Three big ideas from IDEAS Boston

I was very fortunate to attend the 2011 IDEAS Boston Conference. IDEAS Boston is a unique event where some of the region’s leading thinkers from every imaginable sector push boundaries and share their latest big ideas to create fertile ground for innovation. A big thank you to Bobbi Carlton and Mass Innovation Nights for providing the free ticket.

The whole day was a blast. I had never been to UMass Boston, so it was fun to see the campus. It was so inspiring to hear all the speakers, from so many different industries. It’s hard to choose my favorite speakers,

The three big ideas that struck me:

1. Follow your passion and trust that the rest will follow.

Chico Colvard, a film maker, was especially inspiring. He makes films about love and loss. I know nothing about film making and I am more of an analytic person than a creative one.

Chico Colvard is the opposite and interestingly enough, I learned the most from his talk. It goes to show me that listening to ideas from people who are very different than I am is particularly helpful.  Focusing on Chico’s talk made me use the creative part of my brain.  This is how I get new ideas.

2. Always be curious.

Every speaker spoke passionately about their love of learning new things. I really enjoyed Nathan Bull, an MIT-educated inventor and entrepreneur, talk about his pursuit of beat boxing. I thought beat boxing was some new form of martial arts, but it’s the creating of drum beats and rhythmic sounds you make with your mouth. Hip Hop artists use this a lot. Nathan has spent years perfecting his craft. He also wanted to learn more about how it works, so he went to a doctor for more information.

This further inspired me to keep up my blogging and continue my interests in health and fitness. Even though these activities may not be directly related to my next job, they keep my mind active.

3. Enjoy the journey.

Jody Adams, owner of Rialto, spoke about her passion for food. It’s not just about creating that perfect meal, but it’s about enjoying all that leads up to the meal, from the ingredient selection, to the food preparation, to the clean up.

I’ll admit it, I can barely boil water. So it’s particularly interesting for me to hear someone speak about cooking. It’s all too easy today to rush from one thing to the next, always feeling there are never enough hours to do everything we should.

Have you had any recent experiences that taught you to look at things in a new way?

Photo courtesy of Newpn2000’s Flickr Photostream under Creative Commons Licensing.