43 Things
It's interesting to see that some of the readings in this class are overlapping the readings for Change Management that was taken during Summer Session II. One thing that was stressed in that class and is brought up in the current readings is the idea of a focused leader having a set of ideas, goals or thoughts in order... This being the most critical factor in obtaining success in one way or another - family, life, business. Without going into a great deal of debate and rhetoric over Neuro Linguistic Programming or Kyudo's one-mind-one-thought ideology both class readings have commented on a disciplined approach to modifying thought, behaviour, habit to work towards clearing one's mind and getting to a desired outcome. The creative exercise 10 Ideas in 10 Minutes is a helpful start and I imagine mindmapping and fishbone diagrams might help narrow some ideas down however these approaches go at it solely from an individual's point of view... I found a website looks to be a great way to get started without going it alone. You can match yourself with a "community" of individuals that have a particular set of goals in mind -
43Things.com
You spin me right round baby...
Finished reading the part in the Creativity in Business book about drawing Mandalas... I'm used to digging out a maze puzzle or drawing endless spirals while thinking up something new but never really thought about just doing circles. Although I do remember this exercise in art class, way back when, where we had to do free draw circles - grade being dependant on the perfection of the circle. Similar in nature but with a different focus. The circle is definately a powerful image / icon that seems to cross cultures and generations - cropping up in history (no pun intended).
Crop circles, circle of life, small circle of friends, circles of influence/persuasion, salt of circle to keep out the witches, circle of doom, circle of protection - centered within, encircled, circle the wagons - unlucky if you are Custer... Ring around the rosy... ring of power - alas poor Frodo. Unbroken circle, trusted circle, halo, infinite twisted circle ala Escher's mobius strip...
Mandala in Sanskrit means both circle and center... I'll have to hook up the scanner (it's SCSI not USB so it's a pain) and post up the image - unless the digital camera will pick them up ok. I noticed that I'm drawn to to the Sharpie heavy black ink and deep red... other colors work well but, again, mostly toward the darker hues (forest green, midnight blue). This was actually a great exercise to do with the rugrats at the kitchen table. I wonder what the author would say about drawing outside the circle - no mention... I was never one to color within the lines anyways... It is interesting to note that at one point or another, you can tell just when the circle or thought is just right and you move onto the next circle.
Mood Music
Creative "challenge" posed by Venky last class was Listening to My Favorite Music - L O U D! Simple enough... considering I've been doing this during the ride home from evening classes in the MBA program from the start. It's great to unwind during the trip home... reflecting on some of the discussions during class that night or figuring out what I needed to do the next day for work.
If I'm not on my iPod I mainly listen to WKNC 88.1 FM which is a student run, non-commercial, educational radio station located on the campus of North Carolina State University that broadcasts at 25,000 watts. N.C. State has had different forms of radio stations off and on since 1922, but WKNC has been around since 1966... they don't usually play the mainstream stuff that gets piped through the standard radio channels.
Listen Now: http://wknc.org/listen.php
I figured I would tie in what I was listening to with the Exploris project and dug these albums out from the iTunes library... Seeing how I listen to pretty much anything these reflect, in no particular order, the ways and means of getting into the thought about a global museum. How music might sound from a different culture. As well as hearing the effects different types of instruments add to the whole environment and imagery.
Deep Forest, Boheme
(Just plain spooky, nice rhythms and visual effects... different subject matter but similar to the Enigma series with multiple layers and strange background noises and languages)
Mickey Hart - Planet Drum
(Crank up the volume)
Fifth Element Soundtrack
(Diva sequence plays well really loud)
Green Day
(Great album, 'growing' up...)
Beck
(A little something different, retro mixes are nice, newer stuff has an interesting rhythm)
White Stripes
(When you're done with this duo try Helena)
Wagner - aka Apocalypse Now
(Must have in any collection... by far the best orchestral music made in during my lifetime have been made specifically for movies - although this one borrows generously from the classics)
Amadeus
(Last few tracks are pretty haunting)
Blue Man Group
(Speaking of odd cultures)
Dreamtime Return - Steve Roach
(Picked this up for a flight back home from a business trip in Boston... great environmental effects... calm and quiet, however, listening to it loudly produced some nice full ambient sounds)
