#sparkchamber 091817 Istvan Molnar-Szakacs

It is a pleasure to welcome Istvan Molnar-Szakacs to the #sparkchamber today! Istvan is an adventurer, neuroscientist, husband, yogi, doggy-daddy, and lover of nature. He's published research articles on action and gesture perception, autism, empathy, and has co-developed the Shared Affective Motion Experience (SAME) model of music perception. [Some fascinating articles on music in the brain: with music, you're never alone, “Music creates the sense of social belonging,” the brain's music circuit, “Music is a universal phenomenon,” and a mind for music, “It’s like the brain is on fire when you’re listening to music.”]

He has tried his hand at painting, drawing, sewing and fashion design, and wants to do some writing soon. Istvan is always trying to find the balance between doing more yoga and eating less food. He lives outside Montreal.

1.] Where do ideas come from?
From the serendipitous co-activation of neurons, right place, right time, triggered by a variety of sensory experiences — immersion in nature, silence, the opposite of silence, and at the crossroads between sleep and wakefulness.

2.] What is the itch you are scratching? 
The fear of not being able, or having enough time, to express all the things I feel inside before I die.

3.] Early bird or night owl, tortoise or hare? 
Yes. Tortoise before the idea comes, hare after it hits.

4.] How do you know when you are done?
My insecurities about my own creative process sometimes stop me from getting started and sometimes prevent me from knowing when I'm done.