Apr 08, 2025 New Creative Era

The path not taken

Life is full of paths not taken. Here’s one of them.

A group of writers begin independently writing about the same strange idea. They don’t plan this. It just happens. Something in the air, in the water, in the culture. They’re tuned into the same signal.

At first, it’s exciting. But soon, tensions creep in.

Who said it first? Who said it best? Who owns the idea?

They start referencing each other — sometimes generously, more often with an edge. Subtweets. Footnotes with a wink. A quiet rivalry emerges. The shared idea becomes a contested territory. Instead of building something together, they compete to be crowned its spokesperson.

Eleven people, one perspective, zero alignment.

This is how the story could have gone.

But here’s what actually happened.

The writers notice each other. Instead of bristling, they reach out. Someone suggests they form a group. They all agree. They make a book of all of their ideas together. They earn $70,000. They make art. They make culture. They make a community.

This is the real story of The Dark Forest Collective.

Two paths: one leads to ego and scarcity. The other leads to shared abundance.

The difference wasn’t just the people. It was the incentives. The structure. The space to collaborate instead of compete.

The culture around us now can’t see this second path. It’s trapped competing to win the crown of the first.

But how many more Dark Forest Collectives, how many more sums greater than their parts, would be here if we used systems designed to reward cooperation instead of competition?

What futures are we leaving on the table with our paths not taken?
Metalabel Spring/Summer 2025. A new path begins April 30.

New Creative Era

This week we dive into the question of formats: how do we as artists find the right format for our work? What if we work well in one format but not another? Is there such a thing as artist-format fit? Listen in as we discuss, and tell us what you think at hello@metalabel.com.