This past weekend I attended the 4th annual TEDx Portland. Over 2,500 people converged on Keller Auditorium to hear some ideas worth spreading. My take is that fans of TED talks, we are a bunch open to inspiration & generally hungry for a different perspective - so the vibe was that of positive optimism as the speakers engaged the audience with their thoughts on the idea of "Perfect" - the 2014 TEDx Portland theme.
Read Morethe backstory >> peeking in on creatives
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a sucker for the backstory, there's got to be more than what meets the eye here and I usually spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to get to the bottom of things. I think I'm usually 75% right about the "more than meets the eye thing", though - more like "better than it appears", really. So, with this fascination for the backstory I'm always a fan of blogs that let me peek into a creative's work space, seeing how their process is manifested and what they surround themselves with to keep them consistently inspired. I'll be honest, I'm a bit skeptical about a neat and tidy office or studio, I adhere to the messier it is the more creativity is being channeled. Although props for serious organization with buckets and bins and color coded this and that....
via handmade charlotte
My friend recently introduced me to the site work.place, which serves as a photographic documentary of sorts - focusing on artists, musicians, designers and craftspeople working in Portland. A stand out studio belongs to Kate Bingaman-Burt, which you may remember being a panelist in the Designing Woman event at PNCA. Knowing her illustrations and graphic style - it's no wonder her space is a color bomb that doesn't stop! This site is chock full of wonderful photographs and fabulous stories around the process of creating.
via work.placeSeveral other sites offer office and studio tours which are very helpful when researching for design or programming ideas. What's trending in lobby desks, conference rooms or breakout spaces? The site Office Snapshots has a long list of spaces catalogued based on industry type. If you were ever curious at the stylistic difference between a top notch lawyers office in Tel Aviv compared to Google's new offices in Tokyo, this is your go to site.
via office snapshotShowcasing creatives is Etsy's main focus, and their blog features informative studio tours as well as interviews. The interviews are all based on a series of the same questions: such as does your studio reflect your personality, what inspires you in your studio, what prompted you to find a studio, or how often do you clean it? This is priceless information for those looking to move their business out of their home office and benefiting from real world advice.
via Etsy
via EtsyThe site with the most interesting backstory (of it's founder Todd Selby) has got to be the photography site, The Selby. Todd Selby has collaborated with creative companies, artists, designers from all over the world but started with a myriad of random jobs and totally lucked into the photography gig, at least that's what I get from his bio page. Regardless, the site doesn't get 100,000 views per day for nothing - The Selby immerses itself in the daily life of creatives and delivers a montage of what makes each of these people unique. It may be that this is the reality that the person being photographed wants to create, wants you to believe - who knows, but it makes for pretty pictures nonetheless ....
via The Selby
via The Selby
via The Selby
Friday is one of my favorite days of the week, I can't give it the premium star treatment since it is typically a work day, but its great to have the work week in my rear view mirror! A lot goes on during the week, many web sites are researched, magazine articles are read and information is gleaned. But there's always those stories, sites or images that make you linger and those become the best of the week! I'm sure I could rally up more than a top five, but that's where I'll begin.
The week of September 15th
1. The images above are from a Community Crafters event at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs in October. Crafts, projects, art, inspiration and fun for kids & adults. All of this combined with an awesome pool surrounded by those dessert palms? Count me in!
2. Still on the hunt for my backyard inspiration. For small scale homes, maybe a backyard studio or a magical treehouse? Look no further than this site showcasing cabins from all over the world.
3. I love this artist. At first glance, her paintings are a party of flowers, portraits of people, people morphed into flowers? It's weird, bright and very unique.
4. Loving Peggy Wong's photography and posts, fresh from her blog: on blue pool road.
5. Lastly, I've only just begun investigating this site, but from what I can tell it looks like it has amazing potential for building community and creating fantastic learning opportunities. Weekend project with the kiddos just got more intense!