American Dreamers: 56 Dreams for a Brighter Future

A few days in, and it’s a time for setting (and modifying and breaking) resolutions, sharing hopes, and worrying about life after 30 Rock.

It’s easy to look forward and see a gloomy future, one where superstorms, evil bankers and Honey Boo Boo conspire to create a world that few of us want to live in. Sometimes the very act of looking ahead feels scary.

American Dreamers is a step in another direction, towards optimism. We’ve gathered ideas, schemes and visions for brighter futures from inventors, prophets, designers, poets, artists and entrepreneurs. Our New Year's resolutions aren’t about skipping that midday latte or squeezing in a few more sit-ups before cocktail hour. Our dreams push for space exploration, a new approach to suburbs, more honest sex, more analog food and bigger dreams.

We’ve created a book and a website. For GOOD readers, we’ve made it super simple. We’ve taken the 56 dreams from the book and turned them into a list of tips for the future, as seen on the poster below. Choose a few, share a few, and watch 2013 turn golden.

This is our first list. It’s just a start. Read it as a kick in the ass, a spark, or a challenge to start dreaming about what you can do, and how you can make your world brighter.

Hello, 2013. Let’s look forward to brighter futures.

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View the full-sized poster here.

To read some amazing dreams from the likes of Arianna Huffington, Jon Friedman, Baratunde Thurston, Jamie Hyneman, and Adam Savage, visit medium.com/american-dreamers.

To learn more about Sharp Stuff or to purchase American Dreamers, visit makesharpstuff.com. GOOD readers will get 20 percent off ebook purchases when using the code GOODMAGAZINE.

Explore the dreams we’ve gathered, get inspired, and share your own. Add Make a Wish for the Future to your to-do list.

Images courtesy of Sharp Stuff.