For this special edition of Two Beats Ahead Live! in Reykjavik, Michael speaks with Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir at Iceland Innovation Week.
Lóa is a Reykjavík-based visual artist, illustrator, and entrepreneur, known for her creative studio Lóaboratorium. Her work spans comics, visual art and design objects that often feature playful, character-driven stories. In addition to her visual art and product design, Lóa is a founding member of the electro-pop band FM Belfast, where her energy and creativity come to life on stage.
In this short episode we talked about Lóa’s “accidental” careers, how the disruption of Covid was a catalyst for her entrepreneurship, and the supportive creative community in Reykjavík. We also discussed the joys of toys!
See Loa's work <a href='https://loaboratorium.com'>here</a>.

Two Beats Ahead Live! Is a podcast inspired by the book of the same name, “Two Beats Ahead: What Musical Minds Teach Us About innovation.” In the book we look into the musical minds of entrepreneurial artists and creators like Pharrell, T Bone Burnett, Imogen Heap and Hank Shocklee. When Michael moved to Iceland he was blown away by the ingenuity and creativity of so many people he met. They all could have been in our book too! This podcast felt like the best way to share their stories with the world. 

Two Beats Ahead Live! Is recorded in front of—you guessed it—live audiences in Iceland. Recording in nontraditional spaces creates an immediate energy that a quiet studio just can’t deliver. The trade off is that you may occasionally hear a passing car, a crying baby or even some microphone interference. But these sounds only add to the vibe and never get in the way of the conversation. 

If you want to learn more about the creative process, and how creative mindsets lead to entrepreneurial behaviors, then this podcast is for you. And of course, check out our book too, written by R. Michael Hendrix, the former Global Design Director of IDEO, and Panos A. Panay, president of the Recording Academy, presenter of the GRAMMYs.