Originally presented by Kathryn Worthington at Designkitchen Chicago on December 3rd, 2012 This presentation is part of the bi-weekly Monday morning lecture series. DKers present topics they are passionate about to the entire company in about 7 minutes.

1. THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS
GERMAN LITERATURE, ART, LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
12/5/2012

2. As Planners our
purpose is to help
inspire
ideas, innovation and
connections with
people, brands and
culture.

3. I think in two different
languages. When I find myself
staring at a blank slate in
English, I start thinking in
German.
This helps me tap into
different parts of the brain to
create unexpected
connections and inspire ideas.

4. Today, I will share with you the ways the German
language, culture and art have inspired me in my
work. In true German style, we will have a sing along
4 | 12/5/2012
and a test.

5. My German Literature
degree is from
University of Vienna
where I spent
weekends at Mozart
festivals and developed
a thick southern
German accent
(So, yeah...my accent is
kind of hillbilly German).

6. The Germans have
always had a flair for
dramatic
persuasion, as
evidenced in this
classic tale designed
to rid children of the
unsanitary habit of
sucking their thumb.
-Heinrich Hoffman’s Struwwelpeter

7. In addition to gruesome children’s stories, I
also love German poetry.
Everyone together now say:
“Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön”
Test: the first person to name the origin of this
wins the favor of the teacher and a Mozartkugeln.
Extra prize for anyone who sings.

8. You just told me that I am enchantingly lovely.
Why… thank you!

9. German poetry is beautiful to
me because it’s more about
stress than syllable – the
interplay of the pattern
dictates the movement, so we
don’t need to be told where
the heartbeat of the poem
is, we can simply feel it.

10. German poetry was at
the core of the
Expressionist
movement which
inspired painters
seeking to express
emotional
experience, moods
and ideas.
Munch called this
painting ‘Two Women
at the Beach,’ I call it –
‘Hey lady, there’s a
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11. The zombie painting
gave rise to the
ballet, Forgotten
Land, recently
performed by the
Joffrey who wanted
to capture the
movement of the
sea as a metaphor
for constant motion;
for erosion and
renewal.

12. In the same way
music can express
ideas, thoughts and
feelings that are
difficult to put into
words, another
language can be a
broader toolkit for
expression.

13. It is argued that the best
philosophers are German
because the language itself
allows for new constructs
that express new concepts.
e.g. Gemutlichkeit:
(a situation that induces a cheerful mood, a sense of
belonging, social acceptance, coziness and unhurry).

14. Exploring new ideas and
concepts is part of German
culture.
Stammtisch is a designated
space in coffee houses set aside
for regular discussion and
debate of events, exploration
and stress testing ideas.
The intent is to wrestle with
concepts with different people
to explore new ways of thinking
14 | 12/5/2012 about the world around us.

15. Stammtisch is a lot like Planning – it’s exploring new
ways of connecting with people, culture and brands.
These are a few of my favorite things… my
inspiration sources – I ask each of us to continue
exploring our inspirations, creativity and innovation.