Tag: learning

creativity

Wonder: The only thing you need to know to meditate

Christa Avampato
Meditate
Meditate

Here’s the only way to meditate: you have to sit down and close your eyes for some amount of time on a regular basis.

I’d say daily, but that freaks people out. I’d say 18 minutes a pop, but that also freaks people out. A friend of mine recently asked me if I could help her learn how to meditate. I gave her ideas, techniques, and tips of how to make sitting there with yourself tolerable for some length of time, but ultimately whether or not my friend wants to meditate is really the deciding factor.

I shared my practice—every day, at some point, I sit on my couch, turn on the timer on my phone for 18 minutes, turn off every kind of device that makes a sound, close my eyes, and do nothing. (The 18 minutes is purely an arbitrary number that just works for me and take my 18 minutes whenever I can get it – morning, noon, or night.) Sometimes I’m happy. Other times I’m less happy—meaning angry, sad, disappointed, frustrated, sick, or just in a funk of some kind. No matter what my emotional state, I sit there and just be and breathe. Most of the time, Phineas crawls into my lap and goes to sleep. There’s no magic formula. That’s it. That’s all I do. It’s enough for me and it’s enough for you, too.

You don’t need any fancy clothes, sitting apparatus, or pricey classes and workshops. You don’t need permission. You don’t need someone to tell you how to do it. All it takes is practice and a desire to practice. The rest you’ll learn along the way. Your breath and your heartbeat will teach you everything you need to know.

I can tell you this about my daily meditation practice: I never regret it.

creativity

This just in: Be who you needed when you were younger

Christa Avampato
Make your history matter
Make your history matter

My friend, Pam, posted this photo yesterday and it really resonated with me. Our experience as children is somewhere being replicated in another child’s life. Maybe somewhere along the way we didn’t get everything we needed, and things were more difficult than we would have liked them to be. The great gift of being an adult is that we can make our history, good and bad, meaningful by showing up in the world and providing what we didn’t get to someone else.

creativity

This just in: Pay attention to what ignites a spark in you

Christa Avampato
Spark!
Spark!

On Friday night I ran a product testing session at work. The evening was filled with excitement and more than a little stress. Once the event was over, I realized a very important insight that will serve me well in 2016: As I seek out new opportunities, I want to be actively engaged in the learning process of others. I felt a spark light up in me when a student discovered something new, and that spark is something I have to honor and nurture.

creativity

This just in: What Andy Rooney learned and shared with us

Christa Avampato
Andy Rooney
Andy Rooney

I was and still am a big fan of Andy Rooney’s essays. The quintessential curmudgeon, he was honest, funny, and poignant all in the same breath. Here is an essay of his that’s always been one of my favorites.

I’ve Learned

  • I’ve learned … That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.
  • I’ve learned … That when you’re in love, it shows.
  • I’ve learned … That just one person saying to me, “You’ve made my day!” makes my day.
  • I’ve learned … That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.
  • I’ve learned … That being kind is more important than being right.
  • I’ve learned … That you should never say no to a gift from a child.
  • I’ve learned … That I can always pray for someone when I don’t have the strength to help him in some other way.
  • I’ve learned … That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.
  • I’ve learned … That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
  • I’ve learned … That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
  • I’ve learned … That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
  • I’ve learned … That we should be glad God doesn’t give us everything we ask for.
  • I’ve learned … That money doesn’t buy class.
  • I’ve learned … That it’s those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
  • I’ve learned … That under everyone’s hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
  • I’ve learned … That the Lord didn’t do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?
  • I’ve learned … That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.
  • I’ve learned … That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.
  • I’ve learned … That love, not time, heals all wounds.
  • I’ve learned … That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
  • I’ve learned … That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.
  • I’ve learned … That there’s nothing sweeter than sleeping with your babies and feeling their breath on your cheeks.
  • I’ve learned … That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.
  • I’ve learned … That life is tough, but I’m tougher.
  • I’ve learned … That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.
  • I’ve learned … That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
  • I’ve learned … That I wish I could have told my dad that I love him one more time before he passed away.
  • I’ve learned … That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.
  • I’ve learned … That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
  • I’ve learned … That I can’t choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.
  • I’ve learned … That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you’re hooked for life.
  • I’ve learned … That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.
  • I’ve learned … That it is best to give advice in only two circumstances: when it is requested and when it is a life-threatening situation.
  • I’ve learned … That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.
creativity

This just in: Every day, find what needs to be known

Christa Avampato
My new morning ritual
My new morning ritual

Over the past week, I’ve been trying something new. When I wake up, the first thing I do is read this quote: “Somewhere something incredible is waiting to be known.” ~Carl Sagan. And then I get up, get ready, and try to find that one thing that I’m meant to learn that day. Some days, it’s wonderful. Some days, it’s not so wonderful. But it’s always incredible because day by day I’m learning about another small layer of life. I trust that the lessons I get are the ones I need and that they appear exactly when I need them. Maybe this is a profound practice. And maybe it’s a fool’s errand. But I do know it helps me go out into the world, no matter what, with a sense of purpose.

creativity

This just in: My first audio storytelling class

Christa Avampato
Audio storytelling
Audio storytelling

Last night I took the first in a series of three audio storytelling classes. I’ve been kicking around the idea of a podcast and this is my chance to learn some of the basics before diving in. The first class was about the art of the audio interview and this is what I learned:

  1. When putting together audio, think about what you have and you need from your interviewee. For example, they may be able to do a perfectly fine introduction of who they are without you having to introduce them to your listeners.
  2. As a follow-on to point one, don’t ask an interviewee his or her name. Instead, ask him or her to introduce themselves. You’ll learn a lot more from that kind of answer and it’s more interesting to your listeners.
  3. Do a pre-interview to identify one or two burning questions that will get the main interview started.
  4. With audio interviews, you want to start out with a broad set of details and then zero in on one of those specific details to go deep into a story. You actually want to go down the rabbit hole – that’s where all of the good stories are and take full advantage of surprise twists and turns.
  5. Do whatever you need to do to make your interviewees comfortable so that they feel they can be open and honest with you. To that end, let them know you’re going to ask a lot of questions and they have every right to tell you that they don’t want to answer anything you ask. It’s your job to ask questions; it’s their job to decide what to reveal.
  6. Silence is golden. Don’t try to fill dead time. Let it lie and you’ll see that they will fill it.
  7. Don’t verbally agree with an interviewee as it mucks up the audio recording. Instead, shake your head, smile, etc. to encourage him or her.
  8. Some technical points: PCM Recorder is a fantastic app to use for audio recording and it’s free; our smartphones have great audio recording capabilities so use them; the mic of a mobile phone is at the bottom so when you hold it up to an interviewee make sure the bottom of the phone faces him or her; have the mic about a fist away from the interviewee’s mouth to get the best sound quality; always make sure to check your audio quality before conducting an interview.

I can’t wait to continue to share what I learn in the next two classes! Got questions? Send ’em on over and I’ll do my best to get the answers for you.

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Beginning: The Freedom & Creativity Found When You Travel On Your Own Dime

Christa Avampato

My friend, Amanda, and I were talking about the value of going to SXSW on our own dime. She and her husband, Jordan, are full time freelancers and have been traveling to SXSW on their own for a number of years. While of course it’s wonderful to have a company expense account as well as travel paid for by a company, there is then the responsibility to go to the sessions most relevant to that company. By being here independently, I just follow my heart to the sessions and activities that bring me the most personal value. And the rewards of that freedom on my creativity are immense.

One incredible benefit I didn’t expect is the increase in my visual thinking skills. Mostly, I think in words and learn through hearing ideas more than seeing them depicted visually. Because so many people at SXSW are visual artists and designers, I’m getting a lesson in how their minds work differently from mine. And that is mind expanding for me.

There’s a lot of serendipity here at SX. People told me that prior to my arrival but I didn’t believe them until yesterday. I wasn’t able to get to the sessions I planned on so I spent the day over at the film sessions. I happened upon a set of incredible sessions on transmedia storytelling and got to hear Paul Reubens speak (future posts are brewing!) It was transformative to hear about the power and accessibility of film making on every size screen.

Today I am teaching the 9:30 yoga session, learning about the female funny, and getting some insights into user interface design from speakers I greatly respect and admire. Another exciting day in the SX neighborhood.