Experiential Learning at its Finest
+This post is from the first edition of my blog entitled You Are Here+
Before a few weeks ago, I didn’t know that I’d have the opportunity to attend the world’s most forward-thinking business event. Thanks to a friend, I’d applied to be part of a new pilot initiative supporting aspiring/existing women entrepreneurs and just as luck would have it, I got in! The experience as a whole was one filled with great conversations and connections. I learned a tremendous amount and what follows is a recap of one of the highlights from my C2 Montreal experience.
C2 Montreal 2019, Day 3:
It’s early morning (before 8 am) and I’m on my way to Grandé Studios for my first appointment of the day – a braindate (it is literally what it sounds)! As I arrive to the venue, however, I get news that my meeting has been cancelled. Disappointed that I’ve come all this way at this hour just for this, I try to look at the bright side of things and decide to take advantage of my free morning to attend the Slow-Look lab, one of the many experiential learning experiences offered at the internationally renowned commerce and creativity event.
Aside from the huge wooden panels enclosing the space and the giant letters indicating the name of the lab, there isn’t much indication of what to expect. Slowly, the door opens and the other participants and I enter the room. We’re met with bright lights and stark white walls. As we sit down in front of a gorgeous, elaborate piece of art, our facilitator prompts us (in silence) to use the noise-cancelling headphones provided. Each participant then picks up a small pad of instructions and so begins an unforgettable journey…
As the other participants and I leaf through our pads, we are instructed to list 10 things that we notice about the artwork in front of us. While it’s easy to jot down the most obvious features, after several observations, it becomes more and more challenging to find things to write. Before the signal goes off to move us onto the next part of the activity, with difficulty, I scour the piece for more information.
Meanwhile, I notice the participant beside me becoming restless. She flips through her pad, lets out a small sigh, and begins to look around the room. Although I empathize with her, something gently prods me to continue searching for details.
How can I approach the task differently?
With this, the question causes a shift in mindset and the next thing I know, I begin to play around with how my eyes approach the piece of art; I squint and hover over different areas. I allow my eyes to wander and to explore the landscape of what is contained within the frame in front of me. As someone mentions in our debriefing afterwards, it truly feels as if the piece has pulled me into its fabric and I am navigating the world of the artist’s creation. Details I hadn’t grasped before begin to emerge and all of a sudden, my list of 10 observations is complete.
Soon enough, the signal goes off letting us know that it’s time to move on. As we turn our pages, an unexpected surprise – the same instructions! Totally immersed in the C2 flow of things, I accept the challenge with a smile and continue on my Slow-Look adventure to see what other discoveries can be made.
Eventually, when the final prompt goes off indicating the end of the activity, I’m so immersed in this whole new world I’ve discovered that I could easily spend another half hour exploring. Our facilitator signals for me to remove my headphones, however, and slowly, I come back to my body in the room. After a brief moment, we’re invited to share our experiences and to reflect on how these could relate to our everyday lives.
I share with the group that I am most stricken by how fluid the generation of ideas and details became as soon as I let go of expectations and stopped trying so hard to look for answers. It was almost as if I’d been transported to a different dimension, a different plane of existence abounding with infinite possibility. Who knows what I could’ve discovered had I sat there a little while longer??
On a less radical note, I don’t believe I will ever visit a museum the same way again. Rather than feel overwhelmed and daunted by the quantity of art and installations to be seen, as I have in the past, this journey has taught me to be more selective and attentive with what I choose to interact in the future.
Finally, time’s up and as I leave the room, re-emerging into the open space of the C2 venue, I do so feeling more enlightened. I’m charged and ready to ride the sea of creative energy and ideas more purposefully on this final day. Out of all my experiences at C2, the Slow-Look lab is so beautifully simple and truly an example of experiential learning at its finest.
*Thank you to Ana Marinescu @Urbana Marketing for having me as part of this year’s Women in Entrepreneurship initiative. Thanks to C2 for hosting us and for organizing such an incredible event!!
