About the author
Roy Sharples is the Founder, President and Chief Creative Officer of Unknown Origins on a mission to unlock everyones creative potential.
Manifesto
Manifesto
FIRST PRINCIPLES
Creative bravery. Cultural influence.
MAKE THE THINGS ONLY YOU CAN
Nothing essential begins as a system.
It begins as a pressure—a sense that something must exist, and will not, unless you take responsibility for it.
This is not about taste.
It is not about style.
It is about authorship.
Making is a decision taken early—before reward, before agreement, before safety.
Every serious act of creation arrives at the same impasse:
Will you be acceptable to others, or accountable to yourself?
You cannot resolve both.
The work records the choice.
Make the things only you can.
THE ART OF THE UNACCEPTABLE
1
Resistance Is a Signal
Work that matters rarely arrives welcomed.
Discomfort is not a warning.
It is evidence that something new has entered the room.
2
Avoid the Comfortable Middle
The world is efficient at producing sameness.
Do not contribute to it.
Be precise. Be specific.
Let the work carry a point of view.
3
Act Without Consensus
The future does not wait to be agreed upon.
It moves when someone decides.
Clarity beats alignment.
Conviction travels faster than permission.
4
Make Work That Does Something
If the work leaves everything untouched, it has not finished its job.
Meaning is measured by consequence, not reaction.
5
Protect the Original Impulse
Before the language hardened.
Before the process took over.
There was a reason you began.
Return to that reason.
Edit everything else.
UNKNOWN ORIGINS
Unknown Origins is a creative studio working at the intersection of brand, technology, product, and storytelling.
We collaborate with founders, leaders, and organisations who understand that originality is not decoration—it is a strategic position.
We create work that is deliberate, exacting, and built to endure.
Make the things only you can.
ROY SHARPLES
Founder, Unknown Origins
Works where imagination meets execution. Across art, technology, and narrative, he helps organisations clarify what they stand for and bring it into the world without dilution.