I don’t know how to put this… but… they’re kind of a big deal.

Everyone in Vancouver knows that Thursday is when the Georgia Straight comes out. It’s a staple in coffee shops and offices, it’s the go-to rag for left-leaning rants, arts reviews, who’s hot, and the goods on music, events, and other local on-goings. The cover of the latest issue features chef David Robertson (Dirty Apron Cooking School) and it suddenly struck me… in the last few months three CREATIVEMIX alumnists (keynote speakers from either our 2009 or 2010 conferences) have be on the cover of The Straight! Steven Cox (Cause+Affect) and Dan Mangan (New Album – Oh Fortune) make up the rest of this cover boy trio.

I think that’s pretty damn cool.

I don’t really have a point here. I simply wanted to mention that our keynote speakers, both past and present, are top-dogs in Vancouver and we’re very proud, and honoured to have such a great roster of local talent who are willing to share their insights on creativity and collaboration. Each year our speaking team delivers the goods and I’m really excited about this upcoming conference! I hope you are too!

Hey – I wonder which of our 2011 speakers will end-up on an upcoming cover of The Straight?

Posted by Corwin Hiebert

Image by Jeremy Lim.

Hello. You’ve reached THE CREATIVEMIX HOTLINE, to learn about this year’s conference please press #1.

Oh man! We’re so freakin’ excited! November 3, 2011 is the day that creativity and collaboration collide in Vancouver in the name of helping creative people gain the inspiration and insights they need to thrive as artists and services providers. This is a cross-industry, non-profit-meets-business-sector mash-up that is unparalleled in Vancouver. It’s a professional development day and a creative showcase like no other.

Back for its third year, CREATIVEMIX will be held at the Roundhouse Community Arts Centre in Yaletown and it’s going to be bigger-n-better than ever! The team behind the conference is the same but with one very special difference – the event is now proudly produced through the innovative and dynamic theatre company Boca del Lupo.

There’s a TON of info to come, including the Open Call for Submissions to have your creative project or business featured in the CREATIVE EXHIBITION and the speaker roster of course! Be sure to follow the updates on the blog, on Twitter, or Facebook.

And because it’s fun… I did want to mention something that made us smile: Anoop Aulakh (Co-Founder of QuikPiq.com, Advisor at SIFE Simon Fraser, and a cool social entrepreneur guy) had this to say about his time at CREATIVEMIX:

“CREATIVEMIX provides a new way of looking at what a conference can be. From the speakers to the delegates, CREATIVEMIX brings together people from different spaces who are clearly passionate about what they do. Looking forward to seeing what next year brings!”

Awesome.

Posted by Corwin Hiebert

Thanks to everyone for the great feedback! The program has been set and Emotus Operandi has opened registration for the April 30th workshop event Connect, Learn, Grow! You can register on their Evenbrite registration page.

It’s happening at The Hub meeting space (on Granville Island – above Sammy J. Pepper’s) and it’s going to be a great day of connecting and learning together. The sessions are specifically designed to help you, and your creative project, grow and thrive. Each workshop is 75-minutes and they’re only $20 each (discounts apply to 3+ workshops). Here’s the what’s on the program:

1. Action + Planning. To get something done, you need a plan. But sometimes the plan becomes the biggest obstacle to actually getting things done? This session provides tools for balancing big picture vision with concrete, on- the-ground action to make real progress towards important goals. Learn how to create an action plan to keep you motivated and performing.

2. Karma, Love and Money. Freelancers often have trouble putting a price on what they do. This workshop blends concrete tools (setting an hourly rate, price ceilings and floors) with some high-level concepts (value, calling, balance) and provides an opportunity to do a little math while having some deep conversations with peers.

3. Good Enough Business Plan. Everyone says you need a business plan – but what do you really need? This workshop focuses on the value AND the limitations of business plans. We’ll help you figure out how to plan, without getting stuck in the planning.

4. Action Ninja. It’s one thing to have a great idea, and quite another to make it happen. This session provides you with tools and techniques that help you break big ideas down into manageable action items and then unleash your inner Ninja to overcome barriers and actually get things done.

I’ll be there. I hope to see you too!

- Corwin Hiebert

Out of the shadows we come! It’s been a few months since the November conference and though we’re not quite ready to announce the details regarding the 2011 conference we are able to pass along a GREAT opportunity for you to check-out.

CREATIVEMIX is proud to sponsor Connect, Learn, Grow - an inspiring and invaluable day of action oriented workshops hosted by Emotus Operandi.

We are sponsoring this event, in part, because you asked for it! After all the praise and love and gush-gush from last year’s conference died down we were able to gather some precious feedback regarding the needs of local creatives. What we heard was: you want more ideas on how to move a creative project forward (personal or business), you want to build collaborations and put some concrete tools in place so your project(s) can thrive. So we’re doing just that.

This interactive day of workshops will be on April 30th and we think you’ll want to be there. The day is all about you and your project, but to make this work we need to hear from you! What will make the day most useful for you? Please take a moment to fill in this quick, informal survey by clicking the “Choose Your Own Adventure” button below. This survey will give you a chance to help create the workshop program and make darn sure the day delivers the goods for YOU. Check it out!

A Post-it Note from the giant sticky comment wall at CREATIVEMIX 2010

The reviews are in. Here’s what people had to say about their experience at CREATIVEMIX 2010:

“CREATIVEMIX is a great place to network, get inspired and tap into the creative community in Vancouver. We had a blast and are already looking forward to next year.” – Christa LeCraw, VanArts

“Creative inspiration! It’s mishmash of fresh ideas and perspectives, good ol’ fashioned creative fun.” - Kim McMullen, Flipside Creative

“It was a well planned event that had good energy within a casual atmosphere. There were lots of people interested in what was actually happening and what people had to say rather than just passing out cards to try to make their own thing happen; people seemed to understand that sometimes it’s nice to make something new together.” – Steve Wright, Sound and Music Workshops

“Very inspirational! A great way to meet a diverse collection of people from a variety of backgrounds with common interests and inspirations. Definitely a good place to be. We need more of them – how about two or three a year?” – Sushant Sound, MetroLeap Media

“I found CREATIVEMIX a fresh approach for people who do creative work. By bringing in people of different artistic/creative disciplines it’s a great way to hear about and learn about how others work. Stimulating!” - John McLachlan

“Very interactive and the presentations give people a new perspective on ways to view and interpret new and different ideas. The speakers do a fantastic job of putting the audience in their shoes and describing how they use their creativity to achieve success in specific industries. Makes you think. Inspiring. Enough said.” – Kira Campbell

“CREATIVEMIX is innovative and unique in the way we’re encouraged to share and collaborate with other creatives and bring everybody to the same level. There is no “I’m at the top of my class and I am speaking down to you, because I know it all”. The environment is very open and driven towards personal as well as community success. I came away inspired, excited, ready to create and collaborate!” – Sharon Barnes

Ah, gee. Thanks everyone! Stay tuned for 2011 details! -Corwin & Eileen

Slideshow:

CREATIVEMIX 2010 – Event Day from CREATIVEMIX on Vimeo.

Flickr Set (by Jeremy Lim):

VanArts CREATIVEEX Display – Stop Motion Clip:

Stop-Motion Jam @ Creative Mix 2010 from VanArts on Vimeo.

Mighty Ugly CREATIVEEX Display – Time lapse:

Sharon Barnes Blog Post:

Leah Gregg Blog Post:

Just a quick shout out to our amazing partners The Roundhouse – CREATIVEMIX is on page 14 of the Fall/Winter program guide. We think that’s totally awesome! The Roundhouse is a beautiful venue and is a perfect fit for our conference; we’re just so darn glad for their involvement. So, if you’ve got your hands on one of those mags then be sure to turn to page 14, made a big nodding motion with your head and say “Mmmmmm… interesting!” really loud.

This is the second CREATIVE TALK VIDEO from 2009. There were 11 keynote speakers at CREATIVEMIX last year this was the talk that got it all going. Enjoy and share!-Corwin Hiebert

David Aiken (AKA The Checkerboard Guy) is a comedy juggler who’s passion for being on stage has lead him to come up with creative ways to ensure that being on stage happens on a regular basis. In his CREATIVEMIX 2009 talk David spoke on Finding Convergency When Juggling Creative Ideas.

Be it in the designing and building of his shows to his pursuit of performance opportunities in various markets (everything from street performances to working with Symphony Orchestras) to how he promotes himself to these markets, creative thinking is at the heart of identifying the challenges involved and coming up with innovative solutions. So clearly we had to give this guy a mic; besides, anyone who’s been able to make a living as a juggler for 28 years must be doing something right.

One of the great things about his keynote presentation is that he kicked-off the inaugural conference. His energy and insights were a perfect fit to launch the event and to get everyone engaged with what we wanted to accomplish. You can learn more about The Checkerboard Guy at: checkerhead.com

David Aiken at CREATIVEMIX from CREATIVEMIX on Vimeo.

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