TED Talk Tuesday #230: The curious mind behind Avatar

TED continues to spread ideas and help us all be better critical thinkers. Watching, listening, and talking about TED Talks is a popular pastime for many in the CN&CO community. We visit TED.com regularly to clear our heads, have a laugh, learn, or get inspired. TED Talks open our minds, spark new ways of thinking, and can lead to some very interesting conversations and business opportunities. Each week we pick a favorite and publish it on a Tuesday because we like how “TED Talk Tuesday” sounds. It’s also a way that the CN&CO team plays its part in spreading ideas and helping to make the world a better place.

This Tuesday’s talk was selected by Gianluca Tucci.

There is something special about a great movie. A motion picture that leaves you in awe. Leaving you wondering. Opening up your mind and emotions to new frontiers.

One director I have particularly been in awe of is the great James Cameron. The mastermind behind film sensations like Aliens, Titanic, Terminator, and Avatar. As we anticipate the long-awaited release of Avatar 2 in December 2022, I thought this the opportune time to share a TED Talk by Cameron. 

A childhood inspired

The producer reminisces how as a child, his infatuation with all things sci-fi – particularly novels – ignited his sense of curiosity and imagination. This later triggered an insatiable hunger for exploration which he experienced submerged in the oceanic waters as a deep-sea diver. 

Such excursions influenced his interpretation of our unfathomable planet which ultimately inspired his genius execution of the award-winning blockbusters. 

Avatar was an especially psychedelic production as it inventively merged CG technology with a canvas of prevalent topics: From race relations to a plea for revolution as humans continue to desecrate Mother Earth for the sake of greed. 

Cameron’s visionary efforts successfully brought the characters and the world of Pandora to life. Audiences across the globe were not only mesmerized by but identified with the magical elements of the story and a star was born – taking its place as the highest-grossing film of all time with over $2.8 billion.

According to IMDb, three additional installments to the Avatar franchise are planned with releases set for 2024, 2026, and 2028.

Curiosity and imagination combined

In his talk, Cameron brings forward the notion that curiosity and imagination are the most powerful assets of the human mind. They allow for exploration, discovery, and breakthroughs that can ultimately transform our lives and represent a potent force that essentially manifests into reality. 

I believe that the power of imagination, creativity, and lateral thinking lives in us all. It’s merely a matter of unflinchingly pushing the boundaries to rediscover – and resuscitate – that child-like curiosity. 

This has the making to unravel a world of possibilities because by harnessing your imagination and creativity, anything you envision is unquestionably within reach. 

In the great film director’s words, 

“In everything you do, failure is an option, but fear is not.” 

So set those fears aside free and embrace your curiosity to discover the world as you’ve never seen it before.  Enjoy the talk and enjoy the next journey to Pandora in December 2022!