The Science of Stress, Orgasm and Creativity: How the Brain and the Vagina Conspire in Consciousness “The more closely we analyze what we consider ‘sexy,’” philosopher Alain de Botton argued in his meditation on sex, “the more clearly we will understand that eroticism is the feeling of excitement we experience at finding another human being who shares our values and our sense of the meaning of existence.” But in his attempt to counter the reductionism that frames human sexuality as a mere physiological phenomenon driven solely by our evolutionary biology, de Botton overcompensates by reducing in the opposite direction, negating the complex interplay of brain and biology, psychology and physiology, that propels the human sexual experience. That’s precisely what Naomi Wolf, author of the 1991 cultural classic The Beauty Myth, examines in Vagina: A New Biography (public library) — a fascinating exploration of the science behind the vastly misunderstood mind-body connection between brain and genitalia, consciousness and sexuality, the poetic and the scientific. Wolf writes:
SYDNEY COMEDY MASTERCLASS « The Cheeky Monkey A practical understanding of comedy is vital for any writer. In this 2-day master class, one of Australia’s most successful comedians ‘unlocks the code’ to comedy writing. Tim Ferguson offers processes and insights necessary for professional screenwriters to expand their skills base into writing comedy for television and film. Despite what you might think, comedy is not a mysterious art. It is a craft based upon ancient principles. These principles are universally applied through all comedies. This revolutionary master class presents writers with practical processes to devise comic characters, conflict and stories. The course includes lectures, script analysis, workshopping and the viewing of excerpts from sitcoms and comedy films. Narrative comedy is the world’s most popular and lucrative form of screenwriting. You’ll be writing comedy before you know it. WHEN: 22 Sep 2012 – 23 Sep 2012 9:00AM – 5:00PM (first session) 2 sessions, 16 hours total For BOOKINGS, click HERE
How to Listen to Music: A Vintage Guide to the 7 Essential Skills by Maria Popova “Respond esthetically to all sounds, from the hum of the refrigerator motor or the paddling of oars on a lake, to the tones of a cello or muted trumpet.” Music has a powerful grip on our emotional brain. It can breathe new life into seemingly lifeless minds. From the wonderful vintage book Music: Ways of Listening, originally published in 1982, comes this outline of the seven essential skills of perceptive listening, which author and composer Elliott Schwartz argues have been “dulled by our built-in twentieth-century habit of tuning out” and thus need to be actively developed. Develop your sensitivity to music. Music: Ways of Listening is to listening what Mortimer Adler’s How to Read a Book is to reading — a timeless, yet remarkably timely meditation of a skill-intensive art we all too frequently mistake for a talent or, worse yet, a static pre-wired capacity. Donating = Loving Bringing you (ad-free) Brain Pickings takes hundreds of hours each month. Share on Tumblr
Nature Sounds On the Origin of Truly Innovative Ideas Last week, I wrote about increasing innovation in your company. This week, in Part 2, we'll talk about how to create the right environment and incentives for innovation to flourish. Today's post outlines a few key ideas and strategies I've found to be extremely effective. Fear of Failure = Fear of Innovation The day before something is truly a breakthrough, it's a crazy idea. But few companies actually try crazy ideas — especially the most successful ones. Fear of failure paralyzes creativity, stops risk-taking, and ultimately slows innovation down to a halt. Why do people fear failure? Three principal reasons… Fear impacting their reputation: “If I fail, I won’t get the promotion.”Fear of losing time: “I’ve invested two years of my life, we can’t fail now!” How do you minimize fear of failure? The right environment and the right incentives. The 5-5-5 Program Here's the basic idea: Teams of 5: Break your company (division, group, etc.) into teams of five people. Why 5 people? Peter Diamandis Dr. Dr.
How To Tell A Story--Right Now--From A Master Of Improv What we say matters a great deal, but so does what we don’t say. There are times when you just can’t afford to clam up when called upon to contribute. While it’s impractical to be forever armed with go-to stories on every conceivable topic—just in case your boss or a bridal party should parachute out of the sky, seeking your input—there are ways to prepare for off-the-cuff storytelling. If anyone knows the ins and outs of speaking extemporaneously, it’s Matt Besser. Along with Amy Poehler and Adam McKay, Besser is one of the original members of Upright Citizens Brigade, the improv and sketch troupe that eventually launched a show on Comedy Central, several theaters and schools, and also the careers of everyone from Ed Helms to Aziz Ansari and Donald Glover. Besser also directed a movie recently, and he hosts a weekly improv podcast, called, simply, Improv4Humans. One of the longest-running shows at the UCB theatre in New York and Los Angeles is called ASSSSCAT. Know When to Hold Back
5 Artists You Should Know In 2011 The hits just keep on coming — so much excellent music rolls out each week that it can be hard just to keep up. In 2011, Bon Iver, Wilco, Raphael Saadiq, The Decemberists, Gillian Welch, Tinariwen, Elbow, Tom Waits and Fleet Foxes all met high expectations. Shabazz Palaces, James Blake and Wild Flag dropped highly anticipated debuts that lived up to the advance buzz. Charles Bradley came out of nowhere, stripping his heart and soul bare on his debut album (No Time for Dreaming) at age 61. And legendary funk guitarist Dennis Coffey descended from cloud nine and a 20-year hiatus to lay down some wicked new original tracks. In 2011, even with more outlets than ever for discovering and sharing new music, it's nearly impossible for even the most dedicated music lover to keep up.
Artists 'have structurally different brains' 17 April 2014Last updated at 05:35 ET By Melissa Hogenboom Science reporter, BBC Radio Science Brain scans revealed artists have more grey matter in parts of their brains Artists have structurally different brains compared with non-artists, a study has found. Participants' brain scans revealed that artists had increased neural matter in areas relating to fine motor movements and visual imagery. The research, published in NeuroImage, suggests that an artist's talent could be innate. But training and environmental upbringing also play crucial roles in their ability, the authors report. As in many areas of science, the exact interplay of nature and nurture remains unclear. Lead author Rebecca Chamberlain from KU Leuven, Belgium, said she was interested in finding out how artists saw the world differently. In their small study, researchers peered into the brains of 21 art students and compared them to 23 non-artists using a scanning method called voxel-based morphometry. Alice Shirley - artist
The Second City Way Of Better Brainstorming Have you ever called a brainstorming meeting, briefed your group on the topic, and given the greenlight for freeform discussion, only to be met by blank stares, tepid enthusiasm, and middle-of-the-road ideas? Thinking you've just lit the fuse for a thought explosion, this muted response can be a disappointment, to say the least. But it shouldn’t be. If your team isn't used to working without the safety net of careful preparation and scripted presentations, they have reason to be cautious. Second City Communications applies the wisdom gained through improv comedy to help companies be more innovative and creative with their thinking. Here are seven tactics to help spur uninhibited expression. 1. Practice is important, but so is a culture that encourages offbeat--even "wrong"--ideas. Relaxing decorum and the emphasis on being correct allows people to be wrong in good ways. 2. Above all, you must respect the process. Yorton says that these rules of engagement are often absent in business.