Leonardo da Vinci was a genius in how he combined science and art to create his works. His work includes iconic paintings of the Mona Lisa and The last supper, designs for flying machines and ground-breaking studies on optics and perspective.

Leonardo da Vinci was interested in everything

The Mona Lisa smile has managed to bewitch us for 500 years. It is the culmination of a lifetime spent studying art, science and optics. Leonardo's notebook shows his dissecting the human face to understand how every muscle and nerve touched the lips. He dissected the human eye on cadavers to understand that the retina's centre sees detail, but the edges see shadows and shape better. If you look directly at the Mona Lisa's smile, the corners of the lips turn downward slightly, but shadows and light make it seem like it's turning upwards.

Where the “Mona Lisa” fit into Leonardo’s life and work

The Duke of Milan asked Leonardo to paint The Last Supper on the wall of a dining hall of a monastery. Leonardo doesn’t just capture a moment but captures a dramatic narrative. At first, you see Christ's hand, then, as you move up, you stare at his face as he is saying, “One of you shall betray me.” Then as your eyes move across the picture, you see the questions rippling outward as each of the apostles reacts with, "Is it me, Lord?"

The Last Supper is the most spell-binding narrative painting in history

Leonardo considered himself an engineer and architect, which he did with great passion. But his first job was as a theatrical producer. Here, he learned how to do tricks with perspective. The stage in a theatre recedes faster and looks deeper than it is. Even a table onstage would be tilted slightly so you can see it. This is what we see in "The Last supper." Likewise. we can see the gestures of the characters exaggerated. His theatrical production led him to mechanical props, like flying machines and a <a href="http://www.da-vinci-inventions.com/aerial-screw.aspx">h</a>elicopter screw, designed to lower angels in some performances.

Leonardo wasn't known as a painter

Leonardo was self-taught. He didn’t go to school because he was born out of wedlock.
<ul>
<li>He loved the flow of the streams that went into the Arno River. So he studied them and continued until his deathbed to draw the spiral forms to figure out the math behind them.</li>
<li>He noticed how air currents formed little flurries as they went over curved wings of birds to keep them in the air, similar to aeroplanes.</li>
</ul>
That translates both into science and his art.

Natural elements that most fascinated Leonardo

To be creative, you must be interested in many fields rather than be a specialist. Leonardo da Vinci was interested in everything in the universe, including how we fit into it. He tried to answer questions such as, Why do people yawn? Why is the sky blue?

The defining trait of Leonardo’s genius

Hint: The great Italian artist was interested in everything.

Stashed ideas

What Made Leonardo da Vinci a Genius?

<ul><li>According to the freelance marketplace Upwork, the number of full-time freelancers grew from 28% in 2019 to 36% in 2020.</li><li>The pandemic may have accelerated the trend, it's not showing signs of slowing down.</li><li>In five years, by 2027, 86.5 million people will be freelancing in the United States.</li><li>Freelancers are in high demand in pretty much every skill area that can be done in front of a computer.</li></ul>

Freelancing is on the rise

That shift in seeing life as a freelancer as more stable than a traditional full-time role is a big one. The most successful freelancers are ones that “don’t put all their eggs in one basket.” There may not be many if any, recession-proof jobs, but freelancers who have several long-term clients fair much better than full-time employees who are vulnerable to layoffs.While freelancing may have once been thought of as something mostly for creative fields, it’s expanding to other industries.

Seeing freelancing as more stable than traditional jobs

Employers should consider how to integrate freelancers into the company culture and create a thoughtful onboarding process. This is not about outsourcing to some gig workers. This is about long-term, enduring relationships that serve these professionals with their incredible skills. And that serve their business in a way that is truly a win-win. But it takes thoughtful design and thoughtful investment to make that outcome happen.

Integrating freelancers into companies

Half of the U.S. workforce will be freelancing by 2027. On the newest episode of The New Way We Work, we find out why independent work is attractive to Gen Z and what needs to change.


Why so many people are freelancing

During the 1st and 5th century CE, the Hindu sage Patañjali started to codify the meditative traditions practised throughout India into 196 manuals called the Yoga Sutras. These texts described yoga as 'yoking'  (restraining) the mind from concentrating on external objects to reach a state of pure consciousness. With time, yoga became part of physical activities, from gymnastics to wrestling.

The history of yoga

Although there are many approaches to modern yoga, three core elements of Patañjali's practice remains:<ul><li>Physical postures</li><li>Breathing exercises</li><li>Spiritual contemplation.</li></ul> The combination of physical and mental exercise is believed to have a unique set of health advantages, such as increased strength and flexibility, improved heart and lung function, and psychological well-being.

Remaining yoga practices

Like other low-impact exercises, yoga's physical postures stretch multiple muscle groups. Stretching can make these muscles, ligaments, and tendons more elastic by changing the water content. Regular stretching stimulates stem cells which change into new muscle tissue and other cells that generate elastic collagen. Regular stretching also reduces the body's natural reflex by constricting muscles, improving pain tolerance.

Yoga improves fitness and flexibility

Studies show that yoga reduces pain and improve mobility in patients with a variety of musculoskeletal disorders. Adding yoga to other exercise routines can improve strength and flexibility for conditions like chronic lower back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis. Yoga's combination of physical exercise and regiment breathing is therapeutic for lung health. It relaxes the muscles constricting lung passageways and improve oxygen diffusion.

Yoga as therapeutic tool

One big claim is that yoga improves symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders, but there's little conclusive evidence of how yoga affects mental health. However, there is evidence to suggest that yoga can reduce stress and help with relaxation.

Yoga and psychological wellbeing

Explore the ancient tradition of yoga, and discover how its blend of physical and mental exercise impacts your health. -- There are many different approaches to modern yoga— though most forms have three core elements: physical postures, breathing exercises, and spiritual contemplation.This blend of physical and mental exercise is widely believed to have a unique set of health advantages. But is yoga actually beneficial to your health? Krishna Sudhir examines how this ancient tradition impacts the body and mind. Lesson by Krishna Sudhir, directed by Zsuzsanna Kreif. Educator's website: https://bit.ly/KrishnaSudhir Animator's website: https://www.behance.net/krzsanna & https://animationworkshop.via.dk/ Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebook Find us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitter Peep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-yoga-does-to-your-body-and-brain-krishna-sudhir Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Katrina Harding, Gerald Onyango, alessandra tasso, Astia Rizki Safitri, Côme Vincent, Antony Lee, Melissa Sorrells, Rakshit Kothari, Doreen Reynolds-Consolati, Simon Holst Ravn, Manognya Chakrapani, Ayala Ron, Samantha Chow, Philippe Spoden, Phyllis Dubrow, Michelle Stevens-Stanford, Cas Jamieson, Ophelia Gibson Best, Amber Wood, Paul Schneider, Jun Cai, Tim Robinson, Henrique 'Sorín' Cassús, cnorahs, Lyn-z Schulte, Elaine Fitzpatrick, Karthik Cherala, Clarence E. Harper Jr., Milad Mostafavi, Аркадий Скайуокер, Kiara Taylor, Louisa Lee, eden sher, Vignan Velivela, Sage Curie, Srikote Naewchampa, Tejas Dc, Khalifa Alhulail, Faiza Imtiaz, Martin Stephen, Jerome Froelich, Dan Paterniti, Jose Henrique Leopoldo e Silva, Mullaiarasu Sundaramurthy, Elnathan Joshua Bangayan, Caleb ross, Duo Xu, Quinn Shen, Marvin Vizuett and Sid.

What yoga does to your body and brain - Krishna Sudhir

Ultimately, to avoid burnout, it's good to establish boundaries for yourself and others around you. Choose your "office hours" and stick to them. 
By having one day off per week, it is less likely that you will experience burnout. Constant overworking will only cause your work and product to suffer.
When you have a clear understanding of your business financials, work efficiently, and prioritize your own time, you can tame the tendency to overwork.

Protect your personal time

Do you ever get anxious about whether or not the client hires you again? If you have, you have to battle thoughts like that away. This kind of mindset is what we call scarcity thinking.
To move forward from that mindset you should put more effort into your marketing. By keeping yourself consistent with work, you won't be as concerned about where the next job is going to come.

Avoid the scarcity thinking trap

As you operate your business, always be on the lookout for more efficient ways of working. 
If there are areas in your business that isn't working right then this is something that needs to be addressed.

Streamline your work

If you haven't tried it yet the time-blocking method of planning your day will help make time for more things in your life. 
Services like bookkeeping, scheduling, marketing, and other tasks can be automated or even outsourced. That way, you can spend time on the things that generate revenue, add value, and help make your business become stronger.

Block your time for the greatest efficiency

Think about your favorite clients, the ones that fit well with your business model, those who compensate you well, and those who you enjoy working with. 
Once you've figured out who your ideal clients are, these are the clients you should seek more of and replicate in your business.

Get clear about who you're serving

When running a business it's foolish to not have clear financial goals and benchmarks. Without these, you'll find yourself chasing projects after projects because you don't know if you've made enough to cover your salary, expenses, taxes, and other obligations. 
Take the time to create a clear picture of your financials, track them throughout the month to make sure that you don't go off-track.

Analyze your numbers

One of the first steps to taking back your time and avoid overworking that leads to burnot is to have a clear vision about the goals you want to reach with your business.
When you have a clear vision, it will help you set reasonable expectations and decide how you'll structure your business to give you more time for your personal life. 
Be conscious of your choices and make sure it fits the things that are important in your life.

Know your vision for your business

7 burnout-busting tips for freelancers who work too much

An essential skill in freelancing is expectation management. Clients want things done quickly. Yet, you can't do everything at once and is obliged to manage client expectations from the start. You need to put them in writing and clearly communicate them to your client.

Managing client expectations

When you win a huge freelance project, don't rush to commit to a deadline. Instead, pause and evaluate the project properly. Break the project down into smaller tasks. It helps to see large tasks as more doable. It also creates a clear view of the workflow and project requirements.

Break the project into smaller tasks

Once you've laid out all the tasks that need to be done to complete the project, consider each task as a project milestone, including the time required for each. If you've been given a hard deadline, work backwards and assign a specific timeline for every task. Creating project milestones get everyone on the same page and simplify the tracking progress. It also helps you justify deadlines to the client.

Determine the time required for each task

It can be frustrating to find that you miss critical information midway through a project, leading to delays. This can be avoided by considering project dependencies in the planning stage. Dependencies are when you require specific tasks to be done in order to complete your task or project. The five types of dependencies are:<ul><li>Logical</li><li>External</li><li>Resource</li><li>Preferential</li><li>Cross-team</li></ul>

Consider dependencies

You've created a project dependency and need to communicate the project timeline to the client visually. To create a project timeline, plot all the tasks with their respective deadlines. It will convey an overview of the project, communicate clarity, highlight important milestones and track progress. Keep the descriptions short, use icons and colour code elements.

Plot the schedule visually

A project timeline is important for internal use. it is also vital to share with the client before you start work to get their input. In a meeting, present your timeline, discuss priorities, manage expectations and ensure alignment.

Present it to the client

How to create a project timeline to manage client expectations

When starting out as a freelancer, it can be challenging to know where to price yourself based on your knowledge and your skills in the market. To work this out, we suggest you:<ul><li>Find your niche. This is the value freelancers bring to many companies to help meet their needs. Once they’ve developed an area of expertise, they need to learn how to communicate their value, clearly and concisely. </li><li>Learn the market. After all, there’s no fun in marketing a skill that nobody wants. </li><li>Monetize your skills. It’s no good freelancing if you can’t make money. Turn your talents into products or services that people can buy. </li><li>Tap into your confidence. Know that what you can offer is crucial and own it. Most</li></ul>

Know your worth

To keep your clients returning:<ul><li>Interact with your clients in a personable way. Don’t just focus on the results; build your relationships. Get to know your clients, their challenges, and what their goals are. </li><li>Find out what other projects they might need help with and offer support. If you don’t hear of any follow-up opportunities during your initial stint, take initiative and tell your employer that you’re open to working on more projects in the future. </li><li>Use your expertise to improve other parts of their business. If they don’t have anything that needs working on, suggest other areas that you could improve. </li><li>Never over-promise and then under-deliver. </li><li>Always get testimonials from your clients.</li></ul>

Build loyalty

The beauty of freelancing is that you can choose your path. To rise to the challenge:<ul><li>Put yourself out there. Don’t be afraid to promote yourself and what you can offer. </li><li>Craft your role. This involves redefining what you stand for in a way that is meaningful to you, so don’t be afraid to make changes to your business model over time. </li><li>Set ambitious targets. You need to consistently push yourself to ensure that your standards stay high, and you remain motivated. </li></ul>

Be adventurous

Although freelancing is largely a lonely road, the research found that the most successful freelancers (17 of the top 20 earners) are those who take advantage of the strength in numbers. This may be counterintuitive but going solo doesn’t necessarily mean you need to compete with others in your field. Cooperation with other freelancers is a strategic way to stay ahead. The advantages include group learning, as well as the ability to share market intelligence and upcoming opportunities.

Hunt in packs

Four research-backed tips to help you thrive in a freelance career.

What Successful Freelancers Do Differently

Building a close professional relationship with clients can help to pave the road towards a successful freelance career. Building rapport with your clients can make it easier to work on projects, understand their needs and deliver projects that meet their expectations.

Benefits of building rapport with clients

<ul><li>Learning to write a good email is a basic life skill. How you start your email could determine the kind of relationship you build with your client.</li><li>Addressing the client by their first name is a good start. It shows respect and friendliness.</li><li>The way you write proposals and respond to client requests and feedback are also important.</li></ul>

Learn to communicate

When we need help with something, we often turn to our best friend. And if this friend is reliable, they will always be there.  Be that friend for your client. When the client asks you to update one of your articles, or fix a bug in your code, do it right away. Show them you are reliable.

Be reliable

Plan your projects ahead of time and offer realistic schedules. Don't repeatedly ask for more time to deliver a project. Ensure that you meet the deadlines.

Deliver on time

Freelancers may want to make excuses when clients give feedback. For example, if a client wants you to change the font you've used in a design, don't try to make defend yourself. There are ways to accept criticism and explain your creative thinking, but that is done through discussion and understanding their expectations.

Don't make excuses

Keeping a client happy means understanding their expectations. From time to time, ask how they're doing, if they're satisfied with your work, and if there is anything you can do to improve your work. It shows your willingness to improve and get closer to the client.

Ask for feedback

You will make mistakes, such as a typo in a product page copy. Whatever it is, own up to your mistakes and learn from them. If you're unsure how to proceed, ask the client what went wrong or how you can avoid the error in future.

Learn from mistakes

It's fine to apologise occasionally, but if you keep apologising all the time, you will eventually annoy your client. Sorry for the late reply. Sorry, it won't happen again. If you've made a mistake, try a different approach. "Hi John, I had to see my friend at the hospital yesterday and missed the deadline. I'll deliver the project later today."

Don't apologise too much

Building rapport with clients is one of the most rewarding things you can do to pave the road towards a successful freelance career.

How To Build Rapport With Freelance Clients: 7 Tips

Japanese art and design, the term yohaku no bi (余白の美 ) expresses the beauty of empty space. It’s employed across the arts from architecture, gardening, and the culinary arts to painting, literature, and cinema. It is powerful for many reasons: it gives form to the solid through a void; it can be used to direct the eye and offers the eye a place to rest; it holds infinite possibility; and allows space for the viewer to interact and engage with the piece, to write themselves into the artwork, making it their own.

 The beauty of empty space

Productivity says move, move, move. Boredom comes after “I’m not engaged” but before you’ve decided what might be more engaging. It’s uncomfortable because it’s uncertain. It’s unclear. But it’s also an opportunity to recalibrate life toward your values, or simply to rest and restore. Boredom is the pause in between breaths. It is not the exhale of production. It is not the inhale of inspiration. It is the space between.

Boredom is an in-between state

The right to be bored is:<ul><li>The right to not be productive. </li><li>The right to your own thoughts.</li><li>The right to change your mind. </li><li>The right to care less about optics and more about how your body feels.</li><li>The right to play. The right to have fun. </li><li>The right to rest.</li><li>The right to daydream. </li><li>The right to be still. The right to quiet.</li><li>The right to not know. To not have all the answers. The right to explore. </li><li>The right to imagine a more ideal world without lapsing into an escape, fantasy, or When / Then Thinking.</li><li>The right to no plans.</li><li>The right to no pics and it did happen.</li></ul>

The right to be bored

In Japanese art and design, the term yohaku no bi (余白の美 ) expresses the beauty of empty space. It’s employed across the arts from architecture, gardening, and the culinary arts to painting…

How to Reclaim Your Right to Be Bored

Seven-time Oscar-winning Sound Designer Gary Rydstrom says that "you do a great job in sound when no one notices it."
This elusive mark of success has become easier to achieve over the years, thanks to advances in technology since the silent films of the 1900s.

Sounds makes a film truly memorable

From the beginning of cinema, experimental attempts were made to help merge audio and visual entertainment. Productions like Don Juan in 1926 featured sound effects but no dialogue. When The Jazz Singer spoke in 1927, the talking picture revolution took hold of Hollywood. At first, movies were recorded in Vitaphone - a sound-on-disc that recorded all audio onto a phonographic record, then syncing that up with real-time projection. Then, in the 1920s, sound-on-film became the industry standard.

Merging audio with visual entertainment

Between optical sound and digital sound, filmmakers were pushing technological limits. At the forefront was George Lucas, who found mono-sound insufficient for his sci-fi space opera called Star. He teamed up with sound engineers at Dolby and found a way to emit sound effects from four channels. In 1991, Batman Returns became the first film featuring sound coming from left, right, and centre in front, as well as right and left.

Pushing the limits 

Before digital, magnetic tape and dubbers had to be cut physically. The ability to manipulate sounds digitally was profound. The next question was how to take audio to another level. The goal was to make the sound more directional and enveloping. The solution came in the form of Dolby Surround 7.1, which also placed speakers at the back of the theatre.

Digital sound changed everything

Music no longer just stream through channels - they become "objects" that can be choreographed around a space and put in particular spots at specific moments to maximize the experience. This surround sound technology is known as Dolby Atmos. Precise manipulations and the growing dynamic range of what we can hear, can bring the sound experience of movies closer to how we hear in real life. Particular attention has to be paid to the emotional effect of sound.

Multi-dimensional sound

Traditionally making a movie was a multimillion-dollar affair. The equipment was hard to get because it was so expensive. These days, everyone owns an iPhone. Some apps allow you to use your iPhone as a mic pack. The democratisation of technology, together with online platforms willing to share their work with the world, can help any indie auteur see their own visions realised.

Technological advancement in your pocket

Self Improvement

A Brief History of Sound in Cinema

Since time is a fixed quantity, everything you say yes to implies a no to something else and vice versa.Saying yes subtly squeezes everything else, but rarely in ways we can easily perceive. When saying no, what is left over is enriched, but this additional space is often neglected.

Every Yes Implies a No


The problem is simply that saying “no” to a particular pursuit can be hard. But saying “not right now” works just as well. It prevents the pursuit from taking up time, while leaving open the possibility of change later.

“No” or “Not Right Now”

Committing to doing something you know will be hard, paradoxically, often results in an easier time than opting for something that seems easy.When you take on a hard goal, you naturally make room for it. A goal that pretends to be easy doesn’t require those adjustments, so they’re rarely made. Instead, they squeeze down on everything else in your life until those other things start pushing back.

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

Big Bertie
@bbertie

What Made Leonardo da Vinci a Genius?

Why so many people are freelancing

What yoga does to your body and brain - Krishna Sudhir

7 burnout-busting tips for freelancers who work too much

How to create a project timeline to manage client expectations

Bite-sized knowledgeto upgradeyour career

Big Bertie@bbertie

What Made Leonardo da Vinci a Genius?

Why so many people are freelancing

What yoga does to your body and brain - Krishna Sudhir

7 burnout-busting tips for freelancers who work too much

How to create a project timeline to manage client expectations

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

Big Bertie
@bbertie