Actual People
Welcome to Actual People, an unfiltered exploration of individual and societal shifts in a world undergoing tremendous change.
I open up about my own experiences in order to dive into social and cultural phenomena, positive developments, and collective pain.
We look at survival, endurance, strength, triumph and despair while imagining a future with creative joy and hope.
Each episode is dedicated to meaningful conversations about the evolving landscape of our lives and the power of our own creativity and imagination to make magic.
Actual People
S3E5 - Art Required: Feeling, Creativity, and the Brain
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Hi there! I'm back. In this episode I sit down with Ivy Ross, Chief Design Officer at Google and co-author of Your Brain on Art (written with Susan Magsamen, Executive Director International Arts + Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics @ Johns Hopkins). We talk about one of my new favorite topics, neuroaesthetics (the study of how art and sensory experience affect the brain and body) and why it matters for mental health and overall quality of life.
The episode covers:
- Ye olde burnout, stress, and cognitive limits; grad school stimulation and time to rest.
- Reflecting on how grad school is reshaping my processing of people and situations.
- How the latest victorious lawsuit gives us a win over algorithm madness.
- What neuroaesthetics is and where it comes from
- How sensory environments (light, sound, texture, space) affect stress and wellbeing
- The gap between what we think we need and what our body is trying to tell us
- Why creativity gets conditioned out of people early
- How this connects to mental health, learning, and daily life
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- Chauncey
Written, directed, and executive produced by Chauncey Zalkin. Intro/Outro sound engineered by Eric Aaron. Photography by Alonza Mitchell with Design Consulting by Paper + Screen.
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Actual People, a Podcast
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