TED Talks; We Listen
In a world of social media, marketing, and noise, it can be difficult to find a true source of information, inspiration and knowledge.
We love a good podcast, but always find ourselves coming back to TED Talks and the incredible people who take centre-stage here.
A few talks we have stumbled upon lately that have truly inspired us [and had us scribbling quotes as quick as an Olympic sprinter], are below. We hope these inspire you, and also offer a few notes to reflect on.
"The age of moment brings exhilarating new possibilities. Home isn't just where you happen to be born. It's the place where you become yourself." Pico Iyer
We love listening to any and all talks narrated by Pico Iyer. This one is especially impactful for us as he talks about home and where home truly is. Whether a place you have never visited some how feels like home, how sitting in nature feels like home or if where you are with the ones you love; Iyer talks of travel and experiences with cultures on what home is and where home is, in a more modern world.
Listen to The Meaning of Home - and the joy of traveling by Pico Iyer.
"The funny thing about design is, you don't really notice good design. You're just using it. It looks nice, therefore I like it, but you don't notice how you feel about it, you just feel content." Phoebe Oldrey
Oldrey's analogy of a pebble in your shoe and how, just like that pebble, we also notice bad design, all comes back to the emotional effect that our homes and design of them, has on us. It's not about throwing everything out to live stress-free lives, because life isn't that simple and it is messy. We need to embrace our lifestyle in our interiors and that's what makes good design.
Oldrey really cuts through all our excuses when she talks about the artistry of home design and decorating for both the "pretty" and the healing side of it. In a world which has become obsessed with design based on 2D images from magazines or social media, seeing only the results of someone else's design journey.
What we are missing is the opportunity to create our own design-journey, create our own spaces that meet our need physically, emotionally and visually - and the feeling of being "at peace" in our own homes; just like not having a pebble in our shoe.
"Close your eyes and recall a moment in your life, Can you remember that moment without also remembering where that occasion took place? Memory is always situating, and place and memory are deeply intertwined." Sarah Robinson
As both an Architect and Philosopher, Sarah Robinson talks about the importance of the relationship between spaces and human beings. The part of our brain that helps us remember is the same place that helps us navigate new spaces - so what would it mean to give up the idea that we are separate from our environment?
In Robinson's opinion, this is how we have got to the production of buildings and urban spaces that have not taken deeper human needs into consideration. We know how to make places that promote life, help us heal and lead a higher quality of life - and there are studies to show how something as simple as a grocery store visit, even impacts our emotional and physical well-being.
Watch Sarah Robinsons TED Talk on How Our Surroundings Shape Us
