Get Inspired! – Inspirational Hub

Anthropocene Project – Art Gallery of Ontario

Anthropocene- Relating to or denoting the current geological age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment. (Oxford Dictionary)

The idea was popularised by Nobel Prize winner Paul Jozef Crutzen

A picture can tell a thousand story, be intelligible and have a colossal impact. It speaks louder than any politician or some extensive report for that matter. How many times we genuinely were interested in learning about climate change and the environmental dangers, however as soon as we see long paragraphs, we fall into “too long didn’t read it” reaction.

Bringing awareness to environmental problems is difficult to let alone tackle them. Nevertheless, knowing about it and educating the public in an uncomplicated approach is smart. “The Anthropocene” exhibition is the creative project produced by Nicholas de Pencier, documentary director, producer, and director of photography; Edward Burtynsky, one of the world’s most respected photographers and Jennifer Baichwal, director and producer of documentaries. Together, they have simplified the scientific research using virtual reality, augmented reality, film, superb and inspiring post-industrial art to examine the human influence on the earth.

The Canadian master photographer of industrial landscapes, Burtynsky, has captured surreal shots some from satellite or aerial views indicating the widespread harm caused by human activities. Deforestation, dense human settlements, heaps of garbage or existing and potential repercussions of unknown and ignored exploitation of our precious cosmic real estate.

An exhibition, not to be missed, that unveils how we consume the natural resources of our planet and how we dispose of the waste. Learning about “the human signature on earth”, disturbs and gives the motivation to care about the earth. It runs till January 6 in Art Gallery of Ontario and February 24, 2019, at National Gallery of Canada.

Dandora Landfill - Plastics Recycling, Nairobi, Kenya

Dandora Landfill – Plastics Recycling, Nairobi, Kenya

Phosphor Tailings Pond near Lakeland, Florida, USA – the unnatural colour of a phosphor tailings pond in Florida due to pollution (Phosphor is essential for industrial agricutlure)

These large tetrapods will be used to create seawalls and protect shorelines. Each one can weigh up to 80 tons. Tetrapods allow water to flow around them and prevent coastal erosion, a serious global threat. This form of seawall now covers approx 60 per cent of China coastline. Made of concrete, tetrapods are technofossils- human-produced objects that cannot naturally decompose, another geological marker of the anthropocene. — These large tetrapods will be used to create seawalls and protect shorelines. Each one can weigh up to 80 tons. Tetrapods allow water to flow around them and prevent coastal erosion, a serious global threat. This form of seawall now covers approx 60 per cent of China coastline. Made of concrete, tetrapods are technofossils- human-produced objects that cannot naturally decompose, another geological marker of the Anthropocene.

Screen Shot 2018-10-18 at 9.32.07 PM — Nigeria, poor communities have begun pirating crude oil from the pipelines through a process known as ‘bunkering’. Volumes of crude and toxic by-products are leaked through this process into the surrounding forests and waterways.

How to Create Your Ideal Lifestyle

Believe in your heart that you’re meant to live a life full of passion, purpose, magic and miracles.”

Living your ideal lifestyle involves how you feed your personality traits and tendencies. Are you nurturing your positive disposition in life or shifting towards negativity? What are your world-views or how do you perceive your self-image? Prior to answering these questions, we must understand that there is a clear distinction between our responses to certain situation which will dictate our moods or emotions and our dispositional affect. Which translates into personality traits. Bear in mind that the intensity of our emotions is directly related to our mentality.

Individuals who have tendencies towards positive attitudes are innovative and creative. They will make better decisions in dealing with important situations or negotiate in a cooperative state of mind. Having an optimistic view is not to be mindless of dangers or uncertainties but to plan efficiently and be willing to be flexible in one’s activities.

There is no influence like the influence of habit

The energy you inject into your mental focus steer your direction in life. To increase the likelihood of achieving your goals, you need to squash the unproductive thoughts and habits. By practicing awareness you can catch the negativity monster and toss it out of your mind. Figuratively speaking create an image of the unwanted thought as the most despicable entity and breathe it out of your system. Or as once a spiritual Master in a Buddhist Temple advised, close your eyes, imagine a divine or a peaceful source that generates red light unto you. Inhale the light through your nose deep into your being and exhale the black smoke out of your mouth. Repeat nine times and then change the colour of the red light to an angelic hue while you continue your breathing exercise.

NEW CONTINENTAL GT - Bentley Motors — NEW CONTINENTAL GT – Bentley Motors

Replacing habits that impede your progress towards your desired lifestyle can be replaced by vibrant and useful traits. Reminding yourself about the purpose of your endeavour, breaking down the general statement of change in patterns of behaviour to specific and practical actions or conducts, strengthens your efforts to reach your goals.

The Universe is change, our life is what our thoughts make it. Marcus Aurelius

Ultimate Boardroom in the Sky - Boeing (AV Planners) — Ultimate Boardroom in the Sky – Boeing (AV Planners)

An architect has a vision and a goal. He investigates, sketches, designs, includes details, develops, considers support team and tools, administers and observes the process to completion. Just like an architect, our abstract or concrete hopes and lifestyle are attainable if we consciously attract what we want and positively take part in polishing our behaviours to shine.

Ultimately, progress and self-development is never-ending and that is why life is worth living in Style!

How to Brand Your Event?

In its many forms, an event is a powerful tool to inspire loyalty, to attract new audiences, to engage, or to start a movement. Harnessing the enormous potential of events requires a cohesive approach to create a “real brand experience.” Without a doubt, a winning strategy if meticulously planned and implemented.

Whether you are hosting a global or local event, the key to a favourable outcome is to fuse the brand proposition to the experiences that your audience cares about. In other words, evoking the sound and emotional responses happens when the brand promise is tangible through all the aspects of the event.

Meet the audience expectations and needs

Before spending time planning for your event, make sure that you have an interested audience. Think like an attendee and identify their reasons and their core needs. Exploring their interests, allows you to tailor your event and ensures that their expectations are in line with your goal. Questions to consider:

Why do I need to attend?

What I want to get out of this event?

What kind of format do I prefer?

Define your Goal

Ask yourself: What is it that you want to accomplish? Regardless of the event’s type, you should be clear about your goal.

Craft a tagline for your event

It is challenging to communicate in few words your brand promise that differentiates your event. However, following a framework to answer the questions in the brand pyramid, allows you to plan an unforgettable experience.

A n excellent example is TED Talks. The non-profit foundation is a global community that provides a platform to exchange ideas, usually in the form of short conferences and distributes through video streaming. Their goal is to spread great ideas. Their videos are educational, inspiring, motivational, funny and give advice. Hence, their tagline is “Ideas worth spreading”.

Define your brand identity

Make sure that your branded event elements are consistent and recognizable:

Logo
Fonts
Colour palette
Visuals
Tone of voice

Remember persuading people to attend your event is about resolving problems, emphasizing on the benefits, powering a trademark by tapping into the five senses. Manage these essentials to create a must attend event.

Branding – How to build your tribe?

One of the objectives of branding in postmodernism is essentially getting through to individuals or groups to join your utopia! Is about the certainty of one’s worldview and the paradox of interpretations that validates the brand’s mindset such as courage, being active, cultured, cosmopolitan, daring,… . Basically, creating an echo chamber of motives and behaviours that embrace the attitudes of individuals and ensures support.

Nike embodies the significant characteristics of postmodern branding by juxtaposing essential and ephemeral social experiences throughout their branding efforts. From their logo depicting motion and speed to their inspiring lifestyle, Nike explores the complexity and real challenges of our world at the same time the real basis of motivation, passion, and empowerment. Their diverse and connecting social media posts champion the creation of tribes that identify with its way of life and play an instrumental role to promote the brand. Their stories tap into the essential feelings, the interplay of oppositions and realities that propel us to be a role model, to have that “can do attitude” regardless of the gender, giving hope and saving a child “from the streets to the league”.

Nike: It's not always sunshine and sand. #justdoit — Nike: It’s not always sunshine and sand. #justdoit

Nike : If you don't take risks, you'll always have regret. #justdoit — Nike : If you don’t take risks, you’ll always have regret. #justdoit

The postmodern culture of connecting with your tribe in personal branding is also setting side by side different aspects of our self-image and opposing views. Fragmenting our narratives, documenting extremely realistic images, sharing contents that support the complexity of ourselves is appreciated by many. Transforming our opinions and beliefs offline and online, into what we consume, wear or undertake should be an acknowledgment of contradictions that make us human.

Emma Watson- Ready for anything after @SheFighter training with Lina Khalifeh. She opened the first self defence studio for women in the Middle East. I’ll be chatting with her and 8 other activists about challenging gender stereotypes at @OneYoungWorld Ottawa later today. — Emma Watson- Ready for anything after @SheFighter training with Lina Khalifeh. She opened the first self defense studio for women in the Middle East. I’ll be chatting with her and 8 other activists about challenging gender stereotypes at @OneYoungWorld Ottawa later today.

Forming a loyal postmodern tribe or a community demands the understanding that diversity, differences and similarities are in a state of flow. For that reason, plug in to identify trends and shifts from passing ideas, harness your capabilities to help others, tune in to your supporters to help you grow, take risks to make an impact and be conscious of the fluidity of ideas and our ways of life.

Featured image is work of art by : JR – The artist exhibits freely in the streets of the world, catching the attention of people who are not typical museum visitors. As he remains anonymous and doesn’t explain his huge full-frame portraits of people making faces, JR leaves the space empty for an encounter between the subject/protagonist and the passer-by/interpreter. That is what JR’s work is about, raising questions…

Civic Tourism – El Campo de Cebada

Travel is about transformation, a catalyst to make sense of people’s behaviour and observe the challenges and beauties of our planet. Visiting museums, sightseeing in a double decker bus or tasting the authentic dishes are experiences that we all strive to accomplish when we are travelling. However, our curiosity to get wind of the meaning of life for locals is indulged when we visit the ugly or the unpleasant still the charismatic neighbourhoods. Exploring the local slums & the stomping grounds, cast light on motives that influence political, social or cultural movement that spawn in a community.

El Campo de Cebada, in La Latina quarter, Madrid, is one of those local hangouts, with graffitis, musicians, plays and wave of people moving in and out. It was a sport centre that has been demolished and now is a temporary community space “por y para los vecinos – for and by the neighbours”, until the funding for new centre is raised. The confined space is about self expression, camaraderie and joy. The sense of belonging fused with personal identity is in the air, ranging from group of youth playing cards to dancing or music lovers sitting on a rusted chairs to enjoy the local artist to different groups of individuals with different backgrounds drinking, reading or relaxing. They are all merged in this rugged yet vibrant space to enjoy life.

The wisdom to engage the community to solve the collective challenges, foster creative learning and allow the abstract feelings of subjectivity rise between the inhabitants and the street performers and musicians, underlies the purpose of this space.

It made me wonder whether creating community spaces where the neighbours contribute to its development as a mean of dialogue and healthy activism can encourage respect, responsibility and compassion among the inhabitants?

Dolceacqua – A medieval village in Italian Riviera

Following the trail of Claude Monet, the picturesque village of Dolceacqua, at the bottom of Nervia Valley, in the Italian region of Liguria is an expressive sight.

Dolceacqua’s iconic stone footbridge that arches over the Nervia river, dubbed by the master of impressionist, Claude Monet ” jewel of lightness” and the Doria Castle depicted in 1884 is the birth place of powerful Doria Clan who were lord of Genoa in 16th and 17th century. The castle is in ruins however at the top, the restoration has allowed an area for festivals and plays with a panoramic view of the spontaneous nature of Liguria.

The cobblestone walkways and alleys with twists and loops, the artist shops and the adorable restaurants all air medieval romance and characterize the gentility of the knights of the round table. Among the eateries, “Casa e Bottega”, accentuates the essence of Dolceacqua charm and marvellous cuisine.

The primary economic activities of the region are olives, production of roses, mimosas, brooms and local speciality wine called “Rossesse”. The wine grape is aromatic and garrigue flavoured, suggesting bushy, wild and fragrant plants.

With every old town and city, there is a story and the legend of Dolceacqua is about women’s emancipation. The tragic love story of Lucrezia and Basso, two lovers who fought against the “Jus Primae Noctis”, which means the newlywed bride should spend her wedding night with the lord of the region. The story recounts that while Lucrezia and Basso were celebrating their secret marriage, the Marquise’s guards kidnaped her to perform her duty. However, she refused and was imprisoned and left to die in the dungeons of the castle. Basso broke in the castle and forced the Marquis to abolish the law with a knife at his throat. The residents of Dolceacqua celebrate this victory with a sweet pastry called “Michetta” accompanied by “Rossesse di Dolceacqua” wine.