Learning can be...

simplified and made fun - not always though :-)

Whenever I see the documentation that comes alongwith Enterprise Software Products, I always wonder why do companies create an impression that understanding of their products is such an uphill task? This is how the standard learning life-cycle goes when one sets out to learn a new software tool or product:

• You download all the whitepapers and documentation about this cool new software product (DB Security Tool, DWH Reporting Tool, Analytics Tool etc)
• You open one of the PDFs and find the Index extending to first 10-12 pages. Using the Index Section and sub-sections hyperlinks, one can locate information read fast,which is cool indeed.
• You finally make your way to the content only to be presented with tons of verbiage and references to other sections in the PDF or sometimes references to other PDFs too :(
• You spend some time trying to navigate elegantly through the PDF and couple of minutes later you declare that it's better to learn the tool by experimentation rather than going through this seemingly infinite documentation.
• As you experiment, you make some notes, some illustrations and once you gain a firm grip on this new tool/technology, you realize that it wasn't rocket science afterall!

And then you wonder why do some folks/companies create this "Illusion of Complexity" rather than coming up with creative ways to enhance the learning process!

During our weekly docent meeting at Danforth today, we were presented with a quick walkthrough into "Sculpting Process" during presentation on Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller-the multi-talented African American artist, we were shown the sculpting tools-brushes, rubber, casting, mallot etc and a visual demonstration (Thanks Julia!) on how sculpting works. In less than 10 minutes we could understand not just the basic sculpting process but we could relate it to Meta Fuller's biograhy and work we read earlier too. This reinforces my views about "Visual Thinking". I strongly believe that under right circumstances, our brains can absorb so much more information visually and quickly when compared to the conventional "Read and Understand" style of learning.

To illustrate a quick example, think about how best you can explain a scientific process say "Photosynthesis" to a person from a totally non-science background. I found several descriptions about "Photosynthesis" for example...

• Photosynthesis consists of light reactions and dark reactions. This process can be simplified in this equation: 6CO2+12H2O + Light Energy → C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H2O.(Source ~ Biology Online)
• The conversion of light energy into chemical energy in cells that contain chlorophyll, a green pigment. Photosynthesis occurs in most plants and algae and in some bacteria and protozoans. The process is also called carbon fixation......(Source ~ Howstuffworks)
• In green plants, light energy is captured by chlorophyll in the chloroplasts of the leaves and used to convert water, carbon dioxide, and minerals into oxygen and energy-rich organic compounds (simple and complex sugars) that are the basis of both plant and animal life. Photosynthesis consists of a number of photochemical and enzymatic reactions. It occurs in two stages..... (Source ~ Britannica)
  
  

Now take a look at the image above or this demo and see for yourself the simple practice of using pictures to understand Photosynthesis! Oh and if you like visual thinking take a look at this visual primer on The Art Of Complex Problem Solving.

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."~Leonardo da Vinci

[Image Courtesy-© Factmonster]

The Other Side Of Light !

[Guided Tour @ Danforth on 01/23/2010 - With HRCA group]

Sometimes experience turns out to be a far better teacher than theoretical reading (books, journals, white papers, news or voluminous technical manuals). I learned sometime back that at Danforth Museum Of Art, new docents are encouraged to "shadow" few tours before venturing out to lead real tours at the museum. With no prior experience of so-called "shadowing", the term conjured up vivid visuals in my mind-images of high-school optics classes, physics experiments with light sources & concave/convex lenses, esoteric definitions of diffraction/dispersion/interference etc. and of course the Greek symbol λ. I loved filling in my U-CLIPS notebooks with Greek symbols in various forms-rotated 30°or 45° wrt horizontal plane, within ultra thin left hand margins, or inside hexagonal benzene rings! Unfortunately back then our physics teacher gave more importance to how quickly we could solve cool optics numericals than how nicely we could draw λ and thus my fondness with Greek symbols didn't last long :D

Back to present time, this "shadowing" exercise turned out to be yet another enriching learning experience for me. In short this is how it works:

• Shadow Docents report to the Lead Docent around 30 mins prior to a tour.
• Lead Docent explains the tour strategy / guidelines to the new docents.
• A quick discussion on background of viewers is done prior to the tour.
• Following a strict time-line before and during the tour is very essential.
• Shadow Docent is supposed to pay close attention to tour, viewers' responses, touring style of lead docent and identify any specific areas of improvements (if any).

As I followed Doreen (Lead Docent) into the galleries, she gave a quick refresher on Jewish Culture and History, described evolution of art & religion in Jewish community across the globe. When I analyzed my notes this morning, I was amazed to learn that there are so many striking similarities between Jewish and Indian Cultures! Some common traits I found cool are: Utmost respect for elders, cohesive bonding with family, appreciation of Visual Arts & Music, logical interpretations for religious rituals and communal problem solving etc.

Our visitors from HRCA (Hebrew Rehabilitation Center For Aged) arrived at 13:30 hrs EST. After exchanging quick pleasantries with the group, Doreen took us all into David Aronson's Gallery and commenced the tour with Aronson's "Adam" & "Eve" artworks. Next we moved on to see "The Judges" and "The Paradox". Fast Forward 30 minutes...as Doreen sailed our group towards the 8-foot tall ace masterpiece titled "Resurrection, 1944", all viewers seemed pleasantly engaged within moments of viewing this gigantic artwork. It was fascinating to see everyone in the group participating actively, asking specific questions, appreciating orange, blues & greens in the artwork, deriving quick analogies with biblical charcaters and finding figurative meanings etc.

[Guided Tour @ Danforth - Marriage at Cana by David Aronson]

Next we moved on to see Aronson's "Marriage at Cana" artwork and this time Doreen began the tour with our museum's VTS Style and connection with audience was almost immediate. Together with enthusiatic Doreen, all of us truly enjoyed hunting down interesting objects in the artwork. Impromptu doses of light humor by Janis & Ellie (fellow shadow docents) as we stood before this artwork made the exercise even more fun!During the last 30 mins of the tour, we walked through gallieries exhbits by Garry Bergstein and Morgan Bulkley.

Like all other good things, our tour ended around 1500 EST. As we bid good-bye to amazing team from HRCA, we thanked them for visiting Danforth and for being a group passionate in thinking and youthful at heart! We hope to see more people from HRCA at Danforth in the days to come.

If you like works by Boston Expressionists, check out this video by Metrowest featuring Katherine French, who talks about David Aronson's artworks.

"It takes a very long time to become young." Pablo Picasso

2009 Redux...

Today at Michael's I observed two teenagers quite invested in a heated conversation as they waited for their turn in the checkout line. The discussion was about LIMITS and CONSTRAINTS that prevent budding artists, cartoonists or sculptors to pursue ART as a full-time career. Thanks to the journal I was carrying in my backpack, I listened attentively, took some notes & thought about doing a rational analysis later. Here are salient points of the conversation I heard:

• In kindergarten we always spot few kids who exhibit creative abilities and would make great artists if given the right education. But as these artistic kids leave kindergarten and start chasing the usual goals of getting a job, means of road transport and may be a house or two, that childhood passion for ART usually eventually takes a backseat.
• ART Concepts can be applied almost everywhere-but society doesn't give much weightage to it since immediate returns (tangible and monetary) are not visible.
• And then there are always so many constraints (Lack of concrete goals, supportive environment and guidance) that it just doesn't seem logical to even think about investing time in studying and understanding art!

and so on.....

The conversation sure wasn't of the type that would give you positive vibes; but it reminded of a similar kind of chit-chat I had with one of the members of Fablevision team during their Open House event in Oct 2009. In retrospect, I was amazed to see Fablevision Studios, meet Peter's energetic team and I was 100% convinced of the fact that limitations actually drive (and not impede) creative thinking. In short here's what I learned after talking to Peter and Bob that day (What a splendid evening it was!):

• Given fewer resources, we are forced to focus and thus make quick and better decisions.
• Given limited time, we learn to distinguish between what is important and what is not.
• Given the limits, we perceive the fine line between applying ourselves to ONE key task sincerely instead of overworking ourselves with dozens of tasks.
• Given the right team/environment, we tend to think out-of-the-box, come up with radical ideas, visualize happy endings and attain seemingly impossible goals in no time.

But yes like everything else in life, the key is to START! As you set out to finally write those tough resolutions/goals down in your journals, blogs, diaries or sketchbooks, take a quick look at Peter's 5Bs poster-you might find it helpful and outright cool!

A L E R T -Extend your helping hand towards HAITI natives; some avenues are-a, b, c and d

“Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.”~Charles M Schulz

[Image Courtesy-© Peter H Reynolds]

To Every Action...

there is an equal and opposite reaction" - said Sir Isaac Newton several years ago. In simple terms this translates to saying that forces always act in pairs. (If an object X exerts a force say F on an object Y, then the object Y exerts an equal and opposite force -F on X provided both X and Y are involved). Some practical examples are:

• Swimming - While swimming you push water backwards (Action) and water in turns pushes you fwd (Reaction).
• Jet Engine - Burning fuel produces hot exhaust gases which are made to flow out from back of the jet (Action). A resulting thrust is produced in opposite direction and pushes it forwards (Reaction).

Newton's Third Law was a stunning insight that eventually led to significant scientific research pertaining to universal law of gravitation and astronomy. Genuine artlovers have said time and again that the best artworks seem to exert a compelling force (Action) on the viewers. What's interesting to watch is how these artlovers respond (Reaction) to this force in accordance with Newton's 3rd Law! Some pursue art as a career, some try to relate art concepts in their jobs/lives and some even become artists (after years of diligent practice though) themselves. That quick science refresher was for my acquaintances who strongly believe that-crude logic, scientific facts and technology govern our lives and drive this world as against creative thinking and imagination :D

I visited Danforth yesterday evening and I ended up filing my journal with 3-4 ideas yet again. I've observed that the more I allow myself to interact with artworks, the more interesting ART gets. Here's I think why:

• Focus: When you walk into an art gallery, you zone out all noise sources (internet, phone, news, road traffic, verbal interactions etc) and give your 100% attention to analyzing artwork.
• Transformation: A painting or a sculpture or a portrait transforms an otherwise void gallery space into something important, meaningful and sometimes influential too.
• Visual Energy: Like 3-5 aged kindergarten kids (Their inquisitiveness, candidness and willingness to learn is just amazing), some artworks invite your attention right away.
• Emotions: Artworks evoke both logical (This artist's earlier work was far better!, This looks pricy!, Why is this painting here?, It is irregular or it is quite unsymmetric!) as well as emotional responses (Woooow!, Ahaaa!, I see!, Ewwwww!, Mindblowing!, Oh my God!, Hummmm!) in the viewer.
• Rhythm: There's always a mystical compositional rhythm in artworks. It could mean variance in thickness or thinness of the brushstrokes for some, strong straight lines or delicate curved lines for others, excessive use of warm or cool colors and so on.
• Impressions: Colors in artworks register deep impressions in our minds and usually have an immediate effect on viewer's mood and energy levels.
• Taste: Art also offers viewers an amazing opportunity to find "alone-time" to nurture their brains, to build critical thinking skills and to develop fine taste in human inventiveness.

Here's a quick exercise (esp. for my friends in software/business world)...

Next time when you spot a majestic sculpture centred in your favorite shopping mall, library or casino or you see this beautiful glass painting as you walk from Terminal A to Terminal B (or C/D/E -choice is entirely yours ;)) to catch your connecting flight-pause for a minute-see if you find something appealing or stimulating or mysterious, ask yourself "What's going on here?", "What could be the underlying message painter is trying to convey?", "How do you feel when you this artwork?" etc. Trust me it feels better than analyzing those stock prices, server response time graphs on Monday mornings or reading those news alerts with not-so-good statistics about terrorism, global warming, unemployment etc

In case you do feel amazed and wish to relive the experience on a larger scale in a climate controlled and conducive environment-you know who to call or where to go next :) By the way-my best wishes to Uncle Newton on his 367th birthday :D

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known”~Oscar Wilde

[Image Courtesy-© Vladimir]

Make a Wish...

There something innocently magical about Fireworks especially the ones that light up the sky on New Year's Eve! Apart from inducing a near instant hope, cheer and happiness, they instantly push people into a "Wish Making Mode". For few seconds one's mind seems to shift into a fluid like state that invokes one's deep rooted ambitions, goals and desires. As the time goes by, some of these wishes come true (Woo-Hoo!), some stay as wishes (tougher goals) and the rest just fade away (That's ok too!) but almost all of them provoke an inward reflection. It's hard to describe the wish-making experience in words but in the long run it can do wonders indeed!

In everyday life, most of us formulate complex plans with hundreds of sub-tasks for our respective projects/goals, use cool software tools to organize our tasks and this seems to work just fine. But I have serious doubts whether artists, photographers, sculptors do the same? As 2010 sets in, I hope (Or should I say I wish ;)) to connect to many more dwellers of ART community, try to map out their goal-setting and creative-thinking process and share the same right here...

Oh and yes, next time you see someone (kids are great examples) doing any of the following...

• About to close eyes before the first star in a clear night sky.
• About to toss a coin in a river, fountain, pond or well.
• About to blow a stray eyelash off one's fingertip.
• Standing before a birthday cake ready to blow the lit candles.
• Ready to blow all seeds from a white puffy dandelion in one breath.

.....take a moment to see and understand "What's going on?', concentrate on your deepest desires, close your eyes, visualize the end result & go make that wish. Believe me - sometimes this spellbinding exercise turns out to be a memorable experience in itself. And when your wishes come true, do this drill again :D

"The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity'~Alberto Giacometti

[Image Courtesy-© Tiqatequila]

Magical Moments...!

Amidst this wave of excitement for 2010's countdown, I wonder what happens when you juxtrapose visual artists, sculpture artists, best pyrotechnicians, ace composers, dancing neon lights, pulsating sound tracks and of course high-spirited people? A friend from India sent me a link to First Night 2010, and I am so glad he did so :) First Night events seem a great medium to participate and celebrate creative communal spirit and richness of Boston's cultural landscape.

As I head out to Boston tomorrow to seek pure inspiration, I hope to meet interesting people adorning those trendy FN buttons (they are still available at Shaws!), exchange some radical ideas, watch the parade, take snaps of ice-sculptures and join other turbo-charged folks in countdown to 2010 at Copley Square.

Meanwhile my best wishes to everyone for a fantastic year ahead. A year full of hope, tremendous success (both on personal and professional fronts), uninhibited love and those magical "Ahaaaa!" moments!

"Reason is powerless in the expression of Love"~Rumi

[Image Courtesy-© Ekua Holmes]

Almost Christmas :)

It's that time of the year again. On one hand we want to look back at the year and start assessing how we measured up against our goals, but on the other hand we are are reminded of a splendid festive season ahead. Well choice rests entirely on the individual but this sure is a perfect time to practice gratitude, connect to those who fill you with positive thoughts and spread joy around!

And as you try your best towards infusing holidays of your 'special' acquaintances with a splash of vivid energy-check out MUJI for some incredible ideas (Aesthetic, eco-friendly, affordable, non-labeled & simply irresistible products)!

~~ Happy Holidays ~~

"Great art picks up where nature ends."~Marc Chagall

[Video © MUJI]

Creative Embrace...!

There are days when upon reaching home from work, all you want to do is grab a cup of hot coffee, switch on TV and just immerse yourself in whatever media wants you to; and then there are days when as you get home and toss your keys on kitchen table-things just seem so different and pleasant. Well-today was exactly such a day or should I say one of my best days of 2009.

Danforth Museum Of Art had their weekly 'Docent Meeting" today and it turned out to be be an wonderful experience. The meeting started with "New Docent Graduation Tours". One could easily identify the new docents, whose faces were marked by performance anxiety & awe of meeting veteran docents. The new docents and their instructors stayed in close proximity of each other, which was a clear indicator of the affectionate bonding between them in the past 3 months of training at Danforth.

As Ellen (new docent) commenced her graduation tour, the David Aronson gallery echoed with lots of questions, discussions about artwork and of course with the applause that followed her very well delivered tour. The viewers were asked questions (VTS Style) to:

• Identify colors, shapes, patterns, art media, metaphoric meaning of artwork etc.
• Let them decipher artworks thorugh active looking and critical thinking.
• Find personal or cultural associations to artworks.
• Make points of reference that other viewers can refer to as well.
• Come up with simple logical answers to seemingly dense artworks.

After the tours, we headed towards meeting room and tour plans were made for upcoming exhbibits and "name-the-turtle" game was announced. Next we met surprise visitor-"Santa Claus", who handed admirable presents to everyone and wished us all Merry Xmas. As I was taking quick notes at a corner table, I wondered why don't people in the outside world tune-in to frequency of these people atleast once in a while!

'New Danforth Docents'

Speaking of these people, this team at Danforth comprises of people who in real world have diverse opinions in matters of religion, politics, science, economy, human rights etc. but elements common in them are-willingness to learn new things, utmost respect for each other, open-mindedness, amazing critical thinking ability and a deep rooted passion for ART!

While the media and society urges us to spend phenomenal amount of time buying presents, decorate our homes from outside and overload ourselves in never ending holiday obligations in this festive season, here are these people who carry true festive spirit in their hearts, get together for celebrations, crack few jokes, shower each other with generosity & goodwill and cheerfully give community gift of personal time! No wonder why some of feel a magnetic pull towards Art galleries and museums :D

On behalf of all the new docents, my sincere thanks to Julia, Judith, Lee, Ellen, Doreen and Danforth for developing our perceptual skills, listening skills & visual vocabularies and for being inspiring mentors!

"After a half-century of hard work and reflection the wall is still there."~Henri Matisse

[First Image Courtesy-©Danforth Museum by artist Gerry Bergstein]

Rise, Awake and ...

[Image © Thomas Totz]

Blossom !

While I was picking up books at Framingham Public Library today morning, I observed an elderly lady who seemed so engrossed as she was knitting a little sweater (lucky grandson ;)). What caught my attention though was this array of peacock blue flowers in the yellow sweater she was knitting - the pattern had such an amazing appeal ! As I was walked past the lady and took a closer look at the pattern of flowers-I uttered Sahiiiiiiiiiii! (translates to fascinating or amazing) to myself and felt quite elated inside.

Thanks to VTS training at Danforth, I asked myself right away-"What makes you say that?". Is it the use of cool colors?, Is it the hatched pattern in the sweater?, Is it the expression on lady's face?, Is it the marked outline of flowers?, Do you associate a past experience with this pattern? And bingo-that was it. The floral pattern reminded me instantly of an arrangement by a master floral artist, who I met at Gorakhpur while I was in India earlier this year. This mental association happened in split seconds-I don't know how or why but I was certainly intrigued to the core.

Upon reaching home, as I took my journal out-an overwhelming flood of memories comprising of my QA session with this floral artist rushed past me in rapid succession. I collected my toughts and decided to pen down the interesting story of this floral artist and share the same here.

In real world, this floral artist has a tough engineering job, a caring family and like rest of us he faces usual set of challenges. But come lunar month of Bhaadra (Many Indians consider this month auspicious and celebrate goddess Radha's birthday), no matter in which part of India he is residing in, he rushes towards Gorakhpur to do his floral magic (localites call it Shringar) and he has been doing this fascinating exercise since 1974! I observed him closely for couple of hours & I could positively conclude that in this case motivation wasn't tied to related to money/fame or any materialistic gain.

I was so impressed with this floral pattern he created on that memorable night 26-AUG-2009 and more specifically with his style that I ended up asking him a plethora of questions. Some of the QAs (translated into English) are as under:

Q> How do you envision what pattern you are going to draw?

A> I usually make a rough illustration of the pattern using sticks or fingers on this area towards left under this Bael tree. Since the ground here covered with sand, drawing becomes quite easy.

Q> I heard that this floral decoration takes around 4 to 6 hours to complete. Why do you spend so much of energy knowing the fact that this pattern of flowers will last for not more than few hours?

A> While I do keep a conscious track of time during the process, but this decoration does take good amount of time for it needs to be perfect from all viewpoints. Regarding your concern about short life of this decoration-isn't everything in life ephemeral? (Smiled)

[Slide Show - Floral Design]

Q> Hmmmm, you mentioned viewpoints - can you pls elaborate?

A> Sure, the pattern must look symmetric and aesthetic from all directions - front view, side view, view from the top and even the isometric view. And then there are other perception related points I keep in mind such as-the flowers will appear smaller as an observer moves away since the visual angle an individual flower makes on the eye decreases. Also, contrast, harmony, space need to be kept in mind. It is all quite systematic like an ED-you did study ED in your engineering right?

Q> ED (Gulp!) -Oh yes I had that course in my 1st year but I assumed that only architects use it on a regular basis. Anyways moving on (pls don't ask me those esoteric ED concepts :)) - what are the materials you use for this decorative pattern?
A> Well - it's usually leaves and flowers. I prefer gulmohar leaves and petals of flowers such as marigold, rajnigandha, jasmine, sadabahar, champa (plumeria), red roses etc. I used to go pick them up myself two decades ago but I get them from local flower sellers these days.

Q> Why flowers and not the electronic lamp lights or any modern media for decoration?

A> Flowers invite genuine emotional responses, which are universal and not culture specific. Everyone-a child, a man,a woman, a couple, group of friends can relate to flowers. Let me put it in simpler way-While a single red rose always conveys love, a dozen daisies convey friendship, a garland hung around a person's neck conveys respect and a bouquet of mixed roses conveys shared sorrow-think about it. (Smiles again)

Q> Awesome!! You mean flowers are like universal messengers of emotions?

A> Absolutely. Chalo Chalo (Time to go)- there are so many things pending and it is quite late now-you should leave. Good luck young man and remember the lifecycle of a flower- "Uthoo, Jaaago and Khilooo" [Rise, Awake and Blossom] as you explore the world.

..............

Upon waking up next morning, I raced to the spot with my camera to see the aesthetic floral arrangement. I could hear so many "Wowss", 'Ahaass", "Superbs" & "Sahiiiiss" from observers around, who sure admired the floral arrangement a lot. When I analyzed the snaps later, the artistic pattern seemed so symmetric exactly as he had said.

I hope to visit India in the month of भाद्रपद sometime again to see him do his floral artistry, which I can best describe as an "Organic marvel of flowers & leaves and joy & delight"!

"Sweet flowers alone can say what passion fears revealing"~Thomas Hood

Free Weekend Pass :)

[Image Courtesy-MuseumsOnUs]

Looks like some of the folks around me have started jotting down some super exciting resolutions for the year ahead. These include - planning a family trip to Nicobar, learning that cool foreign language, learning how to play a saxophone, going back to grad school, finally chasing the childhood passion or just being a responsive community member!

That triggered an idea in my mind-How about setting a goal of pushing oneself in the "creative zone" atleast once every month in the year 2010? The central idea is to creatively channel our energy towards tasks we find engaging, challenging and meaningful to our life's bigger goals. Listening to music, attending a concert, engineering a new toy, designing a greeting card or exploring new places-the activities would vary from person to person but my guess is that such "creative outlets" should leave one feeling good and turbo charrged up inside.

And in case you admire aesthetic creations by fellow homo sapiens, you and your loved ones might wish to check out this FREE weekend pass program by BOA for reasons such as i, ii, iii or even iv. I am off to explore DeCordova Sculpture Park tomorrow. Meanwhile have a terrific weekend ahead :D

"Have no fear of perfection, you'll never reach it."~Salvador Dali