This episode explores the theme of wonder as it relates to art and science in the Islamic world, as well as the role of museum curator. Dr. Ladan Akbarnia is Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art at the San Diego Museum of Art and a Commissioner of Arts and Culture for San Diego County. She conceived and curated the current exhibition Wonders of Creation: Art, Science, and Innovation in the Islamic World. Previously, she served as Curator of Islamic Collections at the British Museum from 2010-2019, Executive Director at the Iran Heritage Foundation in London, and Associate Curator of Islamic Art at the Brooklyn Museum. She holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Art and Architecture from Harvard University. Our conversation includes an overview of the exhibition, Dr. Akbarnia’s process for curating it, including many collaborations with other institutions and contemporary artists, and her role as curator more broadly.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to get out to your local museum (or online collection), and view some art to see what it inspires for your own creative process.

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 48: Can You Learn Creativity? with Creative Director Chris McKenna, Episode 52: Texas Poet Laureate Amanda Johnston, and Episode 56: Asking the Questions with Stereophonic Cast Member Chris Stack.

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching to help you bring your work to the world. You can find more information on our website, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review! We’d love to hear your feedback as well, so drop us a line at info@syncreate.org.

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

SDMA Wonders of Creation Exhibition Overview

Wonders of Creation Gallery Tour on YouTube

Dr. Ladan Akbarnia on LinkedIn

Book: Wonders of Creation

Show / permanent hyperlinks:

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

In this installment of our Creative Spark mini-episodes, we discuss what it means to move through the world with a creative eye, to be a creative traveler, as it were, and how this approach can help us stay connected to our creativity in every moment. It can also help us find the humor, the beauty, and the story in everyday situations, including the good, the bad, the ugly, and the bizarre, like when we got shaken down in the bayous of Louisiana while rescuing Melinda’s mom and her cat after a hurricane. This episode, like the mini-episodes that preceded it, also includes insights from our book, Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to try something new, like going to a new place, even if it's in your home community, even if it's a place you pass by every single day, but just stop and linger and take the time to pay attention and notice what arises. Then create something based on the experience.

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 22: Creative Play, Episode 51: Curiosity & Exploration, and Episode 65: Creative Flow.

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching to help you bring your work to the world. You can find more information on our website, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate. Please subscribe and leave us a review! We’d love to hear your feedback as well, so drop us a line at info@syncreate.org.

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

The Syncreate Book

Charlotte Gullick’s Website

Book: Writing Fiction by Janet Burroway

Book: Deepening Fiction by Sarah Stone and Ron Nyren

Show / permanent hyperlinks:

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

Austin Writing Coach

As creatives, and as humans more broadly, we can find ourselves holding habitual tension and pain in our bodies by virtue of our work, whether it be playing a musical instrument, performing physical labor, or simply sitting at a desk all day. Jennifer Roig-Francoli, a violinist and coach specializing in the Primal Alexander Technique, helps people rediscover ease and joy through body awareness. We discuss her personal and spiritual journey from professional concert violinist to coach and teacher, and she leads listeners through a guided body awareness practice using the Primal Alexander Technique developed by her partner, Mio Morales.

For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to practice the body awareness technique introduced in this episode, and to watch some of Jennifer’s YouTube videos to learn more.

Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.

If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 2: Embodiment and Creativity with Thais Bicalho Silva, Episode 4: Stewarding Change with Reem Khashou, and Episode 62: The Neuroscience of Creativity with Dr. Indre Viskontas.

At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching to help you bring your work to the world. You can find more information on our website, where you can also find all of our podcast episodes. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate, and we’re now on Patreon as well. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review! We’d love to hear your feedback as well, so drop us a line at info@syncreate.org.

Episode-specific hyperlinks:

Jennifer’s Website - The Art of Freedom

Jennifer’s YouTube Channel

Book - Make Great Music with Ease, by Jennifer Roig-Francoli

The Alexander Technique

Show / permanent hyperlinks:

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website