Art History & Dinner in Singapore

I often wish I could give my younger self "tips"...

Pay more attention in Spanish class.  Yes, one day you'll actual travel (and live) outside the US.
Spend less time analyzing your non-existant dating life.  One day you'll find someone without trying (wah?!)
Don't spend all your free time on basketball.  You're not headed to the WNBA (nor would you want to be).
Stop wearing those super-short skirts.  It's embarrassing.  I'm already judging you.

The list could go on and on....

Well, like many other things, I wish I had taken more classes on Art History.  As an adult, I love going to museums, but I don't have the context to really understand the paintings.

Last week, I went to a new series "Picture This" by Artwise, led by Claire Kwiatkowski, who has a MA in Art History and previously worked at the British Museum.  She's also a dazzling storyteller.

We learned about Titian and his painting, Bacchus and Ariadne, which is way more interesting (and a bit scandalous) in context.

This year, Claire is giving a series of 12 talks over dinner for $30 each in Singapore. I highly recommend going -- you can check out the calendar here and read the description below.

"PICTURE THIS is a series of twelve talks on iconic paintings and sculptures from western art history. Chronological in approach, the talks can be enjoyed individually or taken as a whole to provide an understanding and appreciation of the development of art in the west. Starting with the perfection of the Italian Renaissance, you will journey through the spell-binding world of the Venetian High Renaissance, the dramatic works of the Baroque, the luminous world of Dutch Golden Age painting, the titillating pictures of the Rococo, the highly controlled and political work of Neo-Classicism to the emotive paintings of Romanticism. From there, the birth of Modern art is ushered in through the rebellious works of the Realists, the revolutionary approach of the Impressionists and the groundbreaking paintings of the Post-Impressionists. 

The artists to be explored are Michelangelo, Titian, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Fragonard, David, Goya, Courbet, Manet, Monet, Van Gogh" 

Teaching Kids to be Entrepreneurs

"A true bubble is when something is overvalued and intensely believed ... Education may be the only thing people still believe in in the United States. To question education is really dangerous. It is the absolute taboo. It's like telling the world there's no Santa Claus." 

- Peter Thiel 

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I believe education is important.  I think it's even more important that it's widely accessible and encourages "real" learning.  I also do wonder though if the standard, 4 year university degree is meant for everyone.  Being good at traditional "academics" is only one form of IQ.


Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, started a program called the "Thiel Fellows," where he gives recipients $100K to NOT go to college and work on their business ideas for two years.  

Likewise, Cameron Herold, in the TED talk above, discusses how the traditional school system does not nurture the characteristics that make a good entrepreneur.

Schools teach kids to follow, not lead.
Schools teach kids to memorize, not create.
Schools teach kids to follow a path, not set out on a new one.

Essentially, schools teach kids to be good employees not good entrepreneurs.  In fact, free public education was developed during the Industrial Revolution to ensure the subservient class could sit still and work for 8 to 10 hours a day. 

Kids that can not focus (especially those that have been diagnosed with ADHD) often get left out of the traditional success ladder of academics -- i.e., doing well in class & on the SAT leads to getting into a good college;  doing well in college with the right major leads to the right job.

But, what if we question this widely held belief system.
What if ADHD is natural?
What if we let kids explore the things they are really interested in?  
What if it's actually more abnormal for kids to sit still and memorize obscure SAT vocabulary words than to show signs of boredom and unrest?


If I look back at my childhood, I showed a lot of the entrepreneurial traits mentioned by Cameron Herold, along with a wild imagination and a strong bent towards the arts.

Here's a few examples:

• After our neighborhood easter egg hunt, I decided to leave the other kids behind and sell my candy door-to-door.  I was 6 years old, and thankfully, my parents stopped me after the first house.
• On family road trips, I'd laboriously draw cat pictures and then sell them in the hotel lobby when my parents were not looking. 
• I had a stand at every neighborhood garage sale, selling beverages, food and handy crafts.  I was a staple on Campstone street.  When not in session, I'd sit for hours on the porch trying to sell my sticker collection and "kleenex ghosts"
• I'd have my dad photocopy fliers for my latest "childcare / pet sitting / random domestic help service" and then distribute in neighbors' doorhandles.  By age 12, I was working 40 hours a week in the summer because no one could guess my age.

Despite these childhood traits, I never had to use them.  

I was also pretty good at school.  I was uncomfortably shy, so it was easier for me to do my schoolwork than talk with the other kids in class.  I graduated high school and college with a 4.0 GPA and now work at a well-paying, stable job.  

Overall, life has been pretty good to me.  I've done relatively well climbing the academic ladder of success, but I do wonder what path I'd be on if school nurtured these other traits...

A Truly Global Classroom

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Education is expensive (and getting more so everyday).

According to Bloomberg, 
college tuition and costs have increased by 500% since 1985.

In comparison, medical costs & the CPI have only increased by 286% and 121%, respectively.

To add to that, the US has $1 trillion dollars in student debt, with the average student acquiring $24K.  Not a great way to set off into the adult world.

So, we know that college is expensive, but what if parents just "save a lot" for education?

The US Department of Agriculture calculates that it will now cost $250K for a middle-income couple to raise a child up to 18 years old.  If you live in the Northeast, it's more like $450K per year.  And, those numbers do NOT include college.

This can't continue.  

If it does, income inequality in the US will become even more stratified and only the very rich will be able to afford college education (or students willing to risk the enormous debt).

That's why I think education is ripe for disruption.  The current model doesn't scale or meet the ultimate goal of educating & preparing the next generation of citizens.

I like tech and sometimes drink the kool-aid that it can fix everything.  Therefore, I think MOOCs (mass open online courses) are the future once they figure out accreditation and monetization.

Right now, I'm in the last week of my Coursera Social Psychology class, and it's been an awesome experience.  If you've been around me the last 6 weeks, I'm positive you've heard social psychology jargon roll off my tongue.  I've done all my homework this time around, which takes dedication, but also makes a difference in comprehension.    

My experience is just one data point, but what's more amazing is this:

My class has 200K students from 200 countries.
That's truly global at a fraction of the cost.

Here's to hoping for more disruption.

Interested in learning more?  Check out this book: