This week, I attended a breakfast event with a colleague.
One of the speakers was an experienced creative director in the media sector, and his performance was very inspiring. He talked about creativity: where it comes from, what you can do when you’re feeling blocked.
One of the things he said was that creativity comes from your mind, so fill your mind with new information and experiences. Go to the museum, read books, study some courses.
This resonated with me because, as it happens, I had just visited a museum the evening before: the Helsinki City Museum with an excellently implemented time machine and old Helsinki theme.
It had certainly been inspirational – they had even created a newspaper to fit the theme, Helsinki Echo.
And today, after some wet snowfall which translated into the streets and pavements getting slippery and public transport getting crowded, I attended an after work event where I followed a panel discussion on artificial intelligence. Yes, artificial intelligence and how it can become our buddy at work. Very interesting, indeed!
With several upcoming events locked in my calendar for this month, November, the drabbest month of the year, is looking more and more appealing.
What have you been up to?
Ps. The first 3 photos are actually from 2 weeks ago. Imagine less leaves and more darkness and it’s pretty much the same otherwise.
64 replies on “My Week”
An interesting combination: creativity and artificial intelligence. About Creativity, I might add 2 things.
1) Use lateral-thinking. You can do chains of words. Write them down. and as one word leads you away to another. Something will emerge that may be creative.
2) Look at what’s not there. Outliers. Is there something missing? That missing/not there thing may lead you to a creative solution.
Cheers.
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Interesting tips, Brieuc! Did you ever experience a creative block when you worked in marketing (and was it copywriting, too)? I’ve noticed that my creativity starts to flow when I’m well rested and don’t have a million things on my mind. It seems like my mind needs some empty space to stretch out into creativity
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No. No block. I was in strategic research. So my creativity was to design the right research to test the strategy.
But yes, I personally “unclutter” my desk and mind before I start creative thinking. As a CEO, my desk had to be clean of papers. (My inbox). Only those things to attend and my computer. I hate cluttered desks. Can’t work. 🙂
Even now, I basically use my mail inbox as a tool. Only unattended matters stay in my inbox, so by a quick look, I know/remember what’s pending.
(Ooops… Stretched myself a bit)
Bonne semaine Lumi
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Same here, I hate a cluttered desk, inbox, or mind. I delete all messages once replied to and write to-do lists to get my mind organized. And I usually have more problems with too many ideas and too little time, than an idea blockage. Again, two peas in a pod 🙂 Bonne semaine, Brieuc, à plus!
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Your best tool is your phone. When smartphones came out, and I still had my company, I realized the phone was my “moving desk”. 🙂 I could check all mails, delete non-important. Answer the important ones “Out of the office, get back to you ASAP”, or even solve whatever could be solved with a quick message or mail. Delete or file the rest. One cannot think straight with two many things on one’s mind or desk.
A plus. 🙂
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What do you work in now? I know you were in the travel business, a flight attendant as well…
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Product marketing and sales. Sometimes I get to do some copywriting or content creation but I also have a lot of repetitive routines – which I now learned could easily be replaced by artificial intelligence! 😁
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That’s an interesting job. (What can I say? I was a product manager for a while, on the client side until I crossed the line to the MR side). But also a job with many meetings, multiple tasks. There must be apps now that help you keep track of progress on simultaneous issues? (One step before AI)
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There are lots of platforms that can help but whether a company is willing to invest in them, that’s another story…
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Yeah, though I’m not sure I would like my boss to know what I do by the minute. 🙂 What I was thinking was a small individual App to help you and you alone organize your time? There were matrices (on paper) to organize tasks based on “Important vs. “Urgent”. Quite useful.
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Good idea, I should look into those
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Let me know, I’m sure there are some. 🙂
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Was it held at “kappeli” – that beautiful restaurant in the first photo? I am not sure if I have the right name. Something like that. It was very aesthetic.
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That is Kappeli in the photo, you have a good memory! 😊 But the event wasn’t there, I took that photo earlier. It is a pretty building, I agree!
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I bypassed the opportunity to go there when it was fairly quiet, thinking I would go later on a Saturday night. Not a wise choice…
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I’ve only been there once or twice myself!
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It might even be one of those places that is best experienced from the outside??
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Perhaps. It’s funny: why I haven’t I gone more often? I guess there’s nothing to tempt me, they aren’t known for especially good coffee or pastries or meals or some new type of smoothie that didn’t exist… They probably don’t have to do much marketing with their location in the heart of the tourist area. But the building is a beauty, nevertheless 😊
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The building sells the restaurant, definitely. And folks are apparently not going for the good. customer service, if my visit was any indication.
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So you didn’t have a good experience there?
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Well I only made it as far as the maitre’d, so I cannot really say.
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It never hurts to be reminded of an obvious truth – especially, when it is a slippery and all-too-often forgotten one like that! (well, I tend to forget it, at least… 😉 )
Great to see photos from Helsinki – I have never been there myself. It looks a bit like Minsk, I think 🙂
Have a wonderful and inspiring weekend, Snow! 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Thanks Elena! I’ve never been to Minsk but it would be interesting to visit! 🤗 An inspiring weekend to you too!!
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I love learning about new things. It sends my mind off in lots of directions.
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I agree, Sheree. It gives you perspective, too, always worth it!
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Well, that was an interesting week and with more like that to come you aren’t going to get bored. Like Equinoxio21 said, creativity and artificial intelligence is an interesting combination. Can computers be creative? I have my doubts. Thinking about questions like these I consider also creative. I’m still writing on my novel. I hope to finish the first draft this year. Creativity isn’t just inspiration, it’s hard work too 🙂 In the meantime I downloaded the Helsinki Echo and I’m gonna read it. (Input! 🙂 )
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According to what I learned, nope, artificial intelligence is not creative and that’s what humans are needed for. They were talking about people fearing AI will take our jobs and they assured us that no, it won’t! Humans are good at other things. AI can calculate and learn, but it’s not human 😋 It’s very interesting that AI is here now, and entering our work places!
Writing a book certainly sounds like hard work – and also self-discipline. But it must feel fulfilling too. Good luck! 😊 And Helsinki Echo was such a treat, I hope you enjoyed it too.
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I’m so glad to hear that you’re getting good things about of the drab November and getting inspired. This is how it goes: we must grab what we can and make it happen. The museum sounds wonderful. I wouldn’t mind a time machine right now. For today I have planned to get together with Flavia in Rome but the weather looks stormy and very wet. For you a daily occurrence, for me a reason to reschedule our stroll. We shall see.
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Hope you and Flavia manage to meet up at some point – will you be doing a blog post about it? 🙂 The water video you showed me was crazy, I would’ve cancelled too!
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Oh-SMSW-no-worries,-we-will-meet.*I’m-sure-I-shall-be-doing-many-posts-about-it.*Thanks!
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I love this little journal format. Happy November to you my friend.
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Merci Véro, et à toi aussi – Paris demain? 🤗🤗
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Ouiiiiiiiiii!
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✈️
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Yeah, we need to keep our minds active. Our bodies too. Otherwise we fall into a rut. See you!
Neil Scheinin
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Thanks, Neil! I agree – keeping active is beneficial in so many ways! 🙂 Hope your weekend was good!
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I love wandering around galleries and museums. I also have a passion for jazz concerts and musicals. I attended an event on adventure travels yesterday evening. It was mind-blowing to see how travels can be made an unforgettable and unique experience while combining with culture, history and seminars of various themes. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Truly inspiring! Have a lovely weekend! ✨
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Thanks Isabelle! 💖It sounds like you have curiosity in your mind, that’s a good thing! I like jazz too, and when I lived in France, I managed to see it played live every now and then. In a bar, nightclub, and even in my friend’s apartment building. But here in Helsinki, jazz is for seniors. Either that, or truly artistic musicians, played to invited guests only behind closed doors. It’s not a nightclub thing, not something for everyone to enjoy… too bad.
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I agree. The more you see and experience, the better you are with creativity!
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True, right?! I often get creative ideas after reading something interesting – it awakes thoughts that I had forgotten I had and then a story comes pouring out.
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🙂
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I like the look of that museum time machine, a cool way to get those of the present (and future) to take an interest in the past. My two cents worth on creativity is that it helps to make a deal with one’s inner critic that it take a break during creative times, but is welcome back when it comes to editing, developing, refining and the like.
As to my week, I had a great swim during which I saw the largest eel I’ve ever seen, a notoriously bad tempered viper moray eel. I noticed it as I was chickening out of swimming through the barracuda ohana that lives in that area. Then I closed it out with seeing a manta ray cruising along in such a mellow way as to restore my equilibrium!
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You speak Hawaiian, Graham? (Had to google ohana) Awesome! 😍Anyway, your week swimming and snorkeling sounds better than mine, let’s swap! 😉 Glad your equilibrium was restored!
I remember, as kids, my brother was fascinated by a moray eel we saw in a zoo in Hamburg, and wanted to stay glued to the tank and watch it for hours. They look so mean! I would’ve freaked out if I’d seen one!
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I don’t speak Hawaiian. Indeed I mostly mangle my pronunciation of place names and other Hawaiian words, but some do slip into my daily usage.
A woman I was swimming with got much closer to the eel in an attempt to get a good photo and I told her afterwards that I was waiting to get a shot of her being attacked by the eel!
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🤣 What did she say to that? Maybe next time she’ll stop to think a bit?
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She laughed. She’s a good sport and quite knowledgeable about marine life so I think she knows what she’s doing.
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Good 👍
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Nice week and awesome that you have some more interesting events to attend. I was just out driving, darkness combined with rain is not good – I couldn’t see a thing!
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Yeah, definitely not hygge!!! 😵We just came home by tram and I couldn’t see ANYTHING out the window, I had to guess where to get off!
I bought a reflector but have trouble arranging it on my clothes so it’ll show from all angles – maybe I need to buy several and hang them on me like a Xmas tree, so cars’ll be able to see me as a pedestrian in the dark?
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Yes, I think you need several LOL! If you have a bag, that’s one good place to hang the reflectors. Also I just bought one that looks like a badge to stick on my coat.
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You’re photos reminded me so much to my Stockholm days!! How I was eagerly waiting for the snow to fall and then the city wasn’t that dark anymore… or at least for a few days, hehehe… (it snowed in Zurich last Friday… just a bit, but enough to make me sit close to the window with a cup of warm tea watching the snow flakes fall for half an hour… 🙂 )
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😊 Our snow melted away already, too, and as you might know, I’m not a fan of snow. It’s as fun taking the boys to daycare on foot in a blizzard as it is in pouring rain. Actually rain is probably a lot easier to deal with than snow. But anyway… better stop complaining coz winter is here! 😁 Enjoy your week, dear Mercedes! Wishing you many more warm tea cup moments!
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Poor you. I know that snow up there is not like the occasional light snow fall here in Zurich. I’m pretty sure that dealing with a twin stroller in a snow covered street must be something quite challenging!!! I admire people in Scandinavia just for that: it is impressive how you deal with the snow for so many months, how you keep doing everything everyday!! In Spain, two snow flakes and the country is total caos for two days, hehehe.
For me it’s the same with rain. I can’t stand the rain! Three years of grey skies and constant rain and wind in Ireland are enough for a lifetime for me, hehehe.
I wish you a wonderful week too, Snow!
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💕
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How interesting to look at the old and then hear about the new..
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I didn’t even think about it like that, but that’s so true! 😊 Thanks, Lisa for dropping by!
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I love your blog name! It’s so dreamy… whenever I feel blocked, just doing something new (as tiny as it is) gives me new ideas 🙂
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Thanks very much, I’m happy you stopped by! I agree, new things breed new ideas! 🤗
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Love this post Snow, and I totally agree with what the conference speaker was saying. I am a stay-at-home-mum and to keep my mind creative I do online courses, I go to the National Gallery here a few times a year, but what I want to do more next year is to read more books. I’ve been reading too few I think. 🙂
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What kind of books do you like to read? I just realized that I haven’t read many this year! Always too tired nowadays to read, though I used to love it…
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Hahah I’m boring, I read History books and biographies, and children’s classics. I read WWII this year, started but haven’t finished yet 3 tennis players’ biographies, and have just started on Charlotte’s Web. 🙂
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Sounds like an interesting mix!
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Oh I was gonna say, too, that I loved the first picture. And the second one is making me miss Europe. 🙂
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Thanks so much, Amor! 🙂
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