Sketchy HOW Conf Notes – Denver 2010

Life has been super busy in June, in between projects and family I had the pleasure of attending the HOW Design Conference in Denver. It was an amazing and super inspiring experience!! I would recommend anyone working in the creative field to attend. I’ll definitely be going back next year!

I’m sharing my sketchy notes, miss-spellings and all. Hey, I’m a professional artists not a writer and I remember best when I have a visual :-)

Notes from Stephan Mamaw's workshop Caffeine for the Creative Team: Turning Brainstorming into Brainsqualling

One of my favorite highlights has to be attending Stephan Mamaw’s workshop Caffeine for the Creative Team: Turning Brainstorming into Brainsqualling, where we rolled up our sleeves and had permission to have fun and be silly. He ran thru the 13 Commandments of Brainaqualling and paired it with a series of warm up exercise from his books.

Stephane demonstrating his point. Creativity is a Habit!

My team's caffine infused supplies

Teams of 3 had to create what they thought Big Foot would look like. Our's was Willy Nelson inspired.

Teams of 2 had to construct a amusement park ride for a bug. My partner and I created a Zipline for a Fly. (I put my caffeine to good use by using my coffee cup as a platform area.)

Teams of 2 were instructed to creat the ultimate desk. This is my teams.

Notes from Chaos to Clarity: Creating Your One-Page Business Plan - Judah Kurtz & RaShelle Roberts

Judah Kurtz & RaShelle Roberts- http://www.getinvision.com/

Notes from Andy Stefanovich Opening Keynote on Design Inspiration

Andy Stefanovich- http://www.lookatmorestuff.com/

Notes from Creating Five-Alarm Concepts - Von Glitschka

Von Glitschka- http://www.vonglitschka.com/

Notes from Life Kerning: Where Life and Creativity Meet - Justin Ahrens

Justin Ahrens- http://rule29.com/

Notes from Curiously Curious - Ken Carbone

Ken Carbone- http://www.uppercasegallery.ca/uppercase-journal/2010/4/28/ken-carbones-journals.html

Notes from Visual Storytelling: Resonate and Activate Audiences - Nancy Duarte

Nancy Duarte- http://www.duarte.com/

Notes from How to Sell Your Ideas to Bosses, Clients and Other Decision Makers - Sam Harrison

Sam Harrison – http://www.zingzone.com/?view=about_sam

Notes from Better Ideas Faster: How to Brainstorm More Effectively - David Sherwin and Fitting Your Employer’s Big Hairy Audacious Goals with Your Own - David Delp

David Sherwin – http://www.slideshare.net/changeorder

David Delp – http://designingabalancedlife.com/

Notes from Kevin Carroll Closing Keynoter - Rediscovering Play: Bringing Fun and Passion to Your Work…and Life

Kevin Carroll – http://kevincarrollkatalyst.com/about/

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My Surtex Experience- 1st Time Exhibiting

I can’t tell you how glad I was to see that my palette of artwork and supplies made it to the Javtis Center safe and sound. It was there waiting for me when I arrived to set up on the Friday before the show. I had done a ton of preparation but still was a bit unsure how I was going to hang everything. I had packed a variety of supplies with and I had a few ideas, but knew I wasn’t going to really know until I was there and doing it.  In the end I actually winded up using the T-Pins that I threw into the box at the last minute on a whim. I had a lot elements that needed to be hung and adjusted and I could not have done it with out the help of my two college friends, Christy & Dominick. They were willing to take the time to be with me throughout the entire show, while my husband Jay was taking care of my daughter, Ava Blu and holding down the fort at home.

Being a first-timer I wanted to share with you some of my logistical learnings.

My top 5 logistical learnings:

• Matt prints work best with the supplied spot lighting- I had printed photographic satin prints and they were catching some big glares from the spot lights. Next year I will definitely be doing matt prints.
• You can never have enough Tape or T-Pins. Pack more supplies then you think you’ll need.
• Be friendly with your security guard, but not too friendly, as you don’t want him hovering around your booth during show hours.
• Bring/drink plenty of water.
• Shipping freight is a mysterious thing. Make sure you have your Bill of Lading.

I met some amazing people and walked away with solid leads and prospects to follow up on. I had a great experience and left the show feeling energized, excited and a bit tuckered out but ready to work on what’s NEXT.

I’m a firm believer in positive thinking & projecting positive energy so I’m confident that all of my hard work will pay off.

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