Watch Live: CityLab 2013

In conjunction with The Aspen Institute and Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Atlantic is hosting CityLab: Urban Solutions to Global Challenges in NYC, which brings together urban theorists, architects, mayors, city planners and artists, presenting ideas about the world's urban ideas that shape the world's global metropolis', running over the next three days. Join the live discussion here.

Zaha Hadid Slams "Misogynistic Behaviour in UK Architecture"

So moving to the UK and pursuing a career in the Architectural/Urban Design field can be pretty daunting for women, according to Zaha Hadid. This has always been a concern of mine since entering the industry. How can women balance their femininity in this male-dominated profession. No mater how progressive it may seem to be, it will always be difficult to overcome the double standard. I better take note...

Zaha Hadid has railed against the UK's "misogynist" attitude towards women architects after a survey of women in the profession found nearly a third knew they were paid less than their male counterparts for the same job.

Hadid, a former winner of both the Stirling Prize and the Pritzker Prize, told the Observer newspaper she found it "difficult" to work in the UK. "They are very conservative," she said. "There is a scepticism and more misogynist behaviour here. Although, while there were people against me, there were also people living here who were incredibly supportive."

She also rejected the idea that things are getting better for women architects. "I doubt anything has changed much over the last 30 years," she said, later adding: "In my view the changes within RIBA [Royal Institute of British Architects] are nonexistent."

Hadid, whose best-known projects include the Aquatics Centre for the London 2012 Olympics and the MAXXI museum in Rome, said it is often assumed that women are better suited to designing houses, public buildings and leisure centres rather than large-scale commercial projects. "I am sure that as a woman I can do a very good skyscraper," she said. "I don't think it is only for men."

"It is a very tough industry and it is male-dominated, not just in architectural practices, but the developers and the builders too," she added, noting that childcare issues often hold women back from the top jobs in the industry. "I can't blame the men, though. The problem is continuity. Society has not been set up in a way that allows women to go back to work after taking time off."

Hadid's remarks were prompted by research carried out by the Architects' Journal into the status of women in the profession. Nearly two thirds of respondents said they had experienced sexual discrimination in the workplace, while 61% thought clients in the building industry did not fully accept the authority of female architects.

Last month construction began on Hadid's planned extension to a centre for studying Middle Eastern culture at the University of Oxford.

Earlier this year we reported that developers in Chongqing had copied the designs for Hadid's planned Wangjing Soho complex in Beijing, with the two projects now racing to be completed first.

Julian Schnabel

Such an egoistic bastard. But whatever, he's still cool. I've got mad respect for anyone who could bring a film like Diving Bell and the Butterfly to life.

TED Talks: Susan Cain - The Power of Introverts

I've always considered myself somewhat of an introvert, not too loud, I've never given myself as much credit as a really should have and I've always thrived on being somewhat of a loner - often choosing the enjoyment of my own company over loud crowded areas - in fact, I've always felt more lonely being amongst a room full of 'wrong' people than on my own. This goes the same for my work, I've always been able to work with others and contribute to a group, but I've always really enjoyed going away and working on my own - for some reason, I tap into some visceral thought inertia of "flow" where my brain neurons connect and interplay in such a way that it never quite has when I'm with others, and whilst I do enjoy the company of theirs and certainly enjoy the ideas that can only be formed through discussion between people, my creativity has only ever been sparked in moments of my own solitude. Perhaps that's why I enjoy work like design or photography. I don't know how I feel about communal work places, they almost feel forced, whilst I feel like dialogue is only ever effective once others have done their homework, which can only ever be done properly in private. But like Susan Caine says, I think theres an element of introversion and conversely and element of extroversion in all of us. None of us are wholly white nor wholly black swans. I've never been overtly socially shy, but I'm not exactly the kind who can "work a crowd". I heard that extroverts tend to gain energy from introverts and introverts tend to toil ifrom their own pool of energy, so maybe theres something under that veneer of softness that introverts are hiding. There's hope for us introverts afterall! 

Inspiration: Will Smith's Secrets of Success

The most positive and self-motivated man there is. Could learn a thing or two from him. 

Musings: BBC Doco - The Century of Self

Inspiration: Bruce Lee

Inspiration: Shane Smith (co-founder of Vice) at Studio Q

I totally respect this guy, growing a progressive news and media agency and getting sponsorship from establishments in the most notoriously murky and simplistic news media in the world - the States, kudos.  A how fucking excited am I for this new show with Shane Smith (co-founder of Vice) and Bill Mahar!!

TED Talks: On Creativity and Happiness...

"Where Does Creativity Hide?"

Amy Tan, the author of The Joy Luck Club

"A Different Way To Think About Creative Genius"

Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love

"The Habits of Happiness"

French buddhist monk Matthieu Riccard

From the Film feel: The Cruise (1998) trailer

The Cruise follows neurotic Jewish New York tour guide, Timothy "Speed" Levitch as he guides us through the city that never sleeps in his distinct philosophical-existential-psychedelic banter. As a total Big Apple-phile, this documentary looks totally up my alley. Of course this looks amazing as is, but any endorsement by Edward Norton (who claims The Cruise is his favourite film) makes this an instant must-see. You may or may not remember Levitch from Waking life fame, an animated feature by the most unslackerest of slackers, Linklater. He is absolutely brilliant and his mind works so fast, it's almost as if his mouth is working overtime just to catch up. The Cruise seems like a pastiche of neuroticism and witty candor. Sublime.

I'll finish this post off by a monologue by Levitch. Enjoy! 

From the Film Reel: Quentin Tanrentino on Digital vs Film

There is no movement in film...

Inspiration/Musings: Steven Johnson on 'Where Good Ideas Come From'

Musings/Inspiration: Steve Jobs and how to live life

“...because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

I'm currently reading Steve Jobs' biography, you know the Walter Issacson one. I KNOW, I’m a bit late on checking I out. I got it for $60 at Baci Lounge in New Market because I felt disillusioned and yet strangely inspired after yoga last night. I'm currently a couple of pages in. Say what you may about him, he is most definitely one of the most industrious people to have ever graced this earth. But where did his success stem from?

A self-taught man, his passion, tenacity and constant unbridled motivation to be the best in the world stopped him at nothing to achieve that, which makes him the best role model for other entrepreneurs in the digital age. Steve was a firm believer that if you do what you love, the money, success and everything else will follow. But in order to figure out what you want, you gotta connect the dots and be brave enough to start - on your own. But first of all, you need to be honest with yourself and establish what’s important to you whether it be money, creativity, intelligence, knowledge etc. Sometimes in life, I believe that you're gonna be given things that you don't want or expect, but the only thing you can do is to make the best out of what you've got. You’ve got to stay positive and despite everything else, just know that things will be ok. Everything happens for a strange inexplicable reason that won’t be understood until you look at things retrospectively. Successful people don’t wait for things to happen, they don’t wait for perfection because with everything that that happens you have to know that it’s what YOU make out of it. You can either be depressed about your life or do something about it. There are only two times that are important – now and too late. Happiness is a choice, its not a destination, you can wait for happiness to come your way, because it won't, you have to wake you every morning being happy, despite being wronged or having made mistakes. If someone in your life is making you negative, don’t put up with their bullshit, if you don’t like the job you’re in, look for ways to improve, nothing is going to be handed to you. You should see everyday as an opportunity. In business, being at the top is lonely, much like it is in life, its not about everyone else and what they’re doing, its about what you’re doing and how you're gonna get there, the people that come along for the ride will always come and go - life is like a train. You’ve got a destination, going in one direction and some people hop in the train and some people hop off the train whilst others stay on forever and others never ever even get on, as much as you want them to. You and your life, your motives ARE that moving train. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being an asshole to getting what you want to achieve - you only live once, make that life count - to you, not in the eyes of others. If you lose them, it was meant to happen.

I’ve learnt three things this year,

1)  The faster you stop comparing yourself to others, the sooner you become the person you're meant to be.

2)  The faster you realize that you will be an asshole tomorrow, the faster you realize that you need to stop procrastinating. Because you're not going to miraculously do something you’re supposed to do tomorrow, if you don’t do it today. Like Steve said, you’re already naked, why the fuck not start now?

3)  But most importantly, listen to you head for the small decisions and your heart for the big ones. You’ll never go wrong.

Most of all, life should not be romanticized, it should be lived. For me, I always felt like there was this eventual glorified moment in my life when great things would happen and I would automatically become this amazing person with the life and the characteristics I always thought I would have. But to get to that point, I must go through the gritty bits, the teething stages, the frustration before the "great" stuff happens. Like the old adage goes, “It’s not the destination, but the journey that matters.”. I realized that the “great” achievements are small blimps in life in comparison to the challenges in the way that you must overcome it took to get to the singe "glorified" moment. You will never experience or learn or grow if you stay in one place, but in saying that you need to come to those life lessons on your own, in your own time, like in business, life is not some. I believe that the universe puts things in front of you that you may not want but are crucial in teaching you something about yourself, because if we never had those experiences, we would never know what the are made of, what you can become. Like Steve did, I'm too going through that transitional stage of frustration, not knowing what to do, being lost and scared that things may or may not fit in the right place, allowing my fears to get to me, but in order to overcome those fears, I must confront them instead of burying them, or else they’ll become a constant problem throughout my life. In times like these, I realize I need to trust in the universe that all good things will happen in due course. And when it does, I'll be ready and willing to tackle it whole-heartedly. Behind every success, there’s a story, so to my readers, when you reach your glorified moment, what story are you going to tell?

Inspiration: TED Talks - Simon Sinek 'How Great Leaders Inspire Action'

What I've always believed to be the crux of all successful products - by observing human behavior and creating a culture and a platform for people to use or express themselves. This is the only way to create not only something that is successful, but something resonates and won't just be a flash in the pan. This isn't a secret, most successful CEO's have been extraordinarily overt about how they've succeeded - steal ideas, get there first, develop a product that is accessible and easy for your average consumer to use, but most of all create a culture, not just a product. This is true for art as much as it is for 'products'. Take Facebook, Apple products and Youtube, everything thats super successful. They're not successful because they are trendy,  but rather, because its a platform to allow people to control how others connect and percieve their own idea of "trendiness"... with ease. That's good entrepreneurship. 

From the Film Reel: Anna Karina Interview

Beauty incarnate.

Design: Deconstructivist Architects

Design: Mike Wallace interviews Frank Lloyd Wright

"I put a captial "N" on "Nature" and call it my church."

This interview sets the tone for the plane of thought that I am currently trying to hone.  New emergent cultures are arising through multiculturalism, the world is therefore reduced to its primordial forms as a place that fosters humanity and tolerance and responsibilty in order to reach a unified but diverse world order. this requires us to look to the future as a place tthat takes us back to our origins - in nautre - maybe FLW knew a thing or two. FLW's his gentle nature only exposes Mike Wallace for the "top down" intellectual he is, and shows just how enlightened FLW was back in his time.There is such a strong movement towards landscape urbanism as one of the only specialized fields in the urban industry that will cure the ills of urban blight, rather than relegating nature to the outskirts, and as a subsidiary of the urban environment, it is more so than ever a main component from which the framework for cities, especially metroplises, should grow.

From the Film Reel: Audrey Hepburn Roman Holiday Screen Test

Design: Frank Lloyd Wright on "What's my Line"