Hey Reader,

​

For this week's edition, we wanted to do something differently, so hopefully you enjoy our little experiment. Let me know what you think and if we should try this format again. ;)

In other news, THANK YOU to many of you for finding time for our 1:1 chat. I was excited to see some electrifying energy coming from the members of our COMMUSITY and so many powerful ideas on how to make Curious Muse even more useful for you. If you haven't seen my message yet but are able to carve out 20 min in your schedule for a super informal quick chat, I'd love to speak to you as well - just book a slot here and hope to connect with you soon!

Having said that, I understand that some folks would love to share feedback in a different way. So for this reason, we created this 3-min survey. In return for helping to shape our future we are giving away the FREE membership to Curious Muse Pro (worth $100 per year) which gives you access to all our paid courses (you will see the activation instructions at the end of the survey).

Just follow this link to the survey and thank you again! 🫶

Imagine you are having a conversation with your personal AI assistant...

Curious Muse: Did you know that observing art creates a similar sensation to falling in love? In fact, when looking at artwork, our brains release dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure.

You: That’s great, but how it can help me become more creative?

Curious Muse: Being exposed to art – whether it is actual art creation or just appreciation – makes us see the world in a different light, helps us connect dots and notice patterns in seemingly unrelated things. And isn't it what creativity is about?

You: Got it! Could you give me an example of art fostering creativity?

Curious Muse: Let’s consider René Magritte who drew inspiration from the French painter Jacques-Louis David’s painting Portrait of Madame Récamier, 1800 and recreated it in his iconic surreal style:

You: That’s clever of her! So, it means we can get creative inspiration not only from different artistic genres but different forms of art, right?

Curious Muse: Absolutely! Let’s consider fashion. Did you know that Naoko Takeuchi, Sailor Moon’s illustrator studied luxury fashion so that he could create iconic costumes for his manga characters?

Another fashion example is Nike’s Air Max shoes, inspired by the cultural landmark, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France. As it turns out, the designer Tinker Hatfield was inspired by the building’s inside-out architecture which is a remarkable example of structural expressionism - rejecting traditional aesthetics and displaying the inner elements on the exterior.

You: Sports shoes and architecture? That’s unexpected!

Curious Muse: And what about Antonio Gaudí and Star Wars? According to legend, the masks of Darth Vader and stormtroopers were inspired by the chimneys of Casa Milà, a modernist building in Barcelona. So keep your eyes open, we never know what can light our creative spark!

Have you learnt anything new through this conversation? And would you actually be interested in having your own assistant to help you connect the dots with arts & culture and make you a little brighter each day? Let me know what you think!

​

💡 Curious Bites

🕺 Did you know that high heels were originally made for men?

Back in the 15th century, high heels were initially invented by a group of Persian soldiers who noticed a peculiar observation; that shoes having the most heels proved the best in helping soldiers to keep their feet right at their positions in stirrups. Eventually, heels became significant for military purposes and horse riding and essentially, they became a symbol of masculinity....

​

🎓 No matter how useless it appears, throwing caps at graduation actually has a whole history behind what meets the eyes.

Back in 1912, this trend was initiated for the first ever time by the graduates of the US Naval Academy. At that time, the US Naval Academy had some unusual rules and regulations and one of them asserted that all students were required to wear their midshipman caps until they were commissioned as Navy officers after 2 years...

​
​

😱 Ever seen jewellery made from stuffed birds? It was a fashion trend during the Victorian era.

During the Victorian era, there was a notable trend of incorporating taxidermy into jewellery. Jewellery made from stuffed birds, also known as mourning jewellery, or "memento mori” , which means “remember you must die”, served multiple purposes...

​

✍️ Quote of the week

​

Stay curious and have a great week! 💙

Artem xx

​

​​​​​

​