School of Curiosity

School of Curiosity

School of Curiosity

Explore. Dream. Discover.

You can scroll the shelf using and keys

So…there was a son of a witch, a Lord and a nerd hero…

September 11, 2013

So…there was a son of a witch, a Lord and a nerd hero…

Yes, we know it sounds like the opening line from a stand-up comedy routine. It would be funny, if it wasn’t true. These are just three of the faculty that will bring to life The School of Curiosity experience at our ‘End of Summer School’ Villefranche-sur-Mer 23-25 October 2013. You can download the full prospectus here.

Meanwhile, here’s a bit about the whole faculty in 140 characters or less…

Lord Andrew Mawson: One of the world’s great social entrepreneurs. The original ‘Yes Man’.
Dr Brian Palmer: Branded ‘Nerd Hero’ at Harvard where 600 queued to hear him. Expert on happiness.
Eleanor Yule: BAFTA nominated film maker asks how will your story end?
Tom Calderbank: Son of a witch; poet; philosopher; rescuer of ancient buildings.
Malcolm McClean: Used the principles he found in a children’s story to create a business and a new life.
Dawn Gibbins: Gave away £250K on TV’s Secret Millionaire then decided to Feng Shui a whole town.
Marina Nicholas: Conceived Bruno when doctors said impossible. Sold house to make one minute of cartoon animation. Sold in 38 countries.
Jeff Hessing: US artist who will re-aquaint you with the ‘art of seeing’.
Felix Richard: Lithographer who produces beautiful prints on ancient presses.
Watt Nicoll: Voted world’s best motivational speaker. Say’s “You can have anything you want if you can answer four simple questions”.
Surprise guests: Don’t be surprised if we surprise you.

Have a curious day.

The secret business plan

September 6, 2013 1 Comment

Thirteen years ago Malcolm McClean, Founder of the School of Curiosity, had fallen out of love with his work. He wanted to do something else but he wasn’t sure what it was. When his wife announced that she had fallen out of love with him too, he found himself without a job; seperate from his children; without a home; and with a substantial divorce settlement to find. So he did what anyone would do…he went to live in a beat up old caravan in a farmers field in the midst of a freezing English winter.

Laying down a blank sheet of paper on the caravan table, he resolved that when he knew what he wanted to do with his life he would write it down. Eventually after some months and a couple of pints of strong lager, it came to him. He wrote it down and then said it out loud to see how it felt “Do great things with great people”. He liked it. That became his business plan, and it still is.

You can find out more at The School of Curiosity ‘End of Summer School’ Villefranche-sur-Mer 23-25 October, because he’ll be there…just doing great things with great people. You can download the full prospectus here.

Meanwhile, here’s a bit more about the ‘Gaffer’ (He did a few other things before The School of Curiosity)…

There was something in the air that night….there must have been. At the turn of the Millennium, Malcolm McClean woke up in a battered old caravan in a farmer’s field and realised he had walked away from a successful business, was facing an expensive divorce and had no clear plan for the future…..

Laying out a blank sheet of paper on the caravan table, he resolved that when he knew what he was going to do with his life, he would write it down. In time the answer came and he wrote it in big letters. To see how it felt he read it aloud “Do great things with great people”. He liked it and decided that a children’s book would be a good place to look for the clues to how he should do this.

Some felt he had taken leave of his senses. He says “The idea that a business could be founded on the principles of a children’s story seemed bizarre and walking away from a successful business and the status that went with it convinced many that something was amiss”.

Yet Bearhunt continues to be a remarkable success and a breath of fresh air in a world of corporate catchphrases and management mumbo-jumbo. Of course it’s more than just a few principles from a children’s story. In 2005 Malcolm set down the principles in Bear Hunt – Earn your living by doing what you love, published by Capstone, which has since been translated into Chinese; Turkish; Romanian; Korean; and a special version has been created for the Indian market. He says “You would expect me to say this, but these principles really work – whenever I get stuck or distracted I get a coffee and re-read Bear Hunt myself as a reminder to keep on doing what I’ve been doing. Ever since that momentous decision to do great things with great people, I’ve been able to do something that we all should aspire to – earn my living just by doing what I love”.

Since then he’s founded The It’s a Goal! Foundation www.itsagoal.org.uk; The School of Curiosity; written three other books and become a Sunday Times Best Selling author. Right now he is working on a novel ‘The art of being one’ in Villefranche-sur-Mer.

Maybe there’s something in this idea of ‘Doing great things with great people”.

Have a curious day.

You can have anything you want…if you can answer four simple questions

September 5, 2013

He’s been described as a cross between Father Christmas and Scottish comedian Billy Connelly. Watt Nicoll is a septogenarian whirlwind who continues to travel the world helping people to achieve extraordinary things – sports people like David Beckham; space explorers like Helen Sharman; business people like Sir Tom Farmer. They and many more have been touched by Watt’s simple proposition…”You can have anything you want…if you can answer four simple questions”.

He’ll be bringing his proposition for you to test out at The School of Curiosity ‘End of Summer School’, Villefranche-sur-Mer 23-25 October. You can download the full prospectus here. By the way we’ve had 1044 prospectuses downloaded in the past week, so if you’re thinking about coming, don’t think too long!

Meanwhile, here’s a bit about Watt….

In the Sixties Watt was immensely proud to be named along with Hamish Imlach, Billy Connolly, Mat McGinn and Archie Fisher as, what the Transatlantic Recording Label called, ‘The Great Scots’.

He went on to record fourteen albums of mostly his own writing before turning to comedy and writing for Norman Wisdom, The Krankies and a whole bundle of burgeoning comedians and comedy actors. A passing career as the man who mastered Alternative Awareness and then a move into Personal Development and Motivation where he was  branded The Guru of Personal Reinvention and in Reno 1997 was acclaimed the best Motivational Speaker in the world, which led to clients such as Coca Cola, Heinz, Microsoft and many of the major banks – He worked with Sir Chris Bonnington, Helen Sharman (First Lady in Space)  –  gained friends and clients from the world of Football such as David Beckham, Kevin Keegan, Wayne Rooney and politicians too humorous to mention.

When asked  – ‘What motivated the Motivator’? – he regales his audience with memories – Folk Music and Story Telling is about making people live a fuller life through sharing life experiences, helping them to laugh at life’s’ challenges and Watt explains that he is not an academic psychologist but quite simply a: Raconteur – An Adventurer – A STORY TELLER – AN OLD  FOLKIE!

He still reckons though, that he can add 10% to anyones personal performance.

Have a curious day.

 

Your life in a minute

September 2, 2013

She’s currently in the US with Michael Palin making a documentary for BBC2 about the giant of American painting Andrew Wyeth. Soon though, film maker Eleanor Yule will be with us in Villefranche-sur-Mer at The School of Curiosity ‘End of Summer School’. She’ll help you to dramatise your life as if it were a one minute screenplay and then to try to answer the question “How would I like the film to end?”

Sounds a bit morbid? Well the only thing you can control is the ending. It’s going to be great and you can download the full prospectus here

Meanwhile here’s a bit more about Eleanor….

Eleanor’s documentary work for the BBC includes an award winning profile on Scots psychiatrist R.D.Laing and a BAFTA nominated ‘Bookmark’ on celebrated novelist Muriel Spark. She has an ongoing collaboration with ex – Python, Michael Palin, to produce one off documentaries about painters. Their last offering, MICHAEL PALIN AND THE MYSTERY OF HAMMERSHOI, for BBC 1, was nominated for both BAFTA and FIFA (Festival of Arts in Montreal).

Her first feature BLINDED, a haunting love story, starring Peter Mullen and Jodhi May, won the Newfoundfilms scheme against strong competition, the ‘Jury Award’ at the Celtic International Film Festival and the ‘Silver Screen’ in L.A. BLINDED played in competition at film festivals all over the world including Edinburgh (Nominated for the Michael Powell award), Taormina, Istanbul and Moscow.

She has written and directed numerous crime drama documentaries which include, CRIMES THAT SHOOK THE WORLD (UK/US DISCOVERY) and SCOTTISH KILLERS series for STV, which was nominated for the 2010 Celtic Media Festival.

She was short-listed for Productions Base inaugural ‘Freelancer of the Year’ award at the BFI in London in 2010 and completed a comedy pilot for the BBC featuring the successful Doric ensemble the’ DESPERATE FISHWIVES’, ‘THE MISSING’ for BBC’s Artworks, based on Andrew O’Hagan’s book, and a short Romantic fiction film ‘LOVE CAKE’, written by award-winning writer Mandy Lee, due to have its world premiere at the Aesthetica Short Film Festival in York in November 2013.

Last year she made profile for BBC4′s Christmas season of ‘Moomins’ creator Tove Jansson, while studying a Phd in practice-based screenwriting at UWS. She is about to film ‘WYETH’S WORLD’,profile of the giant of American painting with presenter Michael Palin for BBC 2.

She is involved in charity work and is proud to serve on the board of cutting edge StreetLevel Photoworks Gallery and the highly successful Scottish Independent cinema, the Glasgow Film Theatre.

….in other words she’s pretty damn good, and we are so lucky to have her come to Villefranche.

Have a curious day.

 

Son of a witch (no that’s not a typo) heads for School of Curiosity

August 28, 2013

A gifted poet, performer and philosopher, Tom Calderbank is a son of a witch (literally) and proud son of his home city, Liverpool.. He’ll even lern yer sum Scouse. Tom’s running the philosophy walks at The School of Curiosity ‘End of Summer School’ in the medieval Old Town of Villefranche – an amble through ancient streets exploring the ideas of five philosophers and leading a discussion about their relevance to our lives today. You can get the full prospectus here.

Meanwhile, here’s a bit about the man….

A man landed on the moon, for the very first time in history, the year that Tom was born. The heavenly bodies must have been aligned, as Tom was born to one of England’s greatest unsung witches, Arianhod, in a unique city that styled itself as the centre of cosmic consciousness: Liverpool.

He is a force of nature, a man with lightening running through his veins. A man who turns the trash of run down neighbourhoods into the treasure of vibrant communities.

During the city’s reign as European Capital of Culture, he worked as a roadie for La Machine and their epic spider ‘La Princesse’, 10 days that he says changed his life. He was the driver of an IT bus, a community activist who had passionate love affairs with ancient buildings before bringing them back to life and now is the Director of Curiosity at Bearhunt.

Tom has been positively changing the world (or his small part of it) all his life. A huge believer in people power, he has been instrumental in a string of award-winning projects at the sharp end of community development in his beloved Toxteth.

 

 

 

Secret millionaire Feng Shui’s a town

August 22, 2013 2 Comments

Yes we know! It sounds like a bizarre headline from a tabloid newspaper, but’s its true – Dawn Gibbins was a secret millionaire and she did Feng Shui a whole town. What’s more she’s coming to The School of Curiosity ‘End of Summer School’ as part of our amazing faculty. You can download the prospectus here

Here’s a bit about her…

Dawn Gibbins gave away £250,000 on TV’s Secret Millionaire and then decided that after a successful business career, she needed a higher purpose in life. So she did what anyone would do and set out to try to apply the principles of Feng Shui to a whole town. The effects have been remarkable and Dawn believes that you don’t have to be out there with the ‘Woo-Woo’ people to use the principles of this ancient oriental philosophy to make things better for yourself, your home, your business and even your town. She now describes herself as a philanthropreneur and has many more curious ideas on the go.

Have a curious day!

Like school should have been but wasn’t

August 20, 2013

Yes. It’s going to be great!

We’ve got a World class faculty; some amazing experiences; an awe inspiring venue; and there’s the chance to light the blue touch paper of curiosity that may just lead to a startling new insight.

Anyway, that’s enough chatter have a look at the full prospectus here School of Curisoity Prospectus

Nerd hero heads for School of Curiosity

August 19, 2013

When he lectured at Harvard University he was described as a ‘Nerd Hero’, with up to 600 students queuing up to attend his lectures. Dr Brian Palmer’s popularity, enteratining and engaging style (as well as brilliant content) won him the Levenson Prize as Harvards best lecturer.

Brian loves The School of Curiosity and is coming to our ‘End of Summer School’ 23-25 October to work with us on “What is happiness, and how do we balance time and money?” It might just change the way you see the world.

As if that were not enough he’s going to regale us with stories from his latest book, 101 Historical Heroes, (with  Ola Larsmo).

If you’ve never seen this guy, believe us, he is a legend. They will be queuing around the block for him, though if you do get a ticket you’ll be interacting with him in a small class setting.

Don’t wait. The full prospectus will be released today, but you can reserve your tickets here http://bit.ly/15v1iWi

Lord Andrew Mawson will be at The School of Curiosity

August 6, 2013

Lord Mawson at The Bromley-by-Bow Centre

Lord Andrew Mawson will join the ‘faculty’ for The School of Curiosity ‘End of Summer School’ 23/24/25 October in Villefranche-sur-Mer. You can book here http://bit.ly/15v1iWi. Here’s a little bit about him….

Andrew Mawson arrived in the run down London neighbourhood of Bromley-by-Bow as a fresh-faced Reverend taking on his first Parish. He found a church with a leaking roof, £400 in a bank account and a congregation of twelve people, all aged over 70. On the face of it the future didn’t look too bright.

He became frustrated at what he saw as a voluntary and social sector having endless management meetings, spouting ideology and with endless talk about equal opportunity, whilst all around lay poverty and decay.

He says “There were people like Karen who lived in a tower block with three kids who would say ‘well I don’t want to join a committee, but what we really need around here is a decent nursery and a health facility’. I was hearing massive frustration from people and thought that maybe here was an opportunity”.

Curious about the energy and frustration all around him, he began to just say ‘yes’ and back people and their passions. He found the sculptor Santiago Bell, who had been imprisoned in Chile by the Pinochet Regime, sharing a flat nearby. Santiago set up a studio in the church and began to produce amazing works from wood he found in skips. More people began to come to see what was happening. Janet, who had been a professional dancer set up a dance school in another corner of the church; Eve came and set up a nursery; then Sue created the Pie in the Sky café.

By now momentum was gathering and Gordon, the architect, came up with a plan to rip out the church and create a central canopy area, which could be used by any faith, an art gallery and Britain’s first integrated nursery.

When Jean, a local lady suffering from cancer died after being badly let down by the NHS, Mawson decided that if the NHS would not build them a health centre they would do it themselves. They did, using the same hand-made bricks that they have at Glyndbourne.

What grew out of a church with a leaking roof is today known as the Bromley-by-Bow Centre. It employs over 100 local people has an income in excess of £2 million and includes the integrated health centre and a three acre park, providing over 125 activities every week. Several businesses have spun out of the centre.

Mawson says “Human beings if they can connect in a certain way can become amazingly powerful things. If you start from people and their passion you can get 120% commitment. Instead of building a theory of society as government tends to do we need to rebuild society around passion”.

Today Mawson is using exactly the same principles to regenerate St Pauls Way, an area of East London adjacent to the Olympic Park. It will include a new £40 million school, a health centre, redeveloped housing and a new £1 million streetscape.

It all began with some simple ideas about backing people in a crumbling old church. The clues to the macro lie in the micro.

The School of Curiosity ‘End of Summer School’ dates announced

July 30, 2013

If only all classrooms were like this! The view from The School of Curiosity.

It’s official!

The School of Curiosity ‘End of Summer School, will take place over three days and three fabulous nights overlooking one of the world’s most beautiful bays on 23rd, 24th and 25th October 2013, in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France.

You can find out more details on the ’2013 Summer School’ page. Full programme details and information on how to book will be coming soon.

Follow

Get every new post on this blog delivered to your Inbox.

Join other followers: