Ideas are like seeds: plant them in the right soil, and there’s a better chance of seeing growth.
The fertile ground of the University of Victoria (UVic) is slated to bloom with ideation and inspiration as the host venue of TEDxVictoria on Oct. 7.
TEDxVictoria is an independently organized TEDx event dedicated to sharing ideas worth spreading in Victoria, BC.
As Greater Victoria converges on campus to immerse itself in thought leadership, we caught up with some of the faculty and student speakers from UVic to ask them questions about those kernels of ideas—and how they grow to impact the local community and beyond.
Where do ideas first begin?
“Ideas first begin with humans—an important point to remember in our modern world. While it is tempting to answer that ideas begin with curiosity, in reality it is the whole of human experience that forms the nucleus of all ideas,” says Jon Willis, professor of physics and astronomy, who is one of the day’s first speakers. His talk is titled, “An earth-based guide to alien life.”
For Willis, passion is critical to deciding if an idea is worth exploring further.
“There remain a number of questions that I am passionate about answering. In fact, one of the biggest privileges of being a professor is the resources and encouragement to follow ideas.”
How do ideas evolve over time?
Jade Fischer, medical physics PhD candidate, will be speaking on “Questions cancer research left behind can point us forward.” She agrees that passion can spark great ideas; interest helps her identify gaps, unanswered questions or opportunities to do things differently. And as she works through the problems, keeping an eye on the original intent is vital.
“For me, ideas evolve by constantly coming back to their purpose. Who is this for? What is it meant to accomplish? How do I want it to be received? The details of an idea can change a lot as I get feedback, learn more or figure out what is actually feasible, but I try to keep that central purpose consistent,” she explains. “Coming back to it helps me decide which pieces strengthen the idea, which ones might be distracting from it and where there are still gaps to work through. I think that process is what takes an initial idea and gradually turns it into a strong, complete plan.”
Who helps you shape or strengthen ideas?
Not all ideas come out fully baked. That should be considered part of the process, according to Faraz Forghan Parast, an Iranian-Canadian poet, educator and doctoral researcher, whose talk “The words that need you” will run midday.
“A lot of seemingly ‘bad’ ideas exist primarily to become compost for the growth of the good ones. Whether you choose to call it compost or fertilizer probably just depends on your relationship with failure… and possibly with gardening,” he says.
“I am actually quite solitary with them at first. When an idea consumes me, I can become garrulous, wordy and bursty—and very few people have the patience to stand in that blast radius. So, I usually clam up until someone organically asks me a question. That is when the explosion happens, and the idea finally meets the air. Beyond that, I rely heavily on writers and thinkers from other times and places; they can’t answer back, but they have infinite patience for my enthusiasm.”
What do you do when an idea is stuck?
Dan So is an instructor for commerce and MBA students at Gustavson and practising lawyer who has worked exclusively in franchise law for more than 25 years. He says ideas can often get hung up right before a deadline—which is “either bad planning or my creative process, I haven’t decided.”
His talk is titled “The fundamental right to understand,” which aligns with his mantra of shaking things loose by learning and stepping outside of one’s self.
“What works for me is explaining the problem to someone with zero background in it. If I can’t make it make sense to them, I don’t understand it well enough myself,” he says.
Teaching can also help shape and strengthen ideas. “Nothing sharpens an idea like a room full of students who will absolutely ask, ‘Wait, why does that matter?’”
How do you ensure ideas help communities?
Tamara Krawchenko is an associate professor in public administration who works alongside local leaders and organizations investigating equitable clean energy solutions with Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET). Her talk is titled, “Who holds the power.” She believes social scientists find ideas by engaging with the world: going to places, listening to people and learning from communities.
“A central part of my scholarship is asking where their ideas come from—and how local experience, history, relationships and aspirations shape what people see as possible,” she says. “I test ideas through conversation and collaboration: does the question resonate, and could answering it help people understand or address a real challenge?
“I begin by listening. Much of my research involves learning how people understand the issues they face, then designing research questions and projects that respond to what they have told me matters; that makes community relevance foundational.”
Operating under licence from TED, TEDxVictoria is an independently organized TEDx event that brings together thought leaders, innovators and community members to explore ideas that challenge, inspire and move us forward. Through talks, performances and conversations, TEDxVictoria fosters curiosity, connection and meaningful dialogue around the ideas shaping our future. Presented by Redbrick and made possible with the support of community partners and volunteers, TEDxVictoria takes place at UVic’s Farquhar Auditorium on Oct. 7. Tickets are available online.
UVic is here for what matters—including ideas that are worth spreading. Explore how UVic is making a difference in Greater Victoria.
