Imagine...with Jonah Lehrer

Most of us have been conditioned to think that creativity is an innate gift, a privy to an haute club of genius, a talent that only right-brain thinkers are inclined to possess and left-brain thinkers find challenging to conceive. But what if we were told that these are simply inherited misconceptions, that in fact, creativity is a universal gift we can all share when given the proper tools and knowledge to leverage a new way of approaching professional innovation. . .It's all in the brain. .  .well - at least that's what Jonah thoroughly explains in his latest book, Imagine. I recently listened to his NPR interview on the subject and took a few notes. 

I wonder what Jonah would say about my scribbles below...How do I think? 

IMAGES: 
+ My scribbles written while listening to NPR interview embedded above. 
+ Jonah Lehrer info borrowed from the upcoming C2-MTL conference site, here.
+ Image of young Bob Dylan borrowed from unknown source.
+ Image of young Jonah Lehrer borrowed from his website, here. 

Topic No.1: Innovative Conferences, Cosmo THIS!

phi·lan·der (/fəˈlandər/) verb: (of a man) Readily or frequently enter into casual sexual relationships with women.

Image above borrowed from ANTI-RECORDS site.

I'm in awe of Glen Hansard, he has this "not yet corrupted by fame" aura about him that's very appealing. I recently stumbled upon the video promoting his upcoming solo album, "Rythm and Repose". . . I find it heartwarming that even though M. Hansard and I are very culturally different, his music video "Philander" managed to stir-up emotions about my grandmother's house in Mexico (the colors and props, not the title)...how I remember it anyway. Some things are just globally identifiable...





"Rhythm and Repose is a result of Hansard’s last year and a half of living in New York City. The album was recorded by Patrick Dillett (David Byrne, Arto Lindsay, Laurie Anderson) and produced by Thomas Bartlett (Doveman, The National, Antony and the Johnsons). The record features the musical talents of Brad Albetta (Martha Wainwright) on bass, Ray Rizzo on drums, Nico Muhly and Rob Moose on strings (Bon Iver, Y Music), David Mansfield on slide guitar (Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Tour), Javier Mas (Leonard Cohen touring band) and half of Bruce Springsteen’s current horn section. Assisting on vocals are Cristin Milioti (Once, The Musical), Sam Amidon, Marketa Irglova and Aida Shahghasemi (Marketa Irglova touring band)." Quote by ANTI Records.

Baryshnikov In Paris...

“Yes, from day to day, from year to year, you wait in secret for only one thing—that moment when you’ll stumble onto happy love. Ultimately it is this hope alone that enables you to live… In Paris”- Quote by Russian author, Ivan Bunin (1870-1953)

All images © Berkeley Repertory Theatre. All rights reserved.

Last time Baryshnikov was in Paris, wasn't he with Carrie Bradshaw? There's something about this man that I find uncontrollably alluring.  Don't you?
His latest venture is a leading role in the play, "In Paris", based on a short story written in 1940 by Ivan Bunin (a Russian writer who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1933), where he acts (only minimal dancing I hear...) in his native tongue.  This month, it finally comes to North America; I can only hope it makes its way to Canada.

USA Premiere: 

• From April 11 - 21, 2012 @ Broad Stage, Santa Monica, California. 
• From April 25 - May 13, 2012 @ Berkeley Rep, Berkeley, California.
• From August 1 - 5, 2012 @ Lincoln Center Festival, New York.

Plot: Two Russian immigrants living in 1930s Paris.
Language: Russian
Adapted from Ivan Bunin's short story. 
Directed by Dmitry Krymov 
Performers Mikhail Baryshnikov and Anna Sinyakina with Maxim Maminov, Maria Gulik and the Dmitry Krymov Laboratory ensemble.

DO EPIC SHIT! declares Robert Wong...

Robert Wong, Executive Creative Director of Google Creative Lab will be speaking at C2-MTL this coming May. A few days ago, I came across the 1 hour video from Bill's Design Talks Series sponsored by The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, where he talks about the The Perfect Day. It's admirable how this young creative mind expresses himself, so down to earth! Check out my scribbles below and watch the clip...

Stay tuned for upcoming posts about the other high-profile speakers coming to C2-MTL.

Robert Wong mentions the books above in talk.

Image Credits (top - bottom):

1. B/W photo of Robert Wong borrowed from Eva Blue's flickr album, here.

2. Personal scribbles on page borrowed from C2-MTL's website here.

3. Burning Man Google doodle from August 30, 1998 borrowed from here.

4. Sir Isaac Newton's 367th Birthday Google doodle (January 4, 2010) borrowed from here.

5. A Whole New Mind cover borrowed from here. 

6. Steve Jobs cover borrowed from here. 

7. The Happiness Hypothesis cover borrowed from here. 

Topic No.1: Innovative Conferences, Cosmo THIS! 

Montreal, Schiaparelli, Prada, and 21st Century gurus...

Reading material for the weekend...

Fast Company (content partner of C2-MTL) has dedicated a special advertising section to Montreal in their April 2012 issue.  The graphics are playful and right on; It's clear that the 18-page spread (pgs.73-91) was crafted with enthusiasm.  I highly recommend you pick up a copy. 

To compliment Safian's cool biz updates, I also bought the latest issue of The New Yorker. That Maira Kalman cover is so irresistible. I'm looking forward to reading the Jonah Lehrer (speaking at C2-MTL) article, "ROYAL FLUSH, How Roger Thomas redesigned Vegas" and the piece, "Radical Chic" about the upcoming MET exhibition, Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations. I missed the McQueen exhibit, but this one, is a definite must!

As for the mountain of books below, I would like to take this time to thank the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, it always caters to my literary needs.  Do I really plan to read them all?. . . A little here, a little there...it's R&D for C2-MTL.

The list of books displayed above (in no particular order):  

Whatever You think, Think the Opposite by Paul Arden  

Poke the Box by Seth Godin  

Linchpin by Seth Godin  

The Mind edited by John Brockman  

How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer  

A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink  

Conversational Capital, How to Create Stuff People Love to Talk About by Bertrand Cesvet

Other books of interest not illustrated in shot above:
Imagine, How Creativity Works, by Jonah Lehrer (2012)
The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom by Jonathan Haidt 
It's Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be, by Paul Arden.

I'm also currently reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Recommendations are welcomed!

Topic No.1: Innovative Conferences, Cosmo THIS! 

KINFOLK...a group of people related by blood.

I'm completely enamored with the recently launched (July 2011) quarterly magazine, KINFOLK. I haven't been able to get my hands on a copy of their first two issues, the local magazines stands don't carry it, but I've been exploring its website nonstop. It fosters a collaborative editorial team which creates beautiful narrative videos and photographs of everyday life that are just enviable. Check out their recent video below from their Dinner Series, location: Brooklyn, NY.  Kinfolk team, please come to Montreal!


Side Note: I swear, I'm strongly considering opening a "curated magazine stand" here in Montreal because there are so many international magazines that I just cannot get my hands on.  And the magazine shop keepers here don't seem to care.  I've tried requesting various periodicals but so far, they have not been very forthcoming...hmmm...

An arm for a dime...

Have you browsed through The New York Times's latest online venture, The Lively Morgue?  
The shot below is my favorite one so far (hmm, a scene from MadMen?), but really, every picture is uniquely brilliant. You must check it out.  It's ironic that we live in a gadget-frenzied society, yet we still find nostalgic ephemera enriching, there's hope for us yet!

Image borrowed from here.

Anagrama and SOFIA

I just had to share with you the beautiful work by Anagrama for the luxurious residential/office tower, SOFIA, (currently under construction) designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli. The color palette is sophisticated, playful and just delicious.  Bravo Anagrama!

LOCATION: San Pedro, Coahuila, Mexico.

Images borrowed from Anagrama's website, here.

I often stop myself from creating because I'm afraid of that possible Eureka moment...

Have you ever felt this way? As creative people, why is it that we're always at war with ourselves?  Is it crazy to be afraid of success?  Elizabeth Gilbert's inspiring TED talk from 2009 reminded me of the ridiculous and prohibiting game we often play with our inner-genius! 

Happy International Women's Day!

Topic No.1: Innovative Conferences, Cosmo THIS! 

What do you see?

The images below display one of Mark's old shirts cleverly knotted and transformed into a chewing toy for our puppy, Babas. 

She surprisingly untangles it without tearing it apart.  NOTE: I wash it often, yuck! . . . I see a heart, what do you see?