Okay, let’s face it… buttons are cool. I remember collecting buttons when I was in elementary school and they were nowhere near as cool as they are today. Do you remember those really big ones? As a 10-year old I had these massive buttons from events like EXPO 86 and by my favourite pop stars like Corey Hart; I think I even had one of the A-Team… or was it Airwolf?
Buttons have evolved… big time, but thank goodness they’ve gotten smaller. And what’s really cool about living in this modern age of buttonness (fake word) is that anyone can make them! Artists and nerds, social activists and marketing wizards, anyone and everyone can make their own one-off button, a collectors series, or a gang-run of thousands. I had some made for the Camp Moomba Yogathon back in 2008 and they were so much fun to share and use as a conversation starter. Personally, I don’t wear them on my clothes but I like sticking them to a bag or on a cork board. I think a jean jacket is the ideal “canvas” for 1-inch buttons but I haven’t worn a jean jacket since 1988 (forgetting, of course, the denim relapse of 2003) so I’m not likely to start flashin’ the hot action at my next meeting any time soon.
Well, if you haven’t yet guessed where I was going with this… on October 22nd you’ll be able to make your own buttons at CREATIVEMIX! Chris Bentzen, from This is Plan B, will be bringing his button making magic to the Creative Exhibition so we can all get in on the action! How cool is that!
Special note: CREATIVEMIX is more than a conference, there will also be a Creative Exhibition which will be open to the public. Visit the Exhibition page to learn more about the hands-on stations like button making, painting, and photography. As well, if you want to show off your own creativity (or that of your company) please contact us right away as there’s limited space for exhibitors.
Posted by: Corwin Hiebert
——————————-
Check-out the action from the 2008 event
Now, whether you’re an artist, a button-wearing junkie, or just a curious creative you’ll want to attend their big event coming up. Here’s the details:
Event title: Hot One Inch Action
Date: Saturday Nov 7, 2009
Time: Trading starts at 8:00pm
Location: W2 @ Flack Block Gallery (157 Hastings)
They’re bringing together 50 artists, 50 buttons, and some hot button trading action with Vancouver’s hottest art audience. Conceived by Jim Hoehnle and Chris Bentzen in 2004, Hot One Inch Action is the original, one-night only show of art, music and social interaction.
The original work of fifty different artists will be chosen to be presented on one inch buttons. These one inch buttons are displayed on the gallery wall and the audience is offered the opportunity to buy randomly selected buttons in bags of five. If the bag purchased does not have the desired button, you are invited to trade with the people around you. How bad do you want that button?
Chris and Jim are now accepting submissions. It’s free to submit artwork and chosen artists receive 20 free copies of their button. Only one submission per artist. Check out details on hotoneinchaction.com. Submission deadline is Friday October 30 at noon.
Steve Martin is one of the most diversified performers and this is truly a rare opportunity to go behind the curtain with this amazing comedian, actor, author, playwright, producer and musician. Pre-sale tickets are now available to comedyfest club members.
So, here’s a CREATIVEMIX shout-out to the team at Destination Funny for bringing this inspiring entertainer to Vancouver.
Be there or be square (and leave your banjo at home).
Have you read Tribes by Seth Godin? I just finished this bite-sized book, my first by Godin, and though I’m not all that keen on the writing style (a bit too blog-ish) I do feel it was time well spent. I love to read and sometimes when things are busier than normal it’s nice to have a light book that can spark ideas, drum up good feelings, and give a little positive reinforcement along the way; Tribes did this for me.
Since starting my own event production company I’ve never been busier than this past month (Camp Moomba Yogathon & GeoWeb – just two weeks apart). The next big event on the calendar is CREATIVEMIX and I just can’t switch gears that fast (yogi-fest to geospatial uber-tech to artsy-fartsy think tank) so I needed something to ease my brain into a place where I could make that transition. I needed an exercise that would help me prepare for the next 10 weeks of planning. Ultimately I needed to focus on what truly matters when it comes to working towards CREATIVEMIX: building community.
I loved reading Tribes because it spoke directly to the unique planning effort for CREATIVEMIX (and gave me a buzz word to attach to all this work, hehe). We’re calling it Vancouver’s Ideation Conference but it is much more than a conference. The event, by its nature, requires the existence of a community – both before, during, and after October 22. In the spirit of all things Godin, it requires a tribe in order for it to be successful, to truly contribute to the lives of creative people.
The scary part is… one just can’t create a tribe. Despite all the high praise for social and viral marketing it would be foolish to think that we could spontaneously muster up a group of people that want to attend an event like this. Even if we could it’s not how we’d want it to happen – generating demand is overrated with respect to event marketing, meeting demand is vital. When Eileen and I birthed this event (read Behind it All) it came out of a desire to simply connect our creative friends together. That’s it. We’re surrounded by so many inspiring people that it felt like if we don’t do this we’ll miss out on all the fun. When we started planning CREATIVEMIX we’d talk it up with friends as well as people we had just met to see what the response would be and it was clear right from the get-go that it resonated with people (phew). Since January we’ve dedicated ourselves to the discovery of, and connection to, as many local creative leaders and tribes as possible. How fun is that?!
The result has has looked, at times, like we’re pulling together a macro-tribe, though that sounds grander than necessary, even a bit cyborg-ish, sorry. The fact of the matter is: creative people want to be around other creative people and we’re honoured to contribute to that cause. Godin says that “Tribes are about faith – about belief in an idea and in a community” and our hope is that CREATIVEMIX will be a gathering of Vancouverites who share our passion for, and dependence on, creativity, creative expression, and idea making. We want to celebrate and foster the cross-pollination of creativity. We want to see as many tribes come together as possible so that each person can take their own creativity to the next level and contribute to the growth of their own tribes.
We’re having a blast discovering all these tribes, especially the heretic leaders behind them, and we’re really excited about how this CREATIVEMIX community is coming together.
Tell us about your tribe! Okay – now it’s your turn. Our city is full of creative groups, clubs, teams, companies, meetups, projects, charities, schools, and clusters of friends that feed and grow the creative spirit in Vancouver. We want hear about them all! Leave a comment below, send us a DM (@CREATIVEMIXca), or post a comment on our Facebook Fan Page and tell us about the creative tribe(s) you lead or are a part of.
I realize Dirty Apron Cooking School was just mentioned in the July Mashup post but we’ve received word this morning that they’re opening up the school this Saturday (August 8, 2009) for a sneak peek so we’re spreading the word. From 2-5pm be sure to swing by for the open house. It’s at 540 Beatty Street (between Dunsmir & West Pender, one building North of Chambar Restaurant) to check-out the store, the school, and meet the gang behind it all… especially chef David Robertson. Eileen and I will be there; hope you will too.
Okay, don’t shoot me. I know it’s been awhile since my last post but I’ll make it up to you as this post is called the July Mashup as it features a number of bits (and bobs) that you’ll find groovy, cool, and creative gosh darnit.
The scoop is this: Jamble makes it super easy to whip-up wicked music mashups making you sound like a pro-DJ. Seriously – it’s really fun! At the launch party Eileen and I test drove Jamble and had an absolute riot! I stunk, Eileen’s got the skills though. If it wasn’t for the big 200-watt speakers I think I could have gotten the hang of it but I was way to self conscious. I was having the hardest time “spinning” The Pussycat Dolls and David Bowie without getting side tracked by Vanilla Ice (you know the song I’m talkin’ about) and my Gr.8 homeboy M.C. Hammer. Anywho – get the app – it’s crazy fun.
Next in line, in case you missed it, David duChemin’s new book Within the Frame is selling like crazy! His second book: Vision Mongers is set to come out this Fall. David’s wildly popular Pixelated Image Blog is a great addition to your RSS feed if you haven’t done so already.
If you’re a foodie, or an “eatie” then you’ll want to check-out The Dirty Apron Cooking School. The school opens August 12, 2009 and will be a premier culinary facility accessable to the average person. Here’s a little taste of what to expect:
The Dirty Apron Cooking School is Vancouver’s most exciting culinary playground.
It’s a place for amateur cooks, the curious and professionals alike to learn, explore, and unleash their inner chef.
It’s a joint venture between Karri and Nico Schuermans and former Chambar Sous-Chef David Robertson.
Two styles of classes are offered: hands-on and demonstration.
The demonstration classes are guided over two hours offering students a chance to watch, follow along, and then taste the results with the chef.
Both classes will be followed by a group dinner in the cooking school’s private dining room.
Some creative peeps of ours get a serious shout-out. Eoin Finn, Insiya Rasiwala, Karen Robertson, Judy Chambers, Saul Brown, Joan deVerteuil, and Jodi Carter gave rockin’ leadership and creative energy to the 7th annual Camp Moomba Yogathon & Blissfest. Eileen and I proudly produce Canada’s largest outdoor yoga event with these amazing people all in the name of raising awareness and support for the Western Canadian Pediatric AIDS Society. Oh… and big blessings to our charity main-man Luke Balson (Exec. Director).
Our friends (and fellow creative mixers) Stephen and Jane Cox are cookin’ up Volume #7 of Pecha Kucha Night Vancouver. The skinny is that they’re aiming for late August or early September. So keep an eye on the site for the details.
Be sure to swing by the Jennifer Kostuik Gallery July 27 — August 9 to see Concepts to Draw Upon (drawings by Laura Bell, Aron Hill, Marianne Lovink, Jennifer Stead, and Reece Terris). This amazing gallery is in Yaletown (on Homer Street, between Helmecken and Nelson). The exhibition offers a fresh look at birds, microscopic organisms and large scale forests. Of special interest is a collection of Terris’s architectural renderings of scaled apartments from the decade of the 1960s to the year 2000. It’s a great space and continually has great exhibits. A must see.
Find your inner illustrator, build an animated representation of yourself, tell stories, or just have fun making random drawings; Do-it-Yourself comics is the name of the game at Pixton.com.
Creator Clive Goodinson, and his Vancouver-based Pixton Comics Inc., is a leading developer of innovative social media applications. They’ve launched a killer website that every social media user should check-out. The quick scoop is this: it’s free, the comics are viewable to non-users, they’re sharable, and the DIY web-app is absolutely the coolest thing ever! It’s a perfect tool for those of us who can’t draw worth a darn.
The feature that seems to get a lot of action is “remix”. Your friends can add onto your comic without screwing up your original build – how great is that! The idea of building comics in community is pretty cool.
What’s really got my attention as of late is their education campaign:
“Pixton for Schools, a private, virtual classroom that integrates their award-winning comic creation software in a fun web-based learning environment. Pixton for Schools lets teachers and students create, publish, and share their own comics – without having to draw. A powerful and intuitive comic editor makes it easy to design characters, insert props, and add speech bubbles – all within the comic pane. Characters can be articulated, their facial expressions changed, and attributes such as hair and clothing style selected, simply by clicking and dragging.” Read more at Pixton.com.
So, this is a CREATIVEMIX shout out to our friends at Pixton. Good one.
No, don’t run for cover. There’s no immediate threat – unless you don’t have a creative bone in your body, which we seriously doubt. Just be sure to keep an eye on the creative bomb of a blog called BOOOOOOOM.
Vancouver’s Jeff Hamada, designer and creative cheerleader, curates an amazing blog full of dangerously cool and creative people, images, ideas, projects, and stories. When speaking at Pecha Kucha Night Vancouver – Volume #6 he revealed his own art (mostly from his childhood – the Stegosaurus wearing jeans playing the saxophone was our favourite) and told some great stories about connecting and collaborating with creative people all over the world through his blog.
BOOOOOOOM is truly an inspiring site to click through but one shouldn’t stop there. Participating in the creative mayhem is highly encouraged and is a ton of fun, so don’t click and run – join in! Our recommendation is: haul out the RSS artillery and sign-up for duty. So, here’s a shout out to Jeff and his WMC (Weapon of Mass Creativity) BOOOOOOOM.
Art, Music and Live Performance
The Vancouver Art Gallery‘s late Friday art affair is back tomorrow night (Friday, May 29) with a non-stop line-up of music, performance, and artistic encounters throughout the Gallery. This installment of FUSE will include karaoke of a different sort by The Weekend Leisure Leisurely Club, “period” hairstyles by donation (courtesy of Gloss Hair Salon), exhibition tours by comedienne Riel Hahn, original compositions by cellist Cris Derksen, classics reinterpreted by the Chor Leoni Men’s Choir, and new-school dance by the response., and more.
Tickets can be purchased online for just $20.50+tax.
More About Fuse
On select Fridays, the Vancouver Art Gallery transforms into THE place for art, music and live performance in the city. Since its inception in July 2005, thousands of Fuse-goers have converged at the Gallery for this unique adult event. Live performances in the Gallery spaces, DJs, eclectic Gallery tours and unexpected surprises have made Fuse Vancouver’s favourite see-and-be-seen event.
In case you missed it, which many did because it sold out two weeks prior, Pecha Kucha Vancouver – Volume #6 was last week and it was a home run! The line-up was amazing; great talks, powerful stories, and as always a lot of laughs and clanking beer bottles. A presenter that caught our attention was Jesse Savath of SALAZAR.
Jesse, a director and photographer, told of his traveling videographer days with Ben Harper (his cousin actually) and it was great to be reminded that committing to a creative endeavor in haste is always the right move. He had never used a video camera before. Ever. From the moment he committed to shooting the video to the first day on set he had one week. Wow. He bought the gear, flew to California, unpacked, and quickly read the manual (thank goodness Ben was late). In short, here’s a CREATIVEMIX shout out to Jesse and his passion for living the life of a creative regardless of the risk.
When it comes to his work it’s hard not to be impressed. Jesse is the producer of SALAZAR – a motion picture collective, a Vancouver-based film crew, and they produce some killer stuff. Don’t take our word for it, check-out a music video they did – it’s groovy:
CREATIVEMIX speaker, and Vancouver’s very own, David duChemin has released his first book and let’s just say that WTF is an appropriate response to its success. Yeah – the shortname ranks high on the provocative list but that’s not what’s getting everyone’s attention. Within the Frame: A Journey of Photographic Vision is a powerful book that has a lot to say about the how-to of photography which is only the beginning. David has delivered an epic book that goes deep into the why. He inspires the pro (and the not-s0-pro) to find and express their vision photographically, specifically where people, places, and culture are concerned. PeachPit released the book just a couple weeks ago and the response has tripped the WTF radar when it comes to sales. Though still in the infancy stage of landing on shelves online sales at Amazon.com are through the roof.
The popularity of David’s blog PixelatedImage and his fast-growing Twitter community has propelled staggering feedback and book sales. Follow him for just a few days and you’ll see that he’s clearly an exceptional writer, skilled communicator, lover of the craft, and coach for all kinds of “creatives”.
WTF is striking a chord in amateur and professional photographers alike and is connecting with people in a way that is setting itself up as a must-read for anyone who has ever looked through the lens of a camera. So, the skinny is: it’s a damn good book and David’s casual, impassioned voice comes through whether he’s talking about shutter speed or having tea in Cairo. You’ll want to buy a couple books, one to keep and one to give as a gift. Seriously.
Pecha Kucha Night, is a world-wide phenomenon and it happens right here in Vancouver. It’s an evening filled with inspiration, creativity, and artistic passion. Volume #6 is happening May 21, 2009 (7:00pm) at the Park Theatre (3440 Cambie Street) – it’s only $10 and it sells out so purchase your tickets online ASAP.
Never heard of Pecha Kucha before? Here’s how it works: each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each – giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show. It’s kinda like show and tell for creatives (but don’t worry, it’s not commercial).
Pecha Kucha (which is Japanese for the sound of conversation) has tapped into a demand for a forum in which creative work can be easily and informally shown, without having to rent a gallery or chat up a magazine editor. This is a† demand that seems to be global – as Pecha Kucha Night, without any pushing, has spread virally to over 100 cities across the world.
The presenters for Volume #6 are:
Michael Green > Architect > McFarlane Green Biggar Architecture & Design
Marian Bantjes > Graphic Designer > Marian Bantjes
Chris Bentzen > Freelance print designer, artist > This Is Plan B
Julia Kwan > Filmmaker > Fire Horse Productions
Toby Barratt> Designer/ Owner> Propellor Design
Jonathan Kassian > Economist > VED
Linus Lam & Denise Liu > Creator / Editor > Artsy-Dartsy.com
Erin Boniferro > Artist + Educator > Western Front Society, Collage Collage
Jesse Savath> Director/Photographer > SALAZAR
Julie Gendron > Designer > Desiring Productions
Bill Pechet > Principal > Pechet and Robb Art and Architecture Ltd.
Jeff Hamada > Designer/ Editor > Booooooom.com
Okay, let’s face it… buttons are cool. I remember collecting buttons when I was in elementary school and they were nowhere near as cool as they are today. Do you remember those really big ones? As a 10-year old I had these massive buttons from events like EXPO 86 and by my favourite pop stars like Corey Hart; I think I even had one of the A-Team… or was it Airwolf?
Subscribe by email
Subscribe by RSS feed
Follow on Twitter
Facebook