Started out with a trip to 212 Pier, a funky coffee shop in Santa Monica that friends of mine had given rave reviews. After this first visit, I'd definitely vouch for their espresso smoothie and the quirky style/ambience of the place (check out the view from our second story table above). After our caffeine fix we walked down to the beach and people watched then grabbed lunch and shopped around a bit. The Santa Monica boutiques are always a nice change of pace from the sprawling shopping centers of Orange County.
Then it was off to Ford & Ching in Chinatown for a Creative Morning (at Night)..so post modern right? Creative Mornings are free design lecture series sponsored by Swiss Miss that take place monthly in various cities throughout the world. This special "at night" version served as part-Creative Morning, part-Dwell on Design Conference Launch Party. The speaker was David Trubridge, renowned New Zealand lighting and furniture designer. The ambience of the Ford & Ching studio was perfect for the event. There was free food, wine and cocktails and an eclectic collection of creatives to mingle with. Best of all was David's presentation, which far exceeded my expectations. Here are a few of my favorite takeaways...
- The creative process should flow through art, design and craft to be complete...
- Art is where your heart lies. Then you have to develop a vocabulary for expressing what is in your heart.
- With that vocabulary, you have something to design with. There must be an element of you in our design. The design is the structure of your artistic vocabulary.
- As a craftsman, you refine that design.
- The brain naturally works best right, left, right; just like the art, design, craft creative process
- We must pay attention to "new" vs. "novelty" when it comes to design--novelty is not original
- Cultural design connects all three elements of the creative process, and is like good food--it nourishes you so you don't constantly crave more
- Find inspiration in nature, but don't go looking for inspiration in nature. Simply be in nature and the inspiration will come.
With creative juices flowing and our minds open to new sources of inspiration, we ventured to our final stop for the day...The Last Bookstore in downtown LA. The owners of this gargantuan used book store believe, like I do, that the printed book holds special value and that it should not be replaced by the newly popularized e-readers. With Borders, my former employer, recently announcing bankruptcy, it is refreshing to find a used book store that is still thriving. I had eagerly awaited my visit here, and the store did not disappoint! I got lost among the high shelves and became immersed in the worn pages of classics and contemporaries. I left with a bag full of great finds, including some of the owner's suggestions (one of which he bought for me!). For all you bookworms out there, I highly recommend a visit.
Many books to read and much to think about the next time I approach a creative project...
<3 Lyssa
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