Oh man! Am I so freakin’ excited! TED released the new TED iPad app yesterday and in short, my review is: AWESOME!. Last night I took some time to dive into this amazingly simple and beautiful app – it’s the most exciting app I’ve had in months (I needed something to knock Angry Birds off its pedestal). It delivers all those super cool TEDTalk videos in a slick and simple user interface. Thel iPad-only features for exploring, saving and watching make for a much improved experience from their website – if that’s possible.

I love the catalog of 800 TEDTalks. I love the time-centric custom play list. My fav is the “Inspire Me” light bulb in the lower-left corner which reveals videos by category. The app is free and can be downloaded through the App Store in iTunes. Best video watching experience on my iPad yet!

Posted by: Corwin Hiebert

Last year we tried Facebook advertising and we quickly abandoned it as it just seemed to pushy and desperate. In stark contrast, we really enjoyed the organic, and supportive nature, of our Twitter feed @CREATIVEMIXca. What I mean by supportive is that through the cunning use of RTs and ‘follows’ we were able to help other creative people, projects, and events spread the word about what THEY were doing. Besides – it’s just plain ‘ol fun! That felt like a much better way to meet the needs of Vancouver creatives while at the same time giving people a chance to check-out what we’re doing. In preparation for this year’s conference I wanted to continue that trend of helping other local creatives but I knew I needed help; enter Destin:

Destin is a lover of the written word and a social media aficionado.  By day she contributes her communications skills and pr savvy to the non-profit world – helping to make the world a better place one tweet, post and like at a time.  While comfortable using 140 characters or less she can also be found conversing and sharing her thoughts in formats permitting higher character values – like on her blog, I do, Vancouver .  Although she revels in conversation in the online realm she would rather meet you face to face over a cup of coffee or a pint of dark beer – preferably locally made!

Together, Destin and I Follow, RT, DM, @Reply on @creativemixCA. We’re likeminded creatives and I’m thrilled to have her on our team.

Want to follow our lists?
@CREATIVEMIXca/vancouvercreativespaces
@CREATIVEMIXca/vancouvercreativepeople
@CREATIVEMIXca/vancouvercreativeevents

Posted by Corwin Hiebert

Well, how about this for a little creative story-telling (and a clever marketing tool)! Our friends at Ethical Bean Coffee have gone hi-Tech when it comes to their packaging. Ethical Bean Coffee latest coffee packaging and design is absolutely unbelievable! Each bag of coffee is equipped with its own unique 2D barcode which can be scanned using a free Ethical Bean iPhone app or entered manually on their website.

This crazy-cool feature gives us the opportunity to watch interviews with farmers, look up cupping notes and roast profiles, and Google Map each bag’s beans down to the exact field they were grown in, all from the grocery aisle. Awesome!

In a market that is flooded with ‘fair-trade-washing’ I really like this idea because it shows a whole new level of transparency and it provides me with an interesting story about the beverage I take nearly as seriously as communion (multiple times a day to… don’t read into that to much).

I know what you’re thinking, that it’s over the top. Well, hold on there techno-bum, we’re already label-conscious, why not be source-conscious? And why not make it as easy as possible? I get it, and I like it.

Wanna go for coffee? There’s an app for that.

Want their segment on GlobalBC:

Posted by: Corwin Hiebert

We heard about Natalie Purschwitz a few months ago but during a CREATIVEMIX meeting earlier today her name, and her MakeShift project, came up in conversation yet again as a great example of creative people doing creative things right in our own backyard. Seeing how she’s fresh on the mind I’d better pass this along quick before I get distracted again. Check it out! -Corwin Hiebert

MakeShift is an art and research project that examines the relationships between ‘making’, ‘clothing’ and ‘living’. The basic premise for the project is that for a period of one year starting on September 1st, 2009, Natalie wears only things that she’s made herself. That’s right – she’s working diligently to make all of her  clothes, socks, shoes, underwear, coats, jackets, hats, bathing suits, accessories and anything else she might need to protect her body from the elements while trying to lead a fulfilling life.

Why is she doing this you ask? She’s hoping to gain some understanding of the limitations of clothing and how they affect the development of ideology. Wow. We thought this was a craft project, guess not. Natalie is striving to examine the role of clothing as a form of cultural production.

She’s also got a great online store for those who want to save themselves the hassle of sewing, gluing, weaving, stitching, and molding their own wardrobe – it’s called Hunt & Gather.

Visit her blog and visit her store.

]]> http://creativemix.ca/makeshift/feed/ 0 http://creativemix.ca/604freelancecamp/ http://creativemix.ca/604freelancecamp/#comments Sun, 30 May 2010 01:27:01 +0000 Corwin http://creativemix.ca/?p=1851 I had a GREAT time at the inaugural Freelance Camp (604-style) today at The Network Hub. I had the privileged to host a session called “How to Manage a Creative Project” which was a lot of fun. I wasn’t ‘teaching’ it but in the classic un-conference-like fashion I shared my thoughts and feelings on the subject and then simply tried to ask decent questions and respond to queries and comments from the group. Now, I did come somewhat prepared but the session seemed to roll along with out me really looking at my notes; so, in the spirit of transparency – here’s what I meant to say, or at least what I “officially” planned to say.

Posted by: Corwin Hiebert

How to Manage a Creative Project

Do you remember the A-Team? It was a T.V. show from the 1980’s and I loved it! My favorite character was Hannibal and I really got a kick out of his signature phrase, “I love it when a plan comes together.” He was right. There’s nothing better than a good plan.

Now it’s true that a creative professional’s day-to-day work looks a bit different than the A-Team’s (you’re probably not apprehending gun smugglers using 2×4’s and a jack-in-the-box filled with gasoline) but my guess is you’re doing a lot of planning. Planning for an upcoming creative endeavor, a project for yourself or a client, or preparing for your next marketing effort. Your day is made up of a whole bunch of to-do items there can be a lot of things to get done in a very short amount of time, and not too mention, enough detail to make your head spin. One of the best ways to save time is to throw away the checklists, post-it notes, and inbox-jamming emails and start managing your work like a collection of projects. And you, you’re the project manager. When your work is well planned, the chances are that you, and everyone involved, will have a great experience and the good guys will win. See, I did learn something from all that T.V.

Side Note: So often when people think of project management they think of gantt charts. Gantt charts don’t usually work for creative people or projects; not that understanding dependencies and such isn’t a good thing, but the visual representation of minutia in a linear and data-crammed way can scare people off.

I recommend treating everything you do in terms of projects. To some this may seem obvious but the truth is that everyone plans and works differently and many people, especially, creative people, feel that too much planning sucks the life out of them. I don’t feel this way. I find creativity within the spreadsheets and agenda items; sometimes I find creative inspiration only once I know the details are properly planned. The truth is a creative project is rarely planned in isolation; clients, staff, suppliers, family, friends, volunteers, or other stakeholders are involved. Sometimes, a big part of your job is to plan and organize these people. Creatives often make the mistake of holding onto tasks too tightly (maybe it’s the perfectionist within us); don’t fall into that trap. If you spend half as much time managing people as you do completing tasks, you’ll be thrilled with the results.

When it comes to the tasks, make it easy on yourself: write down each parent category—like if you are a photographer you’d start with: a shot list, locations, rentals, post-production, website, marketing—and then start drilling down to the major and minor tasks that need to happen in order to achieve success. Each task should fall under a parent category, be broken out into detailed subtasks, and each subtask should include information about cost, the people involved, its status, and, if you really want to get funky, percentage complete. This makes for a very robust project plan and, although it’s a ton of work early on, makes for a smooth, professionally planned project. Why do all this work? You’ll sleep better, trust me. You’ll also find a lot of repetition between projects, and you’ll have a template to work off making your job easier and saving you time. Considering you’re likely not billing for that preparation time you’ve just given yourself a pay raise for every gig you work.

Side Note: I recommend reading the following books:

• Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality – Scott Belsky
• Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity – Hugh MacLeod

Militant project managers can be found in many industries, such as construction, software development, and aerospace to name a few. For the independent creative professional, creativity only takes you so far, and instead of relying on being able to make sense of the chaos that can easy ensue during a creative project, why not plan in such a way that chaos isn’t even in the picture. The truth is that I’d be out of a job if everyone used this methodology and a couple simple online tools; however, I’m confident that creativity will always win out and that someone is going to be stuck with the details, enter manager.

ACTION ITEM: To manage yourself, use Smartsheet or ActionMethod or BaseCamp. Track the details of each task, assignment, and budget item online using a secure site that can function like a virtual office. Once you invite them to view your worksheet, stakeholders can be automatically notified of changes or reminded of due dates specific to the tasks they’ve been assigned. I’m a big fan of Smartsheet – so, if you want to give it a spin, click on the affiliate link below to sign-up for a free account: http://www.smartsheet.com?u=EV1006152

Note: This content can also be found in Corwin Hiebert’s ebook: Growing The VisionMonger, 10 Things a Manager Can Teach You About Running & Growing Your Business - which is available on Craft & Vision for just $5.

TEDTalk – How Great Leaders Inspire Action by Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership all starting with a golden circle and the question “Why?” His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers.

Ignore Everybody
I’m not sure what I can say that hasn’t already been said about MacLeod’s latest book Ignore Everybody And 39 Other Keys to Creativity (mostly because it came out awhile ago and I just read it now). If you’ve read it I’d love to hear from you. I also really loved his other book which I did a short blog post on last year (I seem to be a year behind – lame eh?): http://creativemix.ca/how-to-be-creative/

First off, I have to say that this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to, or already does, make a living through idea making or has a creative pursuit of any kind. I’m serious.

Secondly, here’s a few highlights that really stood out to me:

• #2 – The idea doesn’t have to be big. It just has to be yours. As creative people we strive to birth something that is unique but we so often fall into the trap of trying to come up with something EPIC. Or, we think it’s epic and are disappointed when those around us aren’t blown away by our inspired idea. Don’t focus on the magnitude, focus on the authenticity of your ideas.
• #3 – Put the hours in. Yeah – it’s no secret, work hard at something you love and it ‘might’ pay off because what other choice do you have? Work hard, work harder, work till you drop so that when barriers pop up you’ll know that it’s not from a lack of trying. Don’t leave anything on the table, especially time.
• #8 – Keep your day job. No poop Sherlock. Oh wait, that’s a good point. If you put in major time on the side you’ll have a much better idea of what it would be like to turn your passion into your job. If the goal is to create then don’t add pressure on yourself to pay the bills with your creation unless you have to OR it’s built up in such a way that it’s viable. Maybe just don’t take your day job to seriously.
• #10 – Companies that squelch creativity can no longer compete with companies that champion creativity. I’m not really qualified to speak to this one (I’m in sole proprietor land) but I think we’re seeing a major shift in corporate culture: there are companies that foster creativity and those who have training manuals and productivity seminars. If you’re at a job that embraces individuality and personal workflow then count your luck stars. If you’re a leader in a company be sure to celebrate those hard working peeps with the opportunity to contribute to the company without suffocating them with unnecessary processes and conference calls.
• #28 – The best way to get approval is to not need it. Good ideas aren’t always liked by everyone. Be confident. Repeat after me: “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and dog-on-it I don’t care if people like my idea”.

Ignore Everybody And 39 Other Keys to Creativity is a really quick read but don’t let that fool you – it’s packed with groovy moments that will give you a lifetime of ass kickin’.

Posted by: Corwin Hiebert

“OnGray was a project that developed simply from the desire to do something random and creative with friends.” – Dave Delnea

Creative collaboration is a huge part of Delnea’s work. As a photographer and creative director he’s one of those true creatives, a real artist that loves playing and working hard at his craft. I’ve known Dave for about a year now and I can honestly say he’s brilliant, a real creative visionary. What stands out to me is that he doesn’t create in isolation – he’s always looking around to find collaborators.

The original concept behind OnGray was that Dave would get a few friends together and shoot a few pictures in front of a gray backdrop. It turns out a little vision goes a long way. As the idea developed it started to take on a bit of a vintage feel and soon involved stills, motion and a cast/crew of about 14 people. Dave’s posted the images in his Project Portfolio and there’s a fun behind the scenes video below too. I was involved at a production level – I’m the dork int he blue stripped sweater.

What I love about being around Dave is that he craves creative experiences in community. He’s passionate about getting to hang out with fun and brilliant creative people, being inspired by people with skill sets completely different from his own, and to be part of creating something that’s beyond what he ever could have come up with himself. If that doesn’t deserve a CREATIVEMIX shout-out I don’t know what does. You might remember Dave from last year’s CREATIVEMIX – he hosted the Photographer’s Den in the Exhibition. If you weren’t there then you have no idea what I’m talking about – but don’t feel bad. Nudge-nudge, wink-wink, know what I mean, eh? eh?.

Posted by: Corwin Hiebert

Now, for whatever reason, my brain got sidetracked the other day with all of the things that I HATE about events (and event-related marketing) and I went OFF on a mental tangent that produced some totally useless but funny images (at least to me, I giggled as I photoshoped). So, I’m going to call this a little window into everything that I think is sick and wrong with respect to events. Here’s some event promotion FAIL items that I’ve received in the past when attending an event, conference, or tradeshow – I thought it would be fun to stick our graphic on them; a couple at the end are just for fun – I got carried away.

Stress Squeeze Toy	Silly Putty
Logo Launcher	Game Cube
Frisbee	Credit Card
Snuggie Blanket	Pack of Smokes

Now I have to get back to work. The moral of the story is: cut out the crap.

We’re going to continue with what we did last year: keep things simple like not giving people a name badge or a printed program and making everyone use ceramic coffee cups filled with Ethical Bean Coffee – that kind of stuff. How we’re going to get people there is still being worked out. Chime in if you like.

So if you’re planning an event do the world a favour and don’t destroy the earth one tchotchke at a time. If you need gifts or giveaways for your event be smart and order it from Saul Good Gift Co.

Posted by: Corwin Hiebert [This post can also be seen on The Red Wagon Blog] ]]> http://creativemix.ca/promo-fail/feed/ 1 http://creativemix.ca/creative-events-the-cheaper-show-9/ http://creativemix.ca/creative-events-the-cheaper-show-9/#comments Wed, 05 May 2010 18:46:36 +0000 Corwin http://creativemix.ca/?p=1724 Hey! Get out and buy art on June 26, 2010! The Cheaper Show is an authentic highly-acclaimed, experiential event and we’re totally going! You should come too!

The Cheaper Show removes barriers between talented emerging artists, buyers, curators, gallery directors and collectors, creating new channels for engaged interaction. How cool is that?! And, it’s no small time affair, they showcase hundreds of multi-disciplined artists, based solely on their artistic merit, offering the works at one affordable price (every piece is $200), regardless of market value. What started as a modest show created by three artists needing a platform to display their art, The Cheaper Show has grown in to the largest, single-night, cultural art event in Western Canada.

Here’s a CREATIVEMIX shout-out to our friends and fellow art-makers+lovers at the Cheaper Show. See you there!

Posted by: Corwin Hiebert

The Cheaper Show No. 9 from The Cheaper Show on Vimeo.

Posted by: Corwin Hiebert