Discover stories and share ideas inside a Matchbox!
Welcome to the Matchbox Adventures, traveling in the era of the co-creation, connection and collaboration!
The Matchbox Adventures started in June 2021 as a methodology experiment. In fact, the concept had emerged months before, when our super creative crew member Maria Ana told us about her idea of organizing dinners (at her place) with problem solvers and problem givers. The challenges could be either personal or business related.
Discover the magic of creating a space-fellow-ship of creative minds travelling together, sharing ideas and stories, was the goal!
The Matchbox Adventures ended up not happening at Maria Ana’s Place (as first planned) but kicked off as an online co-creation space which has been evolving with the inputs of the Passengers that participate in the Adventures (20 already became frequent passengers).
A group of rebels and crazy minds, designed and implemented 8 episodes a journey with a total of 720 minutes, or 12 hours of Smiles rather than Miles, propelled by creative collaboration. Described by passengers “as an evolving space for idea generation” the ultimate goal is to solve problems and challenges, faced by people from different parts of the world with different backgrounds, knowledge and experience.
Each Matchbox is a real live experience!
Leaving behind the traditional passive content consumption, everyone inside the box is an active contributor. We are not alone, playing a video game or watching another Netflix Series… The adventures are fueled by imagination and intentionally designed as a platform to test and explore new ways of doing something helpful, without knowing or controlling the journey. Serendipity is our motto…
The principle is simple: everyone needs a bit of help, and plenty of people love helping others to solve problems. A problem is usually a challenge, or a barrier in someone’s way. Sometimes, all it takes is a conversation, sometimes just finding a new way to re-frame the problem. Other times, is finding someone keen to help.
At the Matchbox Episodes’ one can find very interesting problem solving experiences, and these also travel in time, which happens when a problem giver brought a business idea/strategy to develop, then went home and came back with an evolved new question.
Despite our very brief existence, we have already collaborated in the development of a product concept for a new generation of handkerchiefs, a new concept for a photography business, a strategy for a shared-revenue business in Small Paradises, one for the internationalization of a Portuguese wine, the development of a collaborative decision making platform, a creative plan to promote of a urban honey, a Christmas without purchasing stuff but yet maintain the spirit of Christmas, and the sales strategy of a graphic design artist of Film Posters!
However, the Matchbox is much more than an online session where people come to find solutions for their business challenges. “It is like traveling to somewhere in the world, and meet someone new with a problem we never thought about, then listen to that folk’s story and explore ideas together, and that’s the beauty of this experience!” told us one Matchbox passenger.
“It is also very therapeutic… it is fun and relaxing, as it takes our minds out of the everyday workplace problems and pressures” said Jonny, who lives in London. Maybe he feels this way, because when we help others there is a chance we are boosting the level of oxytocin, serotonin or dopamine, those so called happiness hormones.
Above all, the Matchbox is about a group that is ephemeral, exists through serendipity, and collaboration through opportunities to really interact and network with a purpose in a short period of time, with an openness and not judgmental environment.
Perhaps a secret key, is how the crew behind the screens to make it happen bonds with the team on screens, in a magic way… with their passion and love for collaboration.
And before we take off, dear reader… are you ready to travel through screens and time zones? The Matchbox Adventures is back this Thrusday— 10th February 18:30–20:00 GMT
