#CultureBrainPickings Draws a Curious Crowd

On Wednesday evening, fans of Brainpickings.org came out in droves to see  the popular blog's NYC-based founder Maria Popova get her brain picked by CultureBrain's Sharon Ann Lee. The event - appropriately tagged #CultureBrainPickings for the social media savvy crowd -   featured an inspiring conversation between culture and trend analyst, Lee and interestingness hunter, Popova.

Enjoy these choice tweets from this special event:

Stage set for @brainpicker #culturebrainpickings conversation @culturebrain http://t.co/ua8ruB6sR9

— Maker City LA (@MakerCityLA) June 26, 2014

We're so glad to be here w/ other fans of @brainpickings Cheers to smart content curation. Thanks @culturebrain! pic.twitter.com/ZBkFCQ3Eu9

— Consensus Inc. (@ConsensusLive) June 26, 2014

"The keyword is effort." — @brainpicker #CultureBrain @MakerCityLA

— Diane Lindquist (@dianelindquist) June 26, 2014

"Human bonds are the greatest form of creative cultivation" @brainpicker

— Thas Naseemuddeen (@thaz7) June 26, 2014

Creative meditation is a daily practice. The process of writing is learning how to think. #aphorisms w @brainpicker & @CultureBrain

— Bettina Korek (@bettina_korek) June 26, 2014

'What really counts at the end of the day is kindness. Be a celebrator of things, not a critic' @brainpicker @CultureBrain salon

— Maker City LA (@MakerCityLA) June 26, 2014

First ArtsTech LA meet-up at CultureBrain Academy at Maker City LA

Last Saturday, #ArtsTech founder and Director of the New Museum’s Incubator for Art, Technology and Design, Julia Kaganskiy, spearheaded an exploratory discussion about the unique terrain of LA’s Art + Technology communities and culture. A diverse group of  LA-based artists, makers, technophiles, museums, creative professionals turned out to mix, mingle and hear from a distinguished panel of experts that included: Kaganskiy, Bret Nicely (Associate Director of Digital Media at MOCA), Amy Heibel (VP Technology, Web and Digital Media at LACMA), Mileece (Sonic and environmental installation artist - and Maker Cit LA Artist in Residence), Mark Allen (Founder of Machine Project), Sharon Ann Lee (Culture Analyst, Co-Creator Maker City LA) and George Bloom (Executive Producer at CBS Digital/Visual Effects).

Here's a smattering of twitter highlights and take-aways from the conversation:

We're live tweeting from the 1st @ArtsTechLA meet-up at @MakerCityLA! http://t.co/aXTWqGDtdu #ArtsTech

— LACMA (@LACMA) March 22, 2014

If you know the answer before you start, you probably won't discover anything new-embrace serendipity@ArtsTechLA #makercityla #culturebrain

— Maker City LA (@MakerCityLA) March 22, 2014

Exciting to hear about @lacma new arts & technology lab at @artstechla @makercityla

— NationBuilder (@NationBuilder) March 22, 2014

@VIApublication @ArtsTechLA @LACMA @MakerCityLA Julie, can find PDF catalog of o.g. Art & Tech program on LACMA website. Think you'll dig.

— east of borneo (@eastofborneo) March 23, 2014

.@ArtsTechLA at @MakerCityLA is a great new way to activate the city's artistic and tech communities. http://t.co/ZwyOsOGpkw

— LA, I'm Yours (@LAImYours) March 24, 2014

First ever @ArtsTechLA this weekend was a hit! Great presentations & a packed house @MakerCityLA: pic.twitter.com/BZZ3qgW9QF. Thx @CultureBrain!

— Julia Kaganskiy (@juliaxgulia) March 24, 2014

All in all it was an illuminating afternoon and we can't wait until the next event!

Creative Mornings Los Angeles with Yo Gabba Gabba’s Justin Lyon

A distinct aura of play and possibility permeated the air during this morning’s Creative Mornings event at the Culture Brain Academy at Maker City LA.  Well over 100 attendees came out to hear Yo Gabba Gabba! creator Justin Lyon speak about Childhood – the global theme for this month’s storied  breakfast lecture series.

Handmade paper crowns for all, and a whimsical blue sky photo wall (created by our very own Sharon Ann Lee) helped set the stage for Lyon’s inspiring talk about his personal journey from childhood to adulthood and the important life lessons he’s learned along the way.

Some of the life-shaping descriptive themes and mantras that Lyon shared with the crowd, along with a biographical slide-show, included: “Playful”, “travel”, “happiness”, “discovery”, and “follow your heart”. He also spoke in depth about the time he’s spent in Haiti (first as a missionary after collage and again as a volunteer translator after the 2010 earthquake) and of being irrevocably touched and inspired by the irrepressible spirit and incredible imagination of the children who live there.

Justin’s story - which included the amazing series of serendipitous events that lead to the conception and creation of his wildly successful kid’s television show, and culminated with his reading of “The Station” By Robert J Hastings – perfectly embodied the childhood theme.

Today we were all reminded to “dream like children”, and that’s what we do here at Maker City LA. Come make dreams come true with us!

Special thanks to Creative Mornings LA host, Jon Setzen for hooking it up and to sqirl and Stumptown Coffee Roasters for keeping us well fed and caffeinated.