13 Comments

I would like to study about concert pianists or composers. Are they born with that talent or can it can be achieved through hard work, education& practice or both?? I was sitting at my piano yesterday while it was playing Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky. Although Mussorgsky was a composer in the romantic period he defied that Russian style of music & created a much different style. I watched the keyboard & marveled at the technique that would be needed to play this composition. It almost brought tears to my eyes to think that a person could accomplish a piece like this? Did they give their whole life to be able to write & play like this? I recently read the book “Claude & Collet,” the life of Claude Monet. He definitely gave his life for his painting but had innate talent when he was a child but studied his entire life. How does one center only on one thing in his life?

Expand full comment

Agreed! That's a fascinating topic!

Expand full comment

I would study end of life issues. Our culture does not do end of life well and it could be so much better. I would be interested in studying how other cultures deal with dying and end of life care. I would like to study the role of an End of Life Doula- how to help guide persons and families in what should be a natural process.

Expand full comment

You'd be really good at this. David has talked about wanting to be an End of Life Doula too.

Expand full comment

Oh really? David would be great at it as well. My eyes were opened over these last years when, after the many doctors we worked with with dad, only 2 of them really addressed the issue of suffering and true end of life issues. The medical community needs educating as well-

Expand full comment

Before I made my way into the business / marketing world I was an environmental studies major for a hot second. David and I recently started watching James Cameron’s elephant docuseries on Disney+ and I think it would be extremely fascinating and rewarding to follow a group of animals for a year (whether that be elephants, lions, dolphins, turtles..). Study how they live, their community/tribe habit, food source, how climate change has effected them and how as humans we can learn from them. This is also inspired by the work of Craig Foster, who followed and studied the movements of an octopus for one year of the coast of S. Africa in the film My Octupus Teacher. If you haven’t seen this documentary, I highly recommend it. It really changes the way you think about animals, nature..

Expand full comment

This sounds fascinating, Annie! I loved My Octopus Teacher too.

Expand full comment

I loved that documentary as well.

Expand full comment

This technically is related to my profession because it's the career field I'm looking to enter in my job hunt, but I'd be really interested in researching reproductive justice and how reproductive rights have fluctuated over the years. I'd love to examine the ways that misinformation has exacerbated the inaccessibility of reproductive health, and to take it a step further, I think it would be super cool to get Planned Parenthood involved in interviews and such!

Expand full comment

We need smart people like you working to preserve and fight for reproductive justice and rights. I hope you land a position where you can harness your passion. :)

Expand full comment

Over 50 % of the world lives in urban areas. I would be interested in researching the relationship humans have between man-made environments (ie. cities) and nature. How does nature exist in our own urban backyards and what is the effect it has on us as humans?

Expand full comment

I think about this a lot. I know that walking in nature is more beneficial than walking in urban, cement-covered areas but what about walking around a lake, river, or an urban park? How much nature is enough to reduce anxiety, depression, and lower the mental load?

Expand full comment

There are so MANY things I'd love to research! Today - I'd study the benefits of walking. Walking is terrific, and there are so many benefits - physical, cognitive, mental health, nurturing relationships, environmental, etc. I'd research the impact we'd see in ourselves, our communities, our relationships, and our planet if we all drove less and walked a little more.

Expand full comment