#118 - Notes on Design, Brain Rot and Concerts
Education Coffee is a 2x Weekly Newsletter on People, Ideas and Culture.
In each edition of this newsletter, I share five inspiring web resources that I have curated after hours of research to ensure that you have the best education coffee in your inbox. In upcoming editions, I will focus on sharing insights, notes and realizations that I gather from people, ideas, books, films and podcasts.
1. Learning from People
On Episode 52 of #LearningStories we chat with Samira Gupta about the Life as a Creative Professional in India. Samira started her design career in 2008 after graduating from the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology (Bengaluru). After teaching design and consulting independently, she then co founded Studio Eksaat with Dhritiman Deb Pillai. Studio Eksaat is now a collaborative graphics and environments studio based out of New Delhi. Their work encompasses all aspects of design and communication. Over 14 years, she has looked at design with a multi pronged approach immersing herself in writing for brands, writing for theatre, writing books and collaborating with designers. She has published two books and is currently working on Naqab, a year long writing project that looks at the various masks she has worn as an Indian woman. You can find Samira on Substack, Linkedin and Instagram. Here are some show notes from this episode:
Sports can be a good outlet to channelize your energy as a young person and develop leadership and teamwork skills.
Children can observe and process the unsaid things adults do around them on a day to day basis.
You can have multiple careers and multiple ways to be a professional in your field. There is no need to structure and define your career as a creative professional.
If you understand the psychology of people then you can understand story telling.
Try learning from a variety of jobs early in your career to understand what you would like to do and what you would not like to do in the long run as a professional.
2. Learning from Ideas and Questions
‘Brain rot’ was named the Oxford Word of the Year 2024. Here is what it means by the amazing team at Aevy TV.
3. Learning from Books, Websites and Blog
Jack Benjamin Edwards has built an online following posting videos about books, popular culture and university life since 2016. Here is a list of books he would recommend for anyone in their 20’s.
I often find books from such videos and articles on the internet. January and December are popular months for such lists. They help people me understand what books I want to read through the year. Here is my Goodreads Booklist for the books I want to read in 2025. I have 100 books on the lists and tried to put in an interesting mix of fiction and non-fiction. Let us be friends on Goodreads and here is a glimpse of the books from my list.
4. Learning from Films, Videos and Shows
Here is a #filmrecommendation. The Great Indian Kitchen (2021) throws light on patriarchy in rural Kerala. The men espouse certain progressive values outside the house but are regressive in their treatment of their mothers and wives at home. Food and Religion are used as a symbol for societal discrimination against women in general. Women are expected to give up their careers and take care of their homes while men continue to live their lives with considerable freedom outside the house. Made me rethink a lot of my ideas about gender discrimination in many parts of India today. A brilliant film with a lot of food for thought.
5. Learning from Podcasts and Music
The National Public Radio has a Youtube series called, Tiny Desk Concert with a set of videos of their favourite musicians performing at the NPR Music office. Here is the full NPR Tiny Desk Concert playlist that I visit periodically to enjoy the joy of a live performance from the the comfort of my house. Here are two recent performances from the series by Jon Batiste and Sabrina Carpenter.
Thank you for reading this edition of #EducationCoffee. I look forward to writing weekly editions of this newsletter this year. I hope to continue to share resources that will add value to your life. You can also review the archive of Education Coffee for free at this link (100+ newsletters here). You can email your thoughts, feedback or recommendations to abhishekashokshetty@gmail.com. I love connecting with other writers and learners on the Internet.
Abhishek
Brain rot is scary! The zombiefication of an entire generation; Walking Dead meets Black Mirror.