Cosmo THIS!


Welcome to CosmoTHIS! . . . a special edition of CosmopolitanSugar featuring a collection of curated topics for the multidisciplinary professional.

The 100-Day Project

Description currently under construction. . .




Topic No. 2: A Curated Apprenticeship 

July 2013 - ongoing...  


Exploring the idea of mentorship. How many times have you asked yourself, "who inspires me?" Hmmm...In my opinion...we rarely ask ourselves this question, which is perhaps the reason why we're often bored, unsatisfied and overly gullible to those negative comments that tend come from our "friends".  But are they really? For an undetermined period of time, I will be curating my own apprenticeship by highlighting inspiring, strong, and positive stories of innovative interdisciplinary voices.  I will not be looking for perfection, but rather those unique qualities that express an honest sense of self, determination and strength.  This is s personal voyage, but you're more than welcomed to ride along. 

Posting Guidelines:
  • Women of any profession, lifestyle, age, culture or methodology - living or deceased.
  • Fictional characters found in books, plays or live performances.
  • Profiles of accomplished professionals that have guided who I am or who I want to be.

Research Links: expect this list to grow weekly...
  • MAKERS.com is a dynamic digital platform showcasing thousands of compelling stories - both known and unknown - from trailblazing women of today and tomorrow.
  • Brain Pickings by Maria Popova: is a human-powered discovery engine for interestingness, a subjective lens on what matters in the world and why, bringing you things you didn’t know you were interested in — until you are.
  • Maira Kalman: Author and self-taught illustrator. She is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker Magazine
  • NOWNESS: Collaborative video series with Edition Hotels.




Topic No. 1: Innovative Conferences 


March 2012 - ongoing 


Images above: + Bubble Diagram with quote from post, TED: Ideas Worth Spreading  + Robert Wong picture and book cover from post, DO EPIC SHIT! declares Robert Wong  + Sofia Coppola portrait from post, An innovative conference for women by women... 



Exploring the idea of what a conference is and what it should be for those of us in search of inspiration.  What comes to mind when you think of the word conference? After a couple of years of running around "como una gallina sin cabeza" (like a chicken without a head), and following several serendipitous encounters, my multilingual-networking-angels finally lead me to a career changing opportunity. From April to June of 2012, I was part of the Editorial and Content team behind the business conference, C2-MTL: Commerce + Creativity Montréal. I used CosmoTHIS as a research filtering tool for several of the tasks assigned to me, and subsequently, they became the catalyst for several of the posts featured in this section.  


Posting Guidelines:
  • Conference-like multidisciplinary events such as furniture fairs, music/film festivals, biennales, professional workshops, lecture series, etc.
  • Past, current + upcoming conferences from around the world.  
  • Influential speakers.
  • Background details about the cities hosting these note-worthy pow-wows.
  • Unique multi-media campaigns.
  • Insightful books and magazine articles.
  • How architecture, fashion and design play a key role.
  • Personal thoughts and suggestions about the topic.


Research links:
  • C2-MTLCommerce + Creativity Montréal. "A business conference...only different."
  • Sid Lee: The multidisciplinary branding company curating C2-MTL. (Bertrand Cesvet, chairman and senior partner at Sid Lee, will be SPEAKING AT C2-MTL).
  • Moment Factory: A multimedia entertainment studio based in Montreal. (Sakchin Bessette, co-founded of Moment Factory, will be SPEAKING AT C2-MTL).
  • MVRDV: A visionary architecture studio in Rotterdam, NL headed by Winy Maas, Jacob Van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries. (Winy Maas, co-founding director of MVRDV will be SPEAKING AT C2-MTL).
  • Jonah LehrerContributing Editor at Wired magazine. He is also a frequent contributor to The New Yorker and Radiolab and writes the “Head Case” column for The Wall Street Journal. (SPEAKING AT C2-MTL)
  • RADIOLABA radio show and podcast produced in New York City by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich about science, philosophy and the human condition.  
  • Robert Wong: Chief Creative Officer of Google Creative Lab (SPEAKING AT C2-MTL) 
  • Fast Company: Content Partner of C2-MTL 2012


 + + +


  • TEDTechnology, Entertainment, Design
  • Do Lectures - "Ideas Change everything": An annual event about people who "Do things" in order to inspire others to "Do Things", founded by David & Clare Hieatt. Locations:  Do Lectures USA at Campovida, Hopland California & Do Lectures Wales.
  • 99%: Conference by Behance
  • The WWW Conference
  • SXSWAn annual music, film, and interactive conference festival held in Austin, Texas.
  • Comic-Con International"...a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of, and appreciation for, comics and related popular art forms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture."
  • Sundance Film FestivalFounded by Robert Redford in 1981. An independent film festival held each January in Park City, Utah. 
  • BAMBrooklyn Academy of Music
  • BACThe Baryshnikov Arts Center 
  • Burning Man: "An annual art event and temporary community based on radical self expression and self-reliance in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada."
  • Camino de SantiagoA pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, northwestern Spain. 
  • La Biennale di VeneziaArt, Architecture, Cinema, Dance, Music, Theater
  • SIDIMLe Salon International de Design d'Intérieurs de Montréal
  • Building Futures (By RIBA and friends)
  • Storefront for Art and Architecture"A nonprofit organization committed to the advancement of innovative positions in architecture, art and design." Location: New York City.  
  • Pecha Kucha 20x20An international networking-digital presentation movement originated in Tokyo by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham architecture in February of 2003. What is it? Click link for more info.
  • e[ad]Escuela de Arquitectura y Diseño PUCV, Valparaíso, Chile. "It is a laboratory for thought and work, conceived and built by the faculty of architecture of the Catholic University of Valparaiso...Here architects, poets, artists, and engineers have been engaged in one of architectural education's most radical experiments for several decades," text by Joseph Rykwert, who wrote the forward for the book, Road that Is Not a Road and the Open City, Ritoque, Chile, published by MIT Press.
  • Domaine de BoisbuchetCreative Summer Workshops organized in cooperation with the Centre Georges Pompidou and Vitra Design Museum. Location:  The country estate, Boisbuchet, located in the Southwest of France between the Poitou-Charentes and Limousin regions.
  • DnA: Design and ArchitectureA radio show and podcast with host Frances Anderton about products, fashion, graphics, architecture and more, in Los Angeles, CA and beyond.
  • ICONOCLASTSA television series (documentary style) about unexpected pairings between celebrities and noteworthy visionaries, created by the Sundance Channel.


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