Discussion topics range from environmental sustainability to developments in technology, and speakers range from Al Gore to Birke Baehr, an 11 year-old with big ideas of how we can change the food system in America. After watching countless TED talks, I have compiled a list of my favorite dance-related presentations. Please do yourself a favor and watch them! I have included a brief description of each piece, but you will learn much more by watching the videos.

In no particular order because they are all great:

1. The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers: In the Internet age, dance evolves – Watch the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD) perform styles learned from various social networks and youtube videos where dancers around the world share information and techniques. 
   
2. Ben Cameron: The true power of the performing arts - Cameron says that audience numbers are dwindling, but more and more people are beginning to participate in the arts. He argues that money invested in the arts will continue to positively affect other unrelated markets.
3. Kenichi Ebina’s magic moves - Watch Ebina, a self-taught dancer, blend a variety of movement in a way that seems to defy previous expectations of the capabilities of the human body.
4. Mallika Sarabhai: Dance to change the world – Sarabhai uses the language of dance to explain stories of societal and political problems in a way that people will listen.
5. Nalini Nadkarni on conserving the canopy – Nadkarni uses dance, music, and other artistic expression to teach young people about the ecosystem which is reliant on treetops of the rainforest.
6. Mae Jemison on teaching arts and sciences together - Jemison is skeptical that the education system is allowing for creativity and argues that we must begin to reintegrate art with science.
7. Natasha Tasakos’ multimedia theatrical adventure – Tasakos shows us how theatre and dance can be transformed by new developments in technology including sound and light design.
8. Ananda Shankar Jayant fights cancer with dance - Shankar focused on her practice of classical dance styles Bharatanatyam and Kuchipud to overcome breast cancer. She says that she tuned out of cancer and into the practice of dance.
9. Pilobolus Performs “Symbiosis” - Watch the world-renowned dance company Pilobolus perform a an intricate duet called “Symbiosis” which highlights the vast potential of the human body.
10. Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity - Robinson reminds us that public school systems around the world sustain a hierarchy of subjects taught in school with art being at the bottom. He questions why schools don’t teach students dance everyday.

I know the list is long, but I hope you took the time to watch some of these awesome TED talks!

Which were your favorites? Which did you learn the most from?

Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity.

It’s your place in the world; it’s your life.

Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.

~Mae Jemison,
engineer, physician, astronaut, and first African-American woman to travel in space

Although Jemison was born in Alabama, her family moved to Chicago, IL when she was three because of the better opportunities for education. Growing up, she was always fascinated with space travel and science. As a little girl, she always assumed she would go into space. Along with science, she also loved the arts, participating in all different kinds of dance starting at the age of 9 and was also involved in school. Upon her senior year of college, she debated going to either medical school or becoming a professional dancer. She graduated from Stanford in 1997 with a B.S. in chemical engineering as well as a B.A. in African and Afro-American studies. She got her doctorate at Cornell Medical College in 1981 and traveled to different countries to provide medical care. Also during medical school, Jemison continued taking dance lessons and built a studio in her home to choreograph modern jazz and African dance shows.

Jemison worked a while for the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone. After that, Jemison applied for astronaut program at NASA. Although she was turned down at first, she was accepted on her second application in 1987. She was part of the first class of astronauts after the Challenger accident in 1986 and launched the first flight after the accident. She flew her first and only space flight from September 12th to the 20th as the mission specialist. It was a cooperative mission between the US and Japan. Jemison spent 190 hours, 30 minutes, and 23 seconds in space.

After her work in NASA, Jemison pursued many different endeavors. She started her own research company in 1993, founded BioSentient Corp in 1999 to research monitoring the nervous system, and was even in an episode of Star Trek. Throughout her career, Jemison received many different honors and awards. She is currently a professor at Cornell University and continues to advocate education in science, especially for minorities.

Information received from Wikipedia: Mae Jemison

Thanks to Renee Shurilla for this post! ]]> http://lingeducator.wordpress.com/2011/03/11/resources-mae-jemison-on-teaching-arts-and-sciences-together-video-on-ted-com/ Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:00:01 +0000 LingEducator http://lingeducator.wordpress.com/2011/03/11/resources-mae-jemison-on-teaching-arts-and-sciences-together-video-on-ted-com/ Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to enter space, is a doctor and an avid dancer.  In this 2002 TED talk she calls for the U.S. to reintegrate science and art instruction.  Art, she says, cannot simply be creative without being analytical.  Science cannot be analytical without being creative.  The link doesn’t specifically address language, but language seems to be a perfect example of the sort of phenomenon we wouldn’t be able to understand without both artistic and scientific approaches.

Mae Jemison on teaching arts and sciences together | Video on TED.com.

I’d like to sum up a couple of October’s events before pressing on with new blog posts from here on out.

First off – Fashion Week. Yes, yes – you heard and saw some of it but I unfortunately only posted on half of the week’s events. So sorry! I must say that  it was a wonderful event and I can’t wait to see many more Pittsburgh Fashion Weeks to come in the future. The Lana Neumeyer event provided a tropical and exotic boast to the week’s events – it was rife with fun and flavor, Crazy Hot Clothes definitely came to impress, Laurie B. Allen and Katie Wolfrum brought the pretty and the chic, Brian David had some to-die-for looks (including an asymmetrical white fedora that I was absolutely wild about!) … and what gal doesn’t love Pandora? Granted, I missed the Sunday luncheon (I love fashion but not enough to miss a Steelers game) and also the eyewear trunk show and the Susan B. Komen benefit show, but what I saw of Pittsburgh Fashion Week was awesome. The models on Saturday were especially impressive, many of which were brought to Pittsburgh via Brandon Campbell and Little Rock Fashion Week – and Kristen Varoli of Contempo Artistries did an amazing job of styling hair and makeup for many of the shows.

the Brian David show - I want this hat!

Pittsburgh Fashion Week

Won this fab Sabika necklace at PFW - yay!

Also brought to us the first week of October here in Pittsburgh was the Military Writers’ Society of America Annual Conference, held at the Wyndham Pittsburgh University Place. The MWSA is an association of 800+ authors, poets, and artists focused on the military. Whether veterans, active duty military, military families/spouses, or writers who just have an affinity for the military, they’ve all chosen to honor our military through their art and their writings. The conference featured an array of guest speakers, workshops, and more, dedicated to networking and skill building. (I spoke on the social media panel – see more, here.)  It was an honor and privilege to meet the unique and diverse group of men and women of all ages who comprise this admirable group.

October also brought to us the Pennsylvania Governor’s Conference for Women. (“Glitzburgh” was featured in the official program under, “social media street team” – FYI!)

The PA Governor’s Conference for Women featured the likes of Judge Marjorie Rendell, Sally Wiggin, Dr. Mae Jemison, Kelly Corrigan, Tory Johnson, Jessica Herrin, Sheryl WuDunn, Katherine Center, Nikki Johnson-Huston, Leigh Hurst, and more. Some takeaways from the event? Be empowered. Be confident. Don’t give up on dreams. Make the most of your life. We have infinite possibilities, as women. We must take care of ourselves before we can care for others. Be RESILIENT! Network. Be intuitive. Be you!

There were some moments that were SO quotable, I can’t help but share. After all, this was a TRULY inspiring event.

Some gems:

Sally Wiggin said, “The only way to make the most of this precious life is to discover what you want, and go get it.” Author Katherine Center of “Get Lucky” said, “We draw wisdom from stories, and we draw resilience from wisdom” also stating that, “there is no tenderness without bravery.”

Dr. Mae Jemison – the first-ever woman of color to go into space – said, “Time is limited but has INFINITE possibilities….It’s what you DO with that time that matters.” She also said that most people are either “intuitive” or “analytical” but some (like herself, and, like myself!) are BOTH. Like myself, she believes that arts and sciences are not opposites, and that creativity comes from our attempts to understand and express ourselves. Said Jemison, “A choice is not something that people give us – it is something that NO ONE can take away. We get to create the future.”

New York Times Best Selling author, Kelly Corrigan, had this wisdom to share about achieving one’s dreams: “You have to admit that you want something. You then have to recognize your own prejudices of who can do what. You must forget the world of ‘probability’ so you don’t think about how long the shots are and how far the goals can seem. You must remember that not everyone has imagination enough to understand your vision or idea, so be careful who you tell. When trying to accomplish a tough feat, try to attempt just one task per day: no matter how big or small. It’ll become a habit. Be comfortable with failure. Do things because things need doing, and other people can’t do them. Good work makes us feel lucky to be here, doing the things we are meant to do. Do it.”

An inspiring workshop that I attended at the Conference was the “Reinventing Your Life” session. OneYearOfFirsts.com’s LuAnn was the moderator and strove to encourage women to, “get un-stuck!” The panel included Joyce Bender, Nikki Huston, and Leigh Hurst – all inspiring women.

Joyce Bender of Bender Consulting said, “In your life, something will happen to you that is bad. However, what makes the difference is how you respond do it.” She also encouraged the audience to “get back your muchness!”

Nikki Johnson Huston – once homeless and now the 1st person at Temple to graduate with a law degree, an MBA, and a Master’s degree in taxes – said to always remember to, “Take risks. Trust yourself. You’re FABULOUS: the rest of the world just doesn’t know it yet.”

Founder of The Feel Your Boobies Foundation, Leigh Hurst (a breast cancer survivor) encouraged women by saying that we all should remember that NOTHING is impossible! Some nuggets that these women offered?

“Take risks! Trust yourself!”

“Listen to your internal voice.”

“Get to the place where you stop TALKING about it and JUST DO IT!”

“Put your dream down on paper.”

“You have to listen to you.”

“Be honest with yourself!”

“Stop making excuses for yourself, and stop making excuses for EVERYONE ELSE!”

“Don’t rely on others for the right answers.”

“Gauge your own internal instincts. Listen to them. Always.”

“Open yousrelf up to new opportunities.”

“Want to be a CEO? Think like a CEO. Want to be a lawyer? Think like a lawyer. Want to be an author? Think like one.”

More sessions followed, including an appearance by Dan Onorato and by Mrs. Corbett, Judge Marjorie Rendell, and co-author of “Half the Sky” (featured on the Oprah show!) as well as Tory Johnson from ABC’s Good Morning America. The day capped off with a resume workshop and career-fair networking opportunity.

All of these October events were fabulous in their own unique ways. (And who can forget, “Hide Yo’ Kids, Hide Yo’ Wives” Antoine Dodson on the 96.1 KISS fm Trannies and Grannies Halloween party on the Gateway Clipper?)

Pittsburgh is amazing as ever. And Glitzburgh is baaaack!

Four years later, Tony Robbins gave a talk at TED looking at why we do what we do. In it he mentions “the science of achievement” and “the art of fulfillment”. I had never heard those expressions.

Taking the two ideas from Jemison and Robbins, I am beginning to craft a training model, a curriculum of sorts, on how to teach Dream Fulfillment. This “poking and prying with purpose” is where practice and passion are realized. [Enough P's for you?]

As it turned out, Diane – who is now a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Irvine — was just preparing me for the rest of my life. Like many of us, I wanted to be a prodigy. If not a prodigy, then at least the one that classmates pointed to at reunions as being the most famous person our class produced.

Didn’t happen. Not only didn’t happen, but if you want to talk about famous people at my schools, they’re not even guys. If there is an inaugural generation where women achieved liberation, mine is it. And in my circles, they’ve capitalized on it.

If you look at the ninth graders in my eighth-grade yearbook – that is, the class ahead of me – under S you’ll find the name and rather nondescript photograph (see above) of a girl named Carleton Sneed (the name is misspelled in the yearbook). If that name doesn’t ring a bell, her current name will: Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and current Republican nominee for Senate from California.

One of my other secondary school classmates spent 12 years as a professor of atomic physics at Cornell. She’s now the director of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). Her father, a storied physicist in his own right, served as only deputy director.

At Stanford, you’d think that my era would have produced some famous guys, if only traders indicted in some Wall Street scandal. Nope. The most famous people in the Stanford class of ’77 are Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman to travel in space, and Gale Anne Hurd, who wrote or produced some of the biggest science fiction classics of the last 20 years, including The Terminator, Aliens, Alien Nation, and Armageddon.

Of course, there are distinct advantages, for a guy, to having grown up among and competed academically with such women. You get comfortable with women who are smarter than you are, which always helps in a relationship. The best advice my mother gave me was to marry a smart woman, one who’d always be able to help me through life. Following that advice was the smartest move I ever made.

As a mature, politically correct boomer, I relish and appreciate the smart women in my life. The third-grader inside me, on the other hand, is still a little jealous.

I Can Be is a childrens book which has your child join in with Jordan as he decides which modern day history making African American to write about for his history class.

The book not only mentions what people like Mark Dean and Mae Jemison have done but it also has links to websites throughout and at the end of the book for more information about some of the fields mentioned. Best read in the full screen mode. You can also buy the book by clicking the  Buy this document button.

- Thomas J. Watson, former president of International Business Machines (IBM)

“Never limit yourself because of others’ limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination.”

- Mae Jemison, astronaut

“The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs…one step at a time.”  — Joe Girard, BEST SELLING AUTHOR AND MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER

“The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.”
- Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield

“The Key to success is not through achievement, but through enthusiam.”–Malcolm Forbes,

…keep rising!

-RiseZine-

via Success Quotes.

Here is a TED Talk Dr. Jemison gave in 2002:

Here is a biography of Dr. Jemison (available here):

Astronaut, physician. Born October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama, the youngest child of Charlie Jemison, a roofer and carpenter, and Dorothy (Green) Jemison, an elementary school teacher. Her sister, Ada Jemison Bullock, became a child psychiatrist, and her brother, Charles Jemison, is a real estate broker. The family moved to Chicago, Illinois, when Jemison was three to take advantage of better educational opportunities there, and it is that city that she calls her hometown. Throughout her early school years, her parents were supportive and encouraging of her talents and abilities, and Jemison spent considerable time in her school library reading about all aspects of science, especially astronomy. During her time at Morgan Park High School, she became convinced she wanted to pursue a career in biomedical engineering, and when she graduated in 1973 as a consistent honor student, she entered Stanford University on a National Achievement Scholarship.

At Stanford, Jemison pursued a dual major and in 1977 received a B.S. in chemical engineering and a B.A. in African and African-American Studies. As she had been in high school, Jemison was very involved in extracurricular activities including dance and theater productions, and served as head of the Black Student Union. Upon graduation, she entered Cornell University Medical College to work toward a medical degree. During her years there, she found time to xpand her horizons by visiting and studying in Cuba and Kenya and working at a Cambodian rfugee camp in Thailand. When she obtained her M.D. in 1981, she interned at Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center and later worked as a general pactitioner. For the next two and a half years, she was the area Peace Corps medical officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia where she also taught and did medical research. Following her return to the United States in 1985, she made a career change and decided to follow a dream she had nurtured for a long time. In October of that year she applied for admission to NASA’s astronaut training program. The Challengerdisaster of January 1986 delayed the selection process, but when she reapplied a year later, Jemison was one of the 15 candidates chosen from a field of about 2,000.

Joins Eight-Day Endeavor Mission

When Jemison was chosen on June 4, 1987, she became the first African American woman ever admitted into the astronaut training program. After more than a year of training, she became an astronaut with the title of sciencemission specialist, a job which would make her responsible for conducting crewrelated scientific experiments on the space shuttle. On September 12, 1992, Jemison finally flew into space with six other astronauts aboard the Endeavour on mission STS47. During her eight days in space, she conducted experiments on weightlessness and motion sickness on the crew and herself. Altogether, she spent slightly over 190 hours in space before returning to Earth on September 20. Following her historic flight, Jemison noted that society should recognize how much both women and members of other minority groups can contribute if given the opportunity.

In recognition of her accomplishments, Jemison received several honorary doctorates, the 1988 Essence Science and Technology Award, the EbonyBlack Achievement Award in 1992, and a Montgomery Fellowship from Dartmouth College in 1993, and was named Gamma Sigma Gamma Woman of the Year in 1990. Also in 1992, an alternative public school in Detroit, Michigan – the Mae C. Jemison Academy – was named after her. Jemison is a member of the American Medical Association, the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and served on the Board of Directors of the World Sickle Cell Foundation from 1990 to 1992. She is also an advisory committee member of the American Express Geography Competition and an honorary board member of the Center for the Prevention of Childhood Malnutrition.

After leaving the astronaut corps in March 1993, Jemison accepted a teaching fellowship at Dartmouth. She also established the Jemison Group, a company that seeks to research, develop, and market advanced technologies

I hope you can appreciate my lyrical skill, I didn’t even notice the rhyming and metered quality of that last line until around “for del-.” At any rate, in case you might be interested, let me show you my view of Phoenix during the day:

It’s a beautiful city, you can see the mountains in the back (the Rockies perhaps?), framing the landscape and given the illusion of a valley. What a shame we’re stuck in the commercial sector, I’d like to get a glimpse of the cultural area, but perhaps that’s better left for another time, when not tied to a specific event.

As I wrote yesterday, the beginning of the day was spent at breakfast while listening to Dr. Robert Duke, and his BRILLIANT exploration into the failings of our education system’s teaching style. Again, it’s important to note that he didn’t focus the explanation of our dismal education to any one aspect, ignoring the social and economic basis. Instead, he emphasized the implication of poor teaching style, yes for the obvious reason that it’s his actual research, but also for the ubiquitous prevalence of such. If you’re really interested, go read my earlier post: How Professors Fail at Teaching

Unfortunately, the rest of that morning didn’t go as well =/.

Honestly, why anyone with correct cerebral functions would think a stimulating talk should in fact be a LECTURE is beyond my understanding. There were two possible talks, given by unnamed individuals (I’d rather not have them stoned, no matter how atrociously boring they were). We were given the option of attending either one at our leisure, but they were concurrent, so we’d have to shuffle back and forth. I went to the one concerning sickle-cell anemia, since I thought it’d be interesting for me.

Oh my merciful God in heaven, I had to restrain myself from leaping on stage and ripping out the speaker’s throat, to save the world from the horrors of his lack of rhetorical enthusiasm.

If you know anything about my personality, my sudden shift to polysyllabic verbiage in that last statement usually means I’m on the verge of a rant. Fortunately for all involved, it’s now the next day, so I’m in much better control, and can move on. I walked out on his “talk” (a wonderful feeling, wish I could do so for class sometimes) and tried the other talk, but it was no more interesting, so I gave up and wrote yesterday’s blog entry.

I should apologize in advance, but I’m going to have to cut this post short, which is fine since the brunt of yesterday’s excitement was Dr. Duke’s talk anyway. However there were two other important things to note.

The first was Dr. Mae C. Jemison’s keynote address during lunch. For those who may not recognize her name, Dr. Jemison, a medical doctor, was also the first African American woman to travel in space. Her speech was a motivational talk on the need for greater scientific ethics, and, I suppose, the role of a Role-model.

Mae C. Jemison, MD

While not stating it directly, Dr. Jemison’s theme seemed to revolve around our responsibility as scientists and role-models for influencing those around us. This is true whether we work for better science education, inspiring young people, making responsible, ethical decisions, etc., especially when it comes to refusing the temptations of greed (regardless, according to her, of Ferengi Rule of Acquisition # 242: More is good. All is better.).

Lastly, yesterday wrapped up with my poster presentation. This was clearly the reason why I didn’t update yesterday, since I spent all day preparing for it, and was too exhausted afterward. At any rate, I presented my poster to a few judges, some students, and a slew of interested program directors/school exhibitors on the lookout, I suppose, for new talent. Unfortunately I had just put on my poster when the flood of interested persons began, so, in addition to being parched beyond all reason (and tired as hell), I never got the opportunity to ask someone to take a picture of me and my poster. There will be other opportunities, I’m sure, but still, I’m a bit dissapointed. At any rate, here’s the powerpoint image of my poster, to stave you all over:

I’m afraid you won’t be able to read most of it, unless you zoom in the web page, but it should give a general idea of what I’m looking at, and how it appeared to the judges. The banquet is, in fact, later this evening, and I hope I win something for all my work, but the most important aspect of this trip was all effort I put into this poster, and the fulmination of my scientific and presentation talent (whatever that might be) in an actual, professional setting. I suppose I should probably mention how much I’m praying that no one noticed (or cared about in any significant manner) the fact that I was wearing white socks with my suit =D. Curse my eccentric folly, I excruciated over every detail before leaving the house, and I forgot to pack dress socks! Oh well, I’m going to end on this note. I’ll try and post about today (the Fourth Day) sometime tonight. Wish me luck/blessing/good fortune for my poster.

A. A. Lyrae

~Mae Jemison (Astronaut/Medical Doctor)

Who is Mae Jemison?

• Born October 17, 1956 in Decatur, Alabama
• Youngest daughter of a school teacher and maintenance supervisor for a charity organization
• Early on knew she wanted to be a scientist
• Inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr. because he had “attitude, audacity, and bravery”
• Loved dancing as much as science
• Went to Stanford University at the age of 16 and graduated in 1977 with a B.S. in chemical engineering and a B.A. in African and Afro-American studies
• Received Doctor of Medicine degree in 1981 from Cornell Medical College and took modern dance lessons at Alvin Ailey school
• Peace Corps Medical Officer serving in Liberia and Sierra Leone
• Started private practice in Los Angeles as general practitioner
• Applied two times to NASA and became one of 15 candidates accepted out of 2000 applications
• Had only one space mission September 12 to 20th in 1992
• Has received many honors and awards as well as many more Doctors Honoris causa
• Founded Biosentient Corp in 1999
• Professor-at-Large at Cornell University

Here is a video of Mae Jemison…

What does this quote mean?:

This is one of those cases where the quote and the speaker are both significant to the meaning of the quote.

This statement is coming from someone who has overcome many obstacles. She is an African American woman who was also an astronaut and a very successful leader.

Just by the very fact of her race and gender and age, it is evident that she must have experienced quite a bit of discrimination, especially early in her life when women and African American women were not as visible in medicine and science.

She is coming from a place of deep understanding about what it takes to do what you love and become your own cheerleader.

She is saying that many people who are limited in what they believe is possible will say and do things to thwart your own dreams and goals, but that in order to deal with those people, remind your self that it really is them not believing in themselves projecting on to you.

She is also saying pay attention to when you are thwarting others. To the extent that we are capable of seeing the unlimited possibilities for our own lives, so to will we see that in others.

Is it not true that how much of what we believe we can accomplish will influence how hard we try and how soon we give up? I can’t think of anyone who got what they wanted without a tremendous amount of criticism, obstacles, setbacks, roadblocks…call them what you will.

~ Lance Armstrong, Martin Luther King Jr., Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks….every single one of them had some really challenging things happen to them and still persevered whether they were hated or suffered for what they believed in.

It seems like those who truly are capable of dreaming big and taking action toward that end have the capacity to ignore the nay-sayers and make it so.

What is your big dream and who supports you or thwarts you?

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_Jemison

http://www.biography.com/womens-history/quotes.jsp

I was watching Mae Jemison’s TED talk today about the connection between science and art. In this interesting talk she explains why she thinks the perception of many people that science is analytical while art is intuitive is wrong. Actually, she claims, they are both a manifestation of the same idea. You can find analytical thinking in art and you can find intuitiveness in science.

That made me think. This debate is relevant to business as well. How should businesses be run? According to intuition or analysis? The answer, of course, is both.

In the last few weeks I have been preparing for interviews with management consulting firms. One thing you understand when you practice solving business cases and reading about how these firms operate, is that there is a tremendous importance to analysis. You are expected to be structured in the way you approach each problem, you are expected to think about all the problems while at the same time paying attention to the little details. But at the same time you see how important intuition in their work and thinking process is. You are also expected to hypothesize and prioritize. Go with your basic logic, gut feeling and intuition.

I heard many people in the past say: “I am a numbers guy” or “I am a big picture – go with my gut – kind of guy”. Hell, I said it myself a few times. And I think knowing what you are is an important part of success. At the same time, it is also important to understand that the fact that you have a certain point of view, a bias if you will, does not make the other way wrong. It means that we should actively try to seek out the other way.

It seems to me that success, in art, science or business, comes from integrating intuition and analysis. That is one of the reasons diverse teams have trouble working in the short term (they speak different languages – one of intuition while the other analysis) but in the long term, they tend to outperform homogeneous teams (which do not take the full picture).

Thus, if we are unable to use both (and most people will struggle doing it consistently) we need to complete our own biased point of view, with the opposite point of view. Or just remind ourselves to re-check the other point of view every once in a while.

So, how do you integrate both intuition and analysis in your everyday work?

Elad

Are science and art related or totally separate?

I really liked this 15 minute speech by astronaut Mae Jemison from TED (RSS readers may need to open post to view video).  This speech reminds me to keeping moving past EITHER/OR thinking and finding ways for both conditions to exist.  I also like her formula: 

Understanding + Resources + Will = Outcome

This formula is perfect in my mind because it stresses the importance of understanding a problem/situation.  Stephen Few said “most poor decisions are caused by lack of understanding, not lack of data“.  How often do resources and a force of will get applied to problems without a deep understanding?

I admit that I never considered scientists as creative before I went on a tour at a research center almost a decade ago.  The hallways were lined with whiteboards so scientists can capture their thoughts and ideas when they spring from a conversation.  I heard a research scientist test one thing but found a whole slew of other applications they did not expect.  There is definitely a creative buzz for scientists.

I have worked with a lot artists and have witnessed how they can be analytic and precise.  Think of an actor who can deliver the same line like it is a surprise every night for two weeks!  Arts has the perception of being fluff to some of academia but the creative spark should be harnessed for future progress.

My 2009 Hansei: Scarcity inspires creativity and innovation.  How can I help harness that inspiration?

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