Bramley Famli

One of my favourite TED videos is by Sir Ken Robinson and the name of his talk is ‘Do schools kill creativity?‘ His conclusion is, yes they do. If you’ve never watched it, it’s worth the large download and the 20 min it takes to watch it.

Leish sent me a link to a similar video clip by Alan Watts (a philosopher). He makes a similar point in 2 minutes. It’s not as entertaining or as interesting as Robinson’s talk on TED, but it makes the exact same point. Take a look for yourself.

A few days ago I was sent a link (by Leish of I Am Parent) to watch Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love fame. It was a talk she gave at a TED conference. Her talk is around Nurturing Creativity, and was one of the goodies that TED generates.

I loved her thoughts. Not so much the theory, but how her life has been impacted by the success of her book, and the consequent journey into creativity, pain and self-destruction. It’s one of those inputs that leaves you stone cold in reflection and thought as you wonder a little more about your own life. The kind of impact I’d like to chat to others about once they’ve had a chance to watch it. Feel free to engage with me in conversation.

Having recently returned from a weekend process (The Lords of Bling) where we explored the 4 archetypes (Lover, Warrior, King/Queen and Magician) I listened to the talk with the filters of the lover and magician as she spoke.

A theme of thought for me recently has been the lip service I so often give to what I desire. I know what it I want, but how prepared am I to engage in the ‘conflict’ created by making the choice to really want it? And what am I so frightened of by making the choice to go after it?

I felt that what she said spoke into these questions, and while she didn’t necesarily provide a neatly packaged answer, she certainly added direction to my own reflection.

If you have 20 minutes to listen to something very special and intimate, take a trip to TED and watch her speak. Go here.