Heavy Metal

The Telegraph did a feature on me and my creations this Saturday. Read it here.

Creativegarh And Tribal Route Presents: The Coming Of Summer

Creativegarh and Tribal Route invite you to an exhibition of art and craft from the 20th of March to the 5th of April. Take your pick of jewelry, trendy bags, lifetyle accessories, coffee mugs, fabric sculpts, rock art, wall hangings, cutlery, footwear, candles, stole, angarakha kurtis, lamps, artefacts, ceramics and other unique creations.

Also a must dekko are works of art in oil, watercolor, acrylic and experimental medium that are now on sale.

At Creativegarh

37A & 41 Shahpurjat, New Delhi 110049

Tel: 91.11.26494214

Knowledge Is A Barrier, It Inhibits Creativity

Why can’t I see any meaning in life?

Life in itself has no meaning. Life is an opportunity to create a meaning. You will find meaning only if you create it. It is a poem to be composed, it is a song to be sung, it is a dance to be danced.

Buddha finds meaning because he creates it. I found it because I created it. God is not a thing but a creation. And only those who create find. And it is good that meaning is not lying somewhere there, otherwise one person would have discovered it - then what would be the need for everybody else to discover it?

Albert Einstein discovered the theory of relativity; now, do you have to discover it again and again? One man has done it; he has given you the map. It may have taken years for him, but for you to understand it will take hours.

Buddha also discovered something, Zarathustra also discovered something, but it is not like Einstein’s discovery. It is not there that you have just to follow Zarathustra and his map and you will find it. You will never find it. You will have to become a Zarathustra.

Each individual has to give birth to God, to meaning, to truth; each man has to become pregnant with it and pass through the pains of birth. Each one has to carry it in one’s womb, feed it by one’s own blood, and only then does one discover.

You don’t expect a religious person to be creative. You just expect him to fast, sit in a cave, get up early in the morning, chant mantras. And you are perfectly satisfied! Praise a man because he has created a song, a beautiful sculpture. Praise a man because he plays such a beautiful flute. Let these be religious qualities from now onwards. Praise a man because he is such a lover - love is religion. Because of him the world is becoming more graceful.

The inquiry has to be pure, without any conclusion. If you are looking for a certain meaning, you will not find it - because from the very beginning your inquiry is polluted, it is impure. You have already decided.

For example, if a man comes into my garden and thinks he can find a diamond there then to him this garden is so many beautiful flowers, and so many birds singing, and so many colours, and the wind blowing through the pines, and the moss on the rocks. But he cannot see any meaning because he has a certain idea: he has to find the diamond, only then there will be a meaning.

He is missing meaning because of his idea. Let your inquiry be pure. Don’t move with any fixed idea. Go naked. Go open and empty. And you will find not only one meaning - you will find a thousand and one meanings. Then each thing will become meaningful. Just a coloured stone shining in the rays of the sun… or a dewdrop creating a small rainbow around itself… or just a small flower dancing in the wind… What meaning are you searching for?

Go without a conclusion! That’s what i mean when i say go without knowledge if you want to find the truth. The knowledgeable person never finds it. His knowledge is a barrier. Drop the knowledge and become more creative. Remember, knowledge is gathered - you need not be creative about it; you have only to be receptive. And that’s what man has become: man is reduced to being a spectator.

Extract from The Silence Of The Heart: Talks on Sufi Stories.

~~~~~

Read the full piece.

Copyright And Creativity

It often takes years for the academic world to catch up to the breakneck pace of technology. But a new study from Center and American University’s Washington College of Law recently examined the issue of copyright and creativity and came to some interesting – and surely controversial – conclusions.

Read the complete article.

Encouraging Musical Creativity In The Early Years

Small children spend much of their time playing and most have no fears about the challenge facing them as they set about painting a picture or modelling with play dough. Children are equally at home when improvising their own songs and playing with musical instruments, although putting them in the spotlight without first preparing the ground can turn a budding composer into a shrinking violet. Before they can make their own music, children need to have some experience of rhythm, pitch, dynamics, tempo and timbre and this they acquire by interacting musically with adults.

Patricia Lee explains how supporting children’s musical creativity can contribute to their sense of self-worth and emotional wellbeing.

Institute Of Creativity

Hi all,

Following this note is a mail from Sameer Sachdeva at Ernst & Young. If you’d like to give your inputs, please speak with him.

Arun

~~~~

The Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science & Technology (MoST), India has envisioned a futuristic idea which could influence the society in terms of enhancing creativity in thought and action. The endeavour seeks to establish an exclusive Institution of Creativity in the rapidly developing city of Hyderabad, India. Ernst & Young, India have been mandated to take this initiative forward.

The objective of this institution is to embark on the mission of developing a creativity economy by instilling creativity in thought, processes, methodology and the work environment. The concept is exciting and has a large potential but needs to be planned carefully. Since the proposed institution is a first of its kind in India, we believe, it will be fruitful to collate ideas from experts in creativity and related fields with years of experience in the same.

In this context, we would like to speak to you over phone or if possible meet you in person. Kindly advice a suitable time and your contact details for the same.

We thank you for your precious time towards this endeavour and look forward to hearing from you,

Warm Regards,

Sameer Sachdeva
Sr. Associate
_____________________________________
Transaction Advisory Services
Policy & Investment Advisory Services
Ernst & Young – India
Golf View Corporate Tower – B
Near DLF Golf Course ,Gurgaon , 122001, India
Board : (91-124) 24644000 Extn.4384 ; Fax: (91-124) 24644050 / 51
Mobile: (+91) 9999337900
E-Mail: sameer.sachdeva@in.ey.com
URL: www.ey.com/India/

Get Involved To Make An Impact

“You must get involved to have an impact. No one is impressed with the won-lost record of the referee.”
~ Napoleon Hill

The Little Pink Mean Machine

Scraptures Now In Mumbai

I am having my first show in Mumbai of my creations - scraptures, lamps, accessories and furniture. Please do take out time and have a dekko if you are in Mumbai or visiting Mumbai.

The show is on till at 29th of September 2007 at:
Turqoise
Sunbeam Building
2 & 3, Perry Cross Road
Bandra (W), Mumbai - 50
Tel: 32409827

The store is open all 7 days from 11am to 8pm.

The Green Creepy Crawlie

Happy Anniversary

This is one of my latest creations inspired by Creativegarh’s 7th Anniversary.

Materials Used: Die scrap, ball bearings, construction rods, bolts, key chains, drill bit, window latches, screws, nuts

Dimensions: 12 x 8 x 8 inches 

Photographed by: Sushmendra Dubey

Locked But

For A Creative, No Mountain Is Too Big, No Ocean Too Deep

Swiss Knife

On The Tree

Coffee Boy

Staying Motivated

Whether your chosen medium is pictures or language, food or formulas, everyone has the capacity to be creative in their work. But we can often lose our motivation to create, making it difficult to stay focused and excited on a project. So how does one keep their creative well from drying up? Read this fantastic article by Kevin Cornell.

 [Via Navin on Creativegarh]

Old Keys And Locks

I am in desparate need of some (in fact lots of) old locks and keys. I need these for an idea that I have been toying around with for almost the last 3 years. So, if you can dig into your old cupboards, drawers, attics, boxes and don’t mind letting go off the keys and locks now useless for you, please get in touch with me. I can have them picked up from your place if you are in and around Delhi NCR. Or if you’re travelling towards South Delhi, it’ll be great if you could drop by at the Creativegarh Gallery in Shahpurjat.

I have been in regular touch with the local kabadiwaalas but what I need is a huge number… almost 1500 keys and locks.

 Have a look at some scraptures I had created with old keys a while back.

Solving The Enigmas Of Everyday Design

Have you ever wondered why some cars have fuel fillers on the left, and others on the right? Why your VCR is stuffed with functions that you’ll never use? Why women button their clothes from the left, and men from the right? Or why CD cases are smaller than DVD cases when the discs are the same size?

See this fantastic slideshow at the IHT website.

A Logo For 7 Years Of Creativegarh?

7 years? Already?

Yes! Creativegarh will soon be 7 years old, that is, on the 12th of September 2007.

And what could be a better way to celebrate Creativegarh’s seventh birthday than by giving it a beautiful birthday gift that’ll last for one whole year.

How about a logo to celebrate the 7 Years of Creativegarh?

We’ve been creating a commemoratory logo for the two years inhouse. [ You can see the '6 Years of Creativegarh' logo here. ] And this time, we thought, why not have the members of the community come up with a logo.

The brief is simple, and wide open.
We need a logo that captures the essence of Creativegarh as you see it. It needs to say ‘Celebrating 7 Years of Creativegarh’ or anything better that you can come up with as long as ‘Creativegarh’ is a part of the line / phrase / copy. Also, the logo should translate easily across mediums and across sizes and should look ‘equally good’ in black and white. One more thing. The 7 Years Logo should ‘preferably’ use the Creativegarh colours. Green and Blue to signify that that it is a global community. Black to signify the magic and mystery that creativity holds. And white to signify the purity of the creative expression. The ‘CG’ swirl in the centre of the Creativegarh logo signifies the energy associated with creative thinking.

An EPS version of the Creativegarh logo can be downloaded from here. 

5 logos will be shortlisted by a panel from within the Creativegarh community itself. And then, the entire community will vote for their favourite logo. Democratic as always.

How to send in your entries?
All participating members are requested to send in their designs to me  in .jpg format, in a minimum size of 4×4 inches (450×450 pixels @ 72 dpi). A higher resolution version may also be requested. Please mark the subject of the mails as ‘Creativegarh logo’ and please send it latest by Friday, the 31st of August 2007.

Who can participate?
Anyone and everyone. Logo designers, freelancers, design companies, individuals or anyone who is feeling creative enough and thinks he / she can do a good job of it. And we’re sure you can.

And finally, what’s in it for you?
Oh come on, don’t ask that! This is the least you can do for a community that really tries to do so much for you. But yes, if your logo is the winner, we’ll make sure you get due credit wherever this logo is used - on partner websites, on blogs, other forums, and all Creativegarh collateral. What’s more, the entire Creativegarh community will give you a standing ovation. In addition to this, we’ll ensure that we use your services on a live and paid logo design project for a client within the next 6 months. And if that’s not enough, I personally promise you a fantastic meal with unlimited wine whenever we meet in person. It’ll be great to have your company.

Please feel free to forward this post to your friends / colleagues and associates.

Looking forward to some mindblowing designs.

For creativity,
Arun Verma
Moderator, Creativegarh: Where creative minds meet, work and play!