On its third and final day, C2MTL continues to spark ideas and conversations that are sure to catch like wild fire in the days and weeks to come.
The energy in the C2 Hangar, located at 2020 William St. in Montreal’s Little Burgundy neighbourhood, is palpable and at times, overwhelming.
Several attendees mentioned feeling unexpected emotions from various talks held by notable speakers, such as Amanda Hill, CMO of A+E Networks, calling for people to “have the courage to have a point of view in this world” because “it’s become way too easy to not be smart.”
READ MORE: C2MTL looks to the future
In these tumultuous and often unpredictable times, it can be easy to feel uninspired, unimportant and quite frankly, numb.
Feelings of hopelessness can affect even the most creative and inspiring souls.
Friday’s speakers brought a sense of limitless possibilities in the creative, cultural and technological realms of our time.
Arguably, the most highly anticipated speaker of the day was the one and only Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computers, who pointed out several times during his Q&A that humour is an integral part of his work.
READ MORE: C2MTL promises hope, creativity and a whole lot of girl power
“Don’t ever give up your humour if you’re young enough,” said Wozniak, or “Woz,” as he is often affectionately called by friends and fans.
“Be nice to everyone and make sure you’re enjoying the life you have.”
What gave everyone all the feels was when Wozniak, who famously gave up much of his wealth to live a simpler and happier existence, brought insight into the very early days of Apple Computers with the following statement: “We weren’t doing it for the money, we were doing it for love.”
Heart emojis abound.
It’s a gentle reminder that the decisions we make in our lives should be made as conscious participants of the world, that ultimately, money should not be a driving force and perhaps it’s time to start solving problems with our hearts and not our minds.
A visit to C2MTL cannot be made without mentioning Hatch Experience, a global network of industry leaders dedicated to doing extraordinary work in bettering the planet.
This year, Hatch was invited to curate a specific tribe of guests for C2, including NASA’s Michelle Thaller, founder of Sphero Ian Berstein, Mark Brand, Chris Denson, Esther Lee and Tim Kring, among others.
As a network designed to catalyze creativity for a better world, Hatch also knows how to have a good time, curating a series of dinners and performances at a variety of restaurants and bars throughout the week – we are in Montreal, after all.
The festivities continue Friday night with the much-celebrated C2 closing party, featuring Montreal’s very own duo Chromeo as the headlining DJs.
I imagine there will be many missed flights Saturday morning, perhaps with people pondering Steve Wozniak’s final thoughts on happiness:
“Happiness equals food, fun and friends.”
In the end, the best thing about C2MTL is the formation of new, international friendships and connections along a backdrop of food, music and culture in the beautiful city of Montreal.
Ariane Laezza is the founder/creative director of Art&Industry.
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