical work. I could have made the fixes, but I hated the process so much I just gave up.

Without fail, any time I set out to write, rather than have it come to me, I hate it.

The bursts of steam I get only manifest into 1-5 paragraph length blog posts. I want to make articles and books that get published.

After 6 years of pinning my hopes on becoming a writer, I'm now at the point where I'm ready to give up.

Part of me is suspicious because I never saw any potential for me as a writer until I was 20 and started blogging. I feel like I should have at least evinced some early talent or interest. Also, I think there may just be something so categorically different between blogging and other writing mediums. My blogging feels very much like conversations with my friends. Often we'll just go off on some deep tangent or burst.

Can I change my motivation schedule?

Metroid Baby — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:04:18 -0800

I regularly get bursts of creative energy and motivation to work on personal projects right smack dab in the middle of the workday, when I can't do a thing about them. But when I've got free time, I don't feel like doing anything. How can I better synchronize my motivation with my free time? It happens on a weekly if not daily basis: I'll be about an hour or two into my workday, and I just start to think "wow, I would love to be home cleaning the house" or "ooh, I remember that idea I had for a project; I want to start working on it right now!" And, of course, I have to do my actual work instead. The same thing sometimes happens when I'm on my way to the gym or in the middle of a run.

However, at the end of the day, or on the weekend, I don't get that rush of motivation. I never want to clean the house when I have time, and my great ideas just don't sound that interesting. I have plenty of time to do things, but I'd rather just veg out.

I suppose my great ideas during the workday are a form of procrastination: it's the time of day when I'm most awake and alert by necessity, but my mind will sometimes drift to other things that sound more interesting at the task at hand. (I do like my job a lot and can usually focus quite well; for the purposes of this question assume that I cannot/will not change my job or work schedule, or work on personal projects during work hours.)

I know action precedes motivation most of the time, and I have a feeling that the answer might just be to force myself off the couch and go do something even when I don't feel like it. But when I do that, it's not always very effective. Also, I love the feeling I get when I'm able to actually put my creative energy to good use, and I'd like to experience that more.

If there are any tricks you've used successfully, I'd love to hear them. Thank you!

Copyright and Performance

divabat — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 06:37:07 -0800

What sort of copyright protection do performers (burlesque, specifically, but any stage performance works) have? What about tribute acts? I'm a member of a prominent burlesque messageboard based in the UK and there was some recent chat over Britain's Got Talent. One point of debate was over a contestant that performed a Dita von Teese tribute act, basically performing Dita's well-known routines (such as the giant martini glass).

Some of the posters, who are established British burlesque performers, cried foul as they felt that she was ripping off Dita. There were many questions about whether the Dita tribute was running afoul of Dita's copyright, which then led to questions about whether Dita had registered her performance routines.

As far as I understand, at least in the US, copyright is automatically assigned to the creator upon the creation of the work. Does this apply worldwide or are there significant differences in law?

Is the Dita tribute infringing Dita von Teese's copyright? Some people who knew the tribute artist came by and said that she came from the tribute artist industry, which functioned very differently from the burlesque industry (which has strong ethics about not copying other people's work). Does she need to get express permission from Dita to perform? As she is British, whose copyright law does she fall under?

What are some good resources for copyright law as it relates to performance? When can you say that someone's ripped you off and possibly take legal action? I've been seeing quite a bit of misinformation left and right, so I thought it'd be helpful to get some better information in the one spot.

Is it acceptable to write a piece of fiction based on the war in Iraq?

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:29:49 -0800

Would it be seen as (and is it really) exceptionally tasteless to write a fictional novel about a soldiers' experiences in Iraq? I just wrote out a lengthy explanation, but it was all sorts of moddled and there were a thousand thoughts scattered throughout.

I'm curious to know whether it would be widely considered tasteless or offensive to write a novel set mostly in Iraq about a soldiers experiences in the war there. Of course a "war novel" can go a million different directions, so suffice to say that this would be an extremely informed endeavor, with no shortage of consultancy (I've many friends and a few relatives who have fought - really fought - in the war). It would not be a rollicking action-packed adventure or anything of the sort, but it would be very, very raw.

I suppose I don't particularly care what people would think about this, as there is such a fog about what really goes on over there, and I know many, many people who have been immensely intrigued by soldiers who have blogged about their experiences.

My only qualm is that my writing style tends to be a bit cynic, perhaps almost perverted at times (I have, as an example, received a number of comparisons to Bret Easton Ellis). There would be no amount of exploitation involved, of course, but to write from about the day to day life and thoughts of a 20-something in a warzone could certainly be offensive on the grounds of those thoughts alone, even outside the the context of the war.

What are your thoughts?

The best of genius at work, in their own words and pictures?

fire&wings — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:25:56 -0800

I'm looking for books featuring (first hand) the creative processes, influences, daily routines and preparatory works of creative people - visual artists, film makers, novelists, poets etc. It dawned on me recently that I often enjoy insight into the creative process of great minds even more than I do their completed, published works. The letters of Samuel Beckett, the manuscript facsimile of 1984 by Orwell, the theories of Robert Bresson, to name a few.

I'm looking for the best books - diaries, letters, collected preliminary designs or sketches, written manifestos - by great creative minds. Preferably behind the scenes of their great works or their career, rather than especially notable works in their own right. They needn't be direct documentary insights into the creation of certain works, I'm also interested in reading diaries and letters relating generally to the formative experiences/periods of these lives. I am only interested in "primary evidence" - actual documents transcribed or reproduced, rather than biography or speculation.

Help me find a creative venue in Rome, Italy

eurandom — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:02:11 -0800

I am organising an internal training on innovation in Rome for about 20-25 employees. What creative / innovative venues do you recommend in or by Rome, Italy? I plan, together with a colleague, to run a one day training session on innovation at the end of April. We have set the date (end of April) and the location (by Rome), but have not yet found a suitable venue to do the training.

An important factor for training people on innovation and creativity is the environment in which the training takes place. In order to get the creative juices to flow, the best environment is a relaxing, but inspiring, venue that pulls people out of their normal day-to-day job. Instead of a traditional meeting room with tables and chairs, a good venue should have couches or beanbags and provide a relaxing environment. Ideally, there should also be at least two different rooms, so you can move the group between locations to continuosly provide new perspectives. There should also be a lot of natural light.

Some example venues that work well for such a training include a comfortable cabin in the woods, a loft with a lot of natural light, a relaxing meeting room in a zoo or museum, a historical tower or castle, etc.

Although I am certain such places exist in Rome, Italy, I have no idea where to look for such a venue. I couldn't find anything on google, but this may partially be because I am searching in English instead of Italian.

The venue should not cost more than 1,200 Euro for the day.

Any suggestions on where to look for such a venue or venues you have used in the past for a similar purpose? Unconventional ideas are welcome and are sometimes the best ones ...

List of most visited online newspapers, magazines and literature websites (blogs allowed)

omnigut — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:50:36 -0800

I've seen a list of the most popular websites, and another of the most popular blogs, but for these three categories (literature, newspapers, magazines) I've found a list hard to track down. I'd like it ordered in order of popularity, but a top-ten (or top-hundred) would be fine too. Thanks! For various reasons, I'd like to know if people have lists for either of those topics; newspapers, magazines, and literature websites.

On the side, I've also got an article reviewing how writing websites will change writers/creativity - fiction guides, writer's block removers, creativity impulses, poetry generators etc etc. Any ideas where I should submit it? It must be to an online site.

Thankyou everybody!

Keeping the creative momentum going

divabat — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:29:04 -0800

This year I started doing a circus traineeship and learning burlesque, which is awesome. In a week I have to go back to Malaysia for a few months while my new Australian visa is processed. What can I do in the meantime in the middle of nowhere? I'm mainly concerned with maintaining my skills (our circus traineeship mainly involves ground/floorwork, such as tumbles and acrobalance, as well as some juggling and hoops), my fitness and flexibility, and my creativity (especially on the burlesque end). I have developed a lot over the past few months and would like to keep up the good work. I'd also like to plan out my new life in Australia, especially my finances (and a possible new business venture).

The issue here is that I live in the middle of nowhere: public transport is nearly non-existent and I can't drive so I can't really get anywhere. To do anything interesting I'll have to go to KL, which is a 4-hour bus ride away, and I'll have trouble finding accommodation. In Malaysia I'm rather controlled and limited by my parents, mainly due to lack of mobility and not being in the city centre. The past few times I've come back to Malaysia for holidays I've just atrophied in front of my laptop for the whole day - because there was nothing else to do!

What can I do to keep up the work I'm doing and not lose all the effort? There's no semblance of burlesque or circus anywhere in Malaysia (let alone in my city) so I'll have to do things out of the box, if possible. Some ideas:

* Learning how to make costumes, accessories, pasties (I'm a sewing newbie)
* Looking for yoga or dance classes to go to regularly
* Someone suggested I volunteer for after-school stuff. I could ask my old school if they have students interested in learning some fun performance skills (I'm still relatively a beginner but I can pass on some basic things) or help them with a fundraiser
* Find a yoga DVD and practice with that regularly
* See if there are any adult gymnastics classes (I highly doubt that, but who knows??)
* Draft out ideas for performances, Aussie life, etc
* Getting a job - this is very tricky, as people here are reluctant to hire you if you're only going to be around for a few months (the training would take that long!!). There's also some societal issues that may make this challenging (even though I'm totally up for jobs!!). I'd like to do some location-independent/online stuff but am not sure where to find things that are legit and don't pay peanuts for massive effort.

I've also been thinking of volunteering at events, but things mostly happen in KL which is a 4-hour bus ride (which is fine) and requires accommodation (which is trickier). Any tips around that?

How else can I avoid being another laptop zombie and actually be productive in my transition time?

How do I silence my inner critic and simply get things done?

miasma — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 21:04:32 -0800

I have trouble just buckling down and getting started on projects at work. What tips, tricks, or resources are out there for stopping my analysis paralysis, silencing my inner critic, and just getting things done? I am what some would call a knowledge worker, as many of us are. I have a difficult time in approaching new projects and getting things done. I tend to spend alot of time analyzing a problem, going down a path for awhile, scratching it, and then ending up not further along in my task.

Essentially I have a difficult time choosing a direction and just going with it. Most of it probably stems from a fear of failure, but I'd really like to be alot better at what I do, because what happens is I dance around an issue until a deadline hits and then I do a half-assed job just to meet the deadline. In a nutshell, I'm never satisfied with what I end up with and feel like I am never accomplishing the task or fulfilling my potential. As you can imagine, this is frustrating. Furthermore, it makes me nervous to be faced with big problems that seem insurmountable, making the issue feed itself.

For example, I'll read alot of papers on a subject, but come away without a path to go down. Alternatively, I'll brainstorm about many different ways to do something, and never be satisfied with any of ideas I come up with, always finding fault with them.

What tips and tricks do you recommend for getting into the right mindset and simply getting things done?

creativity, cognition and the book

aesop — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:42:35 -0800

I'm working on my PhD in artists' books at the moment. Recently, pursuing aspects of creativity from a cognition-and-creativity viewpoint has become interesting to me. I need a toehold on the science, here. I have an art background rather than a science one though, and I'd appreciate advice on recent books and publications on cognitive aspects of creativity, and in particular aspects that have to do with reading and empathy (...in a creative context). A touch of lazyweb from me, but if you can help me pinpoint something relevant to get me speaking the right language about the topic, I'd be grateful.

How does your creativity work?

archagon — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 16:10:19 -0800

How does your creativity work? For the longest time, I assumed that the only "real" way to generate interesting narrative ideas (characters, settings, etc.) was to essentially pull them out of thin air, and that any other method was artificial and clunky. I simply had no idea how artists like Imperial Boy managed to create such rich and imaginative paintings.

Recently, I discovered that I'm also able to think creatively, but only if I'm actually looking at something. For instance, I can easily think of a bunch of settings, stories, and characters while examining a photo or object, but hardly any if I'm working from memory. Is this typical, or was my original assumption correct? How does your creativity work?

Does Zoloft dull creativity?

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:58:17 -0800

Does Zoloft dull creativity? I'm taking a low dose of Zoloft and have noticed that my creativity is blunted. While this could be because depression makes me more creative, it could also be because Zoloft dulls my creative responses. If you have taken or are taking Zoloft, how has it affected your creativity? And how did you recover it?

Creative Innovative Socially-Good Companies

divabat — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:46:03 -0800

Which companies and organisations are big on innovation, creativity, doing good, and support flexible work styles and ethics? I'm jobhunting at the moment and I've found that the company culture and industries they work in are just as important - if not more so - than the specific job role. I'd be happy to work in any role in those sort of companies (so long as I have enough skills); however, I'm finding it hard to find job searches that let you define the industry/style of the hiring company.

I'm after companies and organisations that put value on creativity, innovation, doing social good, flexibility, ideas, and ethical practice (they don't have to be super-strong in all those aspects, one or two main ones would do). At the moment I'm not worried about location - I may have to move internationally anyway, and travel is a huge bonus.

I have skills in arts and events management, cross-cultural communication & integration, general administration, strategy & policy, dealing with young people, research, idea generation, performance and presentation, writing & editorial, and working with the web - but I'm willing to learn new skills or work in something basic and entry-level if it's with the right company.

Some ideas of companies that look interesting:

Google (I'd LOVE to work for them but they seem to only be hiring tech engineers - and I know naught about software engineering)
BrainStore
WhatIf Innovation
GOOD Magazine
Up with People (I've volunteered with them and they have one of the best office cultures I've ever seen)
United Nations (though I've heard that they can be frustratingly bureaucratic)

Which other companies/organisations can I add to the list? How do I find more companies/organisations that fit my needs?