In 2016 Janelle Bynum was elected to the Oregon state legislature over a more seasoned, better known opponent. How did Janelle do it? By working harder - and working smarter - and focusing on her message of "Passing Opportunity On." She talked to us about how that message reflects her own life.
Read MoreOn My Mind...
It's Friday, and the sun is shining, my peonies are blooming, and I'm listening to Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band as I type this. Can you believe that it was 50 years ago, er, yesterday Sgt Pepper taught the band to play?
Read MoreSome thoughts on graduation...
It’s June! Just yesterday, I had the feeling summer is starting. It feels warm even when it’s in the 60s, and my allergies are . It’s also getting close to the end of the school year where I live, and it’s graduation season. I realized that every school graduation I’ve had has been during the first week in June, which explains why finishing up school in May always sounds too early, and going past the first week in June sounds like summer is being squandered in a classroom. Now that I’m not a student any longer, I think of graduation as being a time of excitement, happiness, pride, and optimism for the next chapter in life. Looking back, though, my own feelings when I graduated were a lot more complicated. Here’s what I remember about graduating from elementary school, high school, college, and grad school.
Read MoreTed Talk Tuesday: Your Elusive Creative Genius
Teresa Brazen talked about the critical role creativity has played in her life, from art class as a kid, to her work as a visual artist, to leading professional education at Cooper. Teresa tells us that creativity is like a muscle that you can develop and make stronger with frequent practice. She says, "creativity is something that you can bring into any kind of work, and in a large part it’s really up to you to do that. Creativity in a way is just a mindset that you have to bring to your own work."
Elizabeth Gilbert gave a terrific TED talk a few years ago about creativity, and I think her approach dovetails with Teresa's. Gilbert shares Teresa's belief that creativity isn't just for some special few, but is something everyone can tap into.
