August 9, 2011 – 10:15 am
It’s been way too long since I’ve been out of the country, but with the Artist Retreat around the corner, I’m really getting excited. A few of the attendees (Are you one of them? Would you like to be? Contact me for more information!) asked me how to learn a language and learn it quickly. It’s a great question. That’s why I rounded up some great language apps that will help you kick your second or third language into high gear:
Tweets: Twitter is understated as an educational tool. Twitter allows you to learn new languages and practice them a little bit. Click here a compilation of some “linguistic twitterers”.
LiveMocha.com – Livemocha divides a language into courses, units, and lessons. Lessons are divided into four types of activities: learn, review, write, and speak. What’s nice is that you can also make flashcards from the content in the lessons, or you can make your own flashcards. There is even a chat feature, so you can connect with people learning the same language you are.
Babbel — If you’re looking for something that you can use on both your computer and smart phone, Babbel fits the bill. It provides exercises and [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Adventure, Creativity, Happiness, Language, Uncategorized
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Tagged artist retreat, benefits of learning a foreign language, foreign language institute, foreign language standards, foreign language teacher, foreign languages, how to learn a language, language apps, learn a language
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Do you shy away from the unknown or do you welcome the unexpected? Ever since I was a little girl I have thrived on curiosity and questioning things. However, many colleagues I know in business stick like glue to the familiar. They rely on the routine things that have served them in well in the past, and avoid anything new and different. This attitude can maintain stability, but if you’re not curious you are doomed to the same experiences without ever growing in business or in life.
This article by Donald Latumahina at Lifehack tells of the virtues of curiosity. Curiosity gives you a fresh perspective, allowing you to discover fresh ideas. Being curious makes you more observant and opens up new worlds and possibilities you wouldn’t otherwise consider while also adding the spice of variety to your life.
Some of my best ideas for projects, as well as some of my best adventures, have come from stepping outside of my comfort zone and following my curious nature.
For these reasons, curiosity should be a quality you cultivate. So here are some things you can do to be more curious in your life:
Do Not Ignore the [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Also posted in Adventure, Creativity, Happiness, Innovation, Marketing, Philosophy, Strategy, Uncategorized
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Tagged curiosity quotes, curious quotes, find happiness, finding happiness
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April 21, 2011 – 10:07 am
I was working on a rather mundane project last week when suddenly I was struck with a brilliant idea that stopped my work dead in its tracks. I love it when this happens, even if it sidetracks the work at hand for a few hours.
But sparking your creativity is easier said than done. It is usually a serendipitous phenomenon, but I believe there are a few techniques you can use to trigger that creative impulse. Here are over 13 ways I get the creative juices flowing.
1. Doodle. You’ve heard of brainstorming and stream-of-consciousness writing to free your mind and unleash your creativity. But even those activities are limited by conforming your boundless imagination to language. Instead, just take out a blank piece of paper and a pen and doodle away. Draw whatever comes to mind. Just scribble anything and see what appears.
2. Challenge Yourself. People under pressure tend to surprise themselves. Try giving yourself a deadline, say, coming up with 10 great ideas by the end of the week. If your mind understands that there is a deadline to meet, it starts to work extra hard to ensure you meet it.
3. Join with Fellow Creatives. Creative people inspire each other. [...]
January 20, 2011 – 10:03 am
Last week I announced Revolution! – a transmedia project designed to help empower ordinary people facilitate small or great changes to improve their community or even the world we live in. Revolution! will kick off in February and gear up for The Revolution Roadtrip on March 4.
The Revolution Roadtrip leaves from Boston and stops at various US cities before arriving at Austin for the SXSW conference. After the conference, we’ll hit other cities on the way back before returning to Boston for our Welcome Home Party. At every city we stop in, we will work to create content and social good that promotes change and inspires others to take action to step up and realize that they can change their environments for the better.
Our destination is South by Southwest (SXSW) an annual series of film, interactive and music festivals. Over the years, SXSW has earned a reputation as a breeding ground for new thought innovations and creative technologies from the brightest entrepreneurs. Industry leaders, world-class speakers and emerging technology pioneers mingle and share ideas while networking to promote change. Trendsetting musicians converge from all over the globe at SXSW to share their brilliant talents with hundreds of musical [...]
October 27, 2010 – 8:30 pm
As artists, we are passionate people full of raw emotion and creativity. But we can channel our anger into a burst of creative thinking. Here are a few ways I have learned to turn my anger into creative problem solving:
My surrogate sister, Sara, has been over in China studying and teaching for about a year and a half now. Her experience of acclimating into another culture made me curious to see what creative benefits there are to living aboard.
In Psychology Time’s article,”Can living abroad make you more creative,” Art Markman asks just that:
The idea here is that when you go to a different culture, there are often subtle differences that you have to learn about. For example, in the US, if you go to someone’s house and they offer you a drink or snack, you respond “Yes” or “No” depending on whether you want a snack. In Russia, though, it is impolite to say “Yes” the first time something is offered, and so you refuse the first request. The host asks again, and after a brief negotiation, you may settle on having a snack. A Russian visiting the US for the first time might refuse the offer of a snack, only to be surprised that she is not asked a second time. Eventually, she must learn that the practices are different.
To read the entire article, click here.
What are your thoughts? Have you ever lived abroad? Did you feel [...]
As a minister and an artist, I am always intrigued as to how spirituality effects the creative mind. So, when I saw this article from Deepak Chopra on Spirituality and Sex, it was a must read for me.
My favorite is #1:
Sexual energy is the primal and creative energy of the universe. All things that are alive come from sexual energy. In animals and other life forms, sexual energy expresses itself as biological creativity. In humans, sexual energy can be creative at all levels — physical, emotional and spiritual. In any situation — where we feel attraction, arousal, awakening, alertness, passion, interest, inspiration, excitement, creativity, enthusiasm — in each of these situations, sexual energy is at work. Whenever we feel these states of awareness, we must put our attention on the energy that we are experiencing, nourishing it with our attention, experiencing it with joy and keeping it alive in our awareness.
Read this Huffington Post article and tell me what you think.
Like this article and want to read more, feel free to subscribe to my blog feed
I have been thinking a ton about the artists program I’m putting together in Assisi and my spiritual pilgrimage to Taizé. Of course, it brought back great memories of my last trip to the monastery and a conversation a friend and I had over a pint of Guinness:
Sam: “You do a lot of sh*t, Nae. I am not sure if you sleep.”
Me: “Of course, I sleep. Didn’t you have to wake me up this morning?”
Sam: “Yeah, but how do you tell people what you do and who you are?”
Me: “I believe that we can sum up who we are in one word. Sooo….what’s yours?”
Though I won’t go into our answers, I still firmly believe this. As Americans, we put a lot of emphasis on what we do instead of who we are and what we believe. Isn’t who we are and what we stand for more important than what we do for work (unless you are completely aligned with doing what you love)?
People connect with people, not tasks or jobs. So, I figured I would reach out to some of my Facebook peeps and see who they are. Which one word represents each of them. Here are some of their [...]
Are you an artist (of any medium) looking for creative opportunities and collaborations globally? Would you like your work exhibited or performed in Italy and Boston?
The Duane Arts Institute
Be inspired with us.
This summer, you can take your ideas and work with other artists and creatives like yourself. The Duane Arts Institute, held in Assisi, Italy will enable you to collaborate and create so that you can have your ideas and dreams come true.
This interdisciplinary arts program allows for musicians, singers, dancers, writers, composers, filmmakers, visual artists, performance artists, actors, and photographers to collaborate with all the other artists attending your session.
For more information, contact: DuaneArtsInstitute @ gmail.com, attention Lynn.
Participate in a fun-filled two week session which includes:
Each artist receiving one-on-one attention while working on individual and group projects
Performance and Exhibition opportunities in Italy and in Boston (fall 2010)
Collaboration with every individual attending the program
Artist and Entrepreneurial Workshops
Excursions throughout the Tuscan Region
Sessions 1: July 25th-August 7th (ONLY 3 Spots Left)
Session 2: August 8th-21st (ONLY 5 Spots Left)
Program Fees Include:
Performances and Exhibitions in and around Assisi
Performances and Exhibitions in Boston (Fall 2010)
Artist and Entrepreneurial Workshops
Studio Space
Work and Exhibition Spaces
Shared Double Room (single rooms are extra)
Free Wi-Fi Access
Living Room
Kitchen
Biological Foods (olive-oil, vegetable, fruit, [...]
Learning new languages is one of my hobbies. I think it’s one of the reasons I went into opera. What other art form are you guaranteed to perform in another language?
With this in mind, I am constantly looking for ways to maintain and improve the languages I speak. I found LiveMocha about 9 months ago and feel in love with it.
Livemocha divides a language into courses, units, and lessons. Lessons are divided into four types of activities: learn, review, write, and speak. What’s nice is that you can also make flashcards from the content in the lessons, or you can make your own flashcards. There is even a chat feature, so you can connect with people learning the same language you are.
Have you tried LiveMocha or have another way of learning languages quickly. Let me know. I am always open to ideas and suggestions.
