Creative thinker Edward De Bono talks about creativity and thinking out of the box.

“Most of us can learn to live in perfect comfort on higher levels of power. Everyone knows that on any given day there are energies slumbering in him which the incitements of that day do not call forth. Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake. It is evident that our organism has stored-up reserves of energy that are ordinarily not called upon – deeper and deeper strata of explosible material, ready for use by anyone who probes so deep. The human individual usually lives far within his limits.”

~ William James

Why leave a cushy job for a challenging one? The need to engage the artist within, according to Harvard Business writers John Maeda and Becky Bermont. Read the complete story.

“When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.”

~ George Washington Carver

“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”

~ Muhammad Ali

Materials used: Watch scrap, dials, straps, faces, hooks and scrap iron sheet. Approximately 3000 old watches

Dimensions: Solid circumference: 8 feet; Length: 48 inches; Width: 30 inches; Height: 21 inches

Weight: Approx 70 kilograms

Hi all,

My eight foot scrapture christened ‘The Time Machine’ created exclusively for Titan Industries will be unveiled tomorrow, the 13th of August 2008 at 12pm at World of Titan, South Extention – I, New Delhi. It will be on show all day before it travels to various parts of the country. Please do take out time and see it.

The scrapture took 19 days to create, weighs approximately 70 kilograms and is made of almost 3000 old watches.

Look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

Cheers
Arun

At Arun Verma Design Studio, we’ve been working with a host of clients in the US, UK and India across varied
creative domains.

Now, we have some immediate requirements for technology developers and was wondering if we have people within this group who would like to work in a fantastic environment and work on some brilliant ideas
that we’ve been toying with. As someone who’ll be working with us, you might not know everything about technology but should have the ‘fire within’ to learn, experiment and make mistakes. You should be creative and logical, should be a self starter with an ability to troubleshoot and deal with software programming problems. Basically, you should have an attitude for finding ’solutions’.

Please do read more about careers with us.

The details of the technology developers that we’re looking for are as follows.

Number of openings: 3

Years of experience: 2+ years

Languages: PHP 4&5 (min 2 years experience)

Databases: MySQL and PostgeSQL (min 1 year experience)

CMS: Drupal (min 6 month experience; the more the merrier)

Scripting Languages: HTML, CSS, JavaScript and AJAX

If you fit the bill, or would like to do somebody else a favour, tell them about this. Please get in touch with me on 9811214413 or write to me.

Look forward to having you on board.

“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.”
~ Winston Churchill

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

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.

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.

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.

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/

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