Wednesday, April 19, 2006

One Red Paperclip and a Dream


Have you heard of Kyle MacDonald from Montreal? He had this dream to trade a red paper clip for something bigger and better.

It was a game he and his friends would play when he was a boy growing up. This time he decided to push it beyond his neighborhood.

So, he put his ad on Craigslist under the Barter section back in July and within twenty minutes he traded his paper clip for a fun fish pen. He was visiting his parents in Vancouver, BC at the time and met the two women at a 7-11 parking lot to make the trade. Then he traded the fun fish pen for a door knob with a smiley face on it from a woman in Seattle. From there, he went to Amherst to trade the knob for a coleman's stove. The two guys celebrated the trade by cooking steaks on it for lunch.

He travels all over making the trades in person and the trade up gets bigger and better.

Kyle dreams of owning his own house. And I bet he'll get it. He's already up to one year's free rent on a house in Phoenix.

All from a red paper clip. And a willingness to be creative and be original.

3 comments:

c h e l said...

That is SO amazing. It's all about dreaming big and not being afraid to ask the universe for what you want. So inspiring!

Rayne said...

Isn't this the coolest thing? I've been following it for awhile. Now he has Alice cooper up on the auction block.

Heather B. Warriner said...

i stumbled upon your blog after reading a comment you left on the keri smith site, and i had so much fun exploring your artwork and your writing. this particular post was really intriguing. i hadn't heard of this guy before, but his concept is fascinating! i love the idea of connecting with new people, swapping creativity, and seeing what results from the whole thing. my love of mail art probably stems from this same desire. keep up the great blogging! :)