When is the last time you allowed yourself a day of learning completely new ideas? The TEDxUCLA "Ideas Worth Spreading" event on October 27th lived up to its promise. TED (www.TED.com) is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. This was the second annual TEDxUCLA event and I couldn't have dreamed of a more interesting experience.
From the minute I pulled into the UCLA campus I knew I was in for a treat. Red balloons paved the path from the parking lot to the venue. I usually have trouble figuring out what building my classes are in at UCLA, but not that day!
The real theme of the day was "OPEN" and I learned this important lesson before I even got to my seat. As I was walking to the building a man rode by on a double decker bicycle with all sorts of gear attached. I thought to myself, "There's got to be one of these oddball guys on every college campus." Inside, I saw a woman with a headset waiting to get in and thought "Geez, she can't even put her phone down for an hour?"
They turned out to be Rachel Kann, an earthy, quirky spoken word poet and event emcee and Bobby "Tall Bike Bobby" Gadda, a bicycle activist and performance artist, both of whom entranced the audience with their independent, spunky spirits.
The rest of the day was peppered with over a dozen unique, awe-inspiring takes on Science, Technology, Education and Design including a cardiologist who learned to be a better doctor by studying animal hearts and behaviors; a mechanical engineer with a PHD who explains science through comics; a professor of English Lit who brought Shakespeare to a maximum security prison with extraordinarily moving results; a scientist who studied cell textures to discover that cancer cells are softer than normal cells; and a law professor who challenged her students to view a case from all angles and helped free an innocent man.
Bookending the speakers were amazing multi-cultural performances featuring musicians, artists and our own time-lapse muralist Chris Rutterford, working in Scotland via Skype. Rachel lead us in a meet and greet stretch break and a kick-ass game of hot potato with 525 people from ages 20-80 tossing red TED beach balls around.
Not an ordinary Saturday for me. I left invigorated and awestruck, clutching my red TED beach ball to remember the day.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
SheSays LA: Step Left!
I learned early on in the digital age that there are two types of people: Those who love what they do and want to teach you everything they know; and those who don't want to teach you anything because you might move ahead of them. Luckily, the room was full of the former for SheSays LA's free event "Start Your Engine" last night at the super cool SapientNitro offices in Santa Monica.
Luz Plaza(@LuzPlaza) moderated a well-balanced panel of Start Up experts including Elizabeth Osder (@osder), SVP, Strategy & Business Development at JumpTime; Sheila Darcey (@art1st1c), Client Executive and Delivery Lead at SapientNitro (and a very gracious hostess); Kayla Green (@kaylagreen) Senior Global Account Director at iconmobile LLC; and Heather Seal (@hseal) Experience Designer at BLITZagency. I'm pretty sure Kayla and Heather will have new jobs before you finish reading this article--that's how fast moving this industry is!
Luz quoted a recent article in Forbes stating that women comprise less than 3% of top creative positions. Elizabeth wasn't surprised by that figure. She said she has often been the first woman to show up and she has the history to prove it. Elizabeth was the first female legally allowed to play in Little League!
What is it like to work for a start-up? Kayla described it as "fun chaos, like misfits in the wild, wild west." Heather said she took a risk and jumped in, leaving behind stability and a regular salary. Elizabeth likes to go where she will learn the most, not just for a better title. Sheila has taken on many roles in one company from HR to program management to the account side.
One recurring theme from the discussion was about taking risks with your career. More than one panelist talked about taking a step to the left, taking the road less travelled and having confidence in what you do. Sheila advised "You are a walking brand. Be influential in your message." The old school model of staying several years at one company or in one position is frowned upon. Now, two years is the average stint.
Luz asked the panelists to share the best advice someone told them. Elizabeth said "You're OK, you're in the right place." She joked "be willing to learn what you pretend to know!" Sheila said "it's a career, not just work. Leave the heaviness behind and have fun." Heather advised "You can do anything and go anywhere. Life is too short to be unhappy with your situation." Kayla paraphrased FB COO Sheryl Sandberg, "Don't climb the ladder, scale the jungle gym. Take a step left and right and experience the whole thing."
Thanks to SheSays LA and the four panelists for their inspiring insights into the paths they have taken.
Luz Plaza(@LuzPlaza) moderated a well-balanced panel of Start Up experts including Elizabeth Osder (@osder), SVP, Strategy & Business Development at JumpTime; Sheila Darcey (@art1st1c), Client Executive and Delivery Lead at SapientNitro (and a very gracious hostess); Kayla Green (@kaylagreen) Senior Global Account Director at iconmobile LLC; and Heather Seal (@hseal) Experience Designer at BLITZagency. I'm pretty sure Kayla and Heather will have new jobs before you finish reading this article--that's how fast moving this industry is!
Luz quoted a recent article in Forbes stating that women comprise less than 3% of top creative positions. Elizabeth wasn't surprised by that figure. She said she has often been the first woman to show up and she has the history to prove it. Elizabeth was the first female legally allowed to play in Little League!
What is it like to work for a start-up? Kayla described it as "fun chaos, like misfits in the wild, wild west." Heather said she took a risk and jumped in, leaving behind stability and a regular salary. Elizabeth likes to go where she will learn the most, not just for a better title. Sheila has taken on many roles in one company from HR to program management to the account side.
One recurring theme from the discussion was about taking risks with your career. More than one panelist talked about taking a step to the left, taking the road less travelled and having confidence in what you do. Sheila advised "You are a walking brand. Be influential in your message." The old school model of staying several years at one company or in one position is frowned upon. Now, two years is the average stint.
Luz asked the panelists to share the best advice someone told them. Elizabeth said "You're OK, you're in the right place." She joked "be willing to learn what you pretend to know!" Sheila said "it's a career, not just work. Leave the heaviness behind and have fun." Heather advised "You can do anything and go anywhere. Life is too short to be unhappy with your situation." Kayla paraphrased FB COO Sheryl Sandberg, "Don't climb the ladder, scale the jungle gym. Take a step left and right and experience the whole thing."
Thanks to SheSays LA and the four panelists for their inspiring insights into the paths they have taken.
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