design thinking

creative mornings / los angeles: alissa walker

| heather parlato

the creative mornings los angeles audience for alissa walker
[image: oscar rios]

as a graphic designer, i’ve been reading alissa walker in various design publications for years. she’s been somewhat of a household name for designers and architects, but when i started seeing her name pop up with other accreditations, like good, fast company, longshot magazine, helping produce dna for kcrw, speaking on and moderating panel discussions—it seemed like she was suddenly everywhere. it’s been really cool to watch a trusted & respected voice in design rise to so many other outlets.

as a lover of gelato, she got coolhaus to make a custom brown sugar & bacon ice cream you could have between either ginger or chocolate chip cookies. i got mine with chocolate chip, poured myself a coffee and got settled in for the talk.

alissa started off with a run-down of her previous writing engagements, beginning with a hilarious hand-drawn zine she made at age 10, think teen, and culminating with the impressive list of projects she currently produces. “it wasn’t always this way,” she admits, so she went on to share the ah-ha moment she had in italy, when she decided she wanted to get paid to do what she loved: eat gelato and admire design and architecture.

how do you do this? take cues from your obsessions, and decide to participate in them every day. talk about them, write about them, self-describe with them, and people will start to take notice. put yourself and your work out into the world, and as your work progresses, more people will recognize you as the person who is obsessed with this great thing you love. over time, you may find your interests build on themselves, allowing you to engage audiences in multiple formats.

alissa found that adding her love of writing about design to throwing parties led to starting delab, hosting events where she was able to showcase artists in a bigger forum, sponsored by organizations they wanted to work with. same love of art and writing, but a whole new level of visibility.

and it doesn’t stop there—bigger organizations then take notice. good saw what delab was doing and asked them to do a series pairing designers with civic leaders to solve urban problems, which not only did wonders for the credibility and influence of design—the designers would often be contacted by government agencies to collaborate on projects. one example includes the 30-year anniversary redesign of the farmer’s market to make it better fit the urban landscape, which may have started as a design project, but allowed good to participate in food legislation in LA. put energy into doing what you love, and you never know how your efforts might grow to do good around you.

another thing alissa touched on was changing your ritual, staying energized by mixing things up. choose to do something different and commit to it. when she committed to stop driving and chose to walk or take public transit, her perspective and relationship to los angeles changed profoundly, from noticing hidden treasures to creating a strategic game of how to best use public transit. this has led to a new focus in her writing and a renewed love of LA.

ever voraciously curious, alissa is in a new transitional phase, exploring what she can do to better advocate for the urban changes she’d like to see in los angeles. after seeing what she spun out of eating gelato and loving design, i have no doubt we’ll be hearing about all kinds of awesome developments in the works next year. the world needs more alissa, and we get the best of her right here in LA!

alissa walker at creative mornings
[alissa walker, wearing her very awesome california necklace]

creative mornings los angeles chapter, headed by jon setzen, is currently held monthly at ford & ching in chinatown. check their vimeo account in the coming weeks for a full video of this morning’s presentation. in the meantime, follow alissa walker on twitter: @gelatobaby!

article of the week

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Pitch Fever by Jonathan Ford for thedieline.com

i haven’t personally been involved in low-paid pitching, but once i read ford’s article, my design-business instincts kicked into gear in just the way he describes. to quote him, “From our side, the designer’s mindset automatically changes from using design for problem solving, to winning a project.” then he describes 4 scenarios of how this can negatively effect the client-agency relationship. if you’re in an industry that demands this kind of selection process, it’s time to stand by your values and educate them on why it’s only hurtful to the process, profession, and work that comes out of it. i’m also loving the supportive comment left by a self-described competitor. give it a read!

biznik article of the week

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Masterminding: Benefits and Considerations for Three Types of Businesswomen by Michele DeKinder-Smith

i’ve been thinking of engaging in some more mastermind-level personal development, an dekinder-smith’s article about entrepreneurial types is very helpful in determining a good blend of contributors. if you’re thinking of joining one, or already in one and wondering how to get more of what you need out of it, consider what this article says and look at the group you’re with for clues.

article of the week

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take time to celebrate and dream by justin ahrens for HOW’s parse blog.

i saved this article earlier this week because it looked interesting, but i hadn’t read it until this morning. what a nice surprise to see another voice on the importance of the year-end retreat. i got to see ahrens speak with von glitschka on how africa changed everything at adobe max this year and his approach and philosophy were really inspirational. he suggests some things i hadn’t though of—bringing your design work to review and analyzing clients. good thing my getaway isn’t for another week, i can add these steps into my own process as well.

how to plan your year-end retreat

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parlato design studio year-end retreat

whether you’re a small business owner or part of an in-house team, taking time at the end of the year to step back and reflect is an important part of maintaining healthy progress. i plan one every year, and i always surprised by what comes out of it.

i planned my first retreat somewhat by accident: i had a good amount of downtime in my first year of business, and i’d been trying to find an excuse to visit this boutique hotel i found in desert hot springs, hope springs resort. to me, it was the perfect picture of relaxation, and once i got there i found out i was right!

that first year i was mostly looking forward and taking a break, but as i built my business up, the next year i actually had some news to report. in the year that followed, i’d taken the initiative to branch out in a few directions, so listing new adventures and possibilities was kind of mind-blowing. this year topped that one by far, so i’m really excited to write it all out and look at everything on paper.

if you’re part of a group, taking time together outside the office in a neutral space is a great way to connect with the people you work with on a different level. allow everyone to contribute, compliment each person’s great moments of the year, ask them what inspires them, what would they do if they could make the rules? your co-workers and employees know their jobs best, and sometimes their unique perspective can inform a direction you wouldn’t have thought of without input.

how to plan your retreat:

first, stop waiting for some “free time” to open up. pick the least likely busy time months in advance, before any other conflicting events will allow you to change your mind. block it out and commit to it! even if you can’t spare more than 1 day, get away from your office or workplace so you can think clearly.

second, research your ideal setting. treat it like a vacation for your mind, a place with inspiring surroundings that also offer quiet for reflection. look for your favorite natural setting, maybe mountains, beaches, countrysides, or cool winter deserts landscapes with quaint small town B&B’s within driving distance? these are the places you’re looking for. you can actually do this step first, and eliminate the time between making the commitment and booking the reservation, so you’re locked in before you have a chance to second-guess.

third, book it! make apologies for your absence by beaming “i’m sorry, I’ll be away for my annual year-end retreat!” feel good about your decision! in addition to your favorite travel accessories, add your favorite pens and a blank notebook, and when the big day rolls around, away you go!

if your business has a few employees or you’re part of a department, you can plan a group retreat as well. if you can’t get out of town, at least get out of the office! back when i worked at natpe, our department head, beth, planned a creative brainstorming day at the getty. we left the office, took the morning to look at art, change our mindset and get inspired, and then we picked a spot among the sculptures to get our brainstorming on.

how i structure my retreats:

i leave early so i can enjoy my wind-down day, which is what I do on day 1. unwind! on day 2, i get up and enjoy breakfast, followed by some light exercise to get the blood flowing, maybe a walk or a swim or some yoga.

to get started, i review last year’s notes and analyze how everything played out. then, i sit down with my notebook and bullet out every new thing i did in the past year that i hadn’t done before. i like to make note of compound progresses, things i built on from something i did previously. we often think we’re aware of everything we’ve done, but i am always surprised by how much more i remember in this process. i get all kinds of ideas for the future at this stage, and note them for brainstorming later.

i buffer my reflection on the past with a break of physical activity or even a night’s sleep before i work on the future, giving my brain time to digest everything. when i’m ready, i look at my list of accomplishments and think of ways to build on them. free-association, daydreaming and hair-brained scheming comes in handy here! this is where letting curiosity and wonderment can help you strive for that next level you would normally think impossible or out-of-reach. once i’m done, i like to break these into easy actions, goals to strive for, and big ideas i can contribute to in the long term.

all of this helps me get my priorities in order and approach the new year with confidence. when i get home, i can tackle those easy actions, and i’m energized to break out the baby steps toward my new goals. with all of that organized, the long range plans get their periodic attention too. how about you, anyone planning a year-end retreat for 2010?

article of the week

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beet paper in the window at machine project
[image: alissa walker]

hands on by alissa walker

if you’re in the business of design, or art, or culture, or urban living, or just generally going outside, you should really be reading alissa walker, which is getting increasingly harder to do, since she’s writing for so many amazing publications these days. but hey, you can start by simply reading her blog. she just wrote up a workshop she attended at machine project, a fantastically experiential art space in echo park. i often take it for granted because they’re so close and always doing so many great things, i’ve become spoiled. walker points out a feeling i share about why they’re so great: you get to experience the making of art, play and explore, and get involved in the art experience, which is a stark contrast to a view-only gallery experience.

freelancer frolic with nick carranza

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freelancer frolic lunch at eaton canyon
[image: nick carranza]

last week i joined in on what will hopefully be a semi-regular event for creative business owners: freelancer frolic! a dog-friendly mental health getaway net-walking hike, where creatives can take a couple hours to recharge, connect with each other and our pets, and get into the beautiful outdoors around los angeles. i actually worked over the weekend to get ahead so i could enjoy this afternoon off.

for the inaugural frolic, we explored eaton canyon in pasadena, home to a cluster of entangling trails that lead up into the angeles crest forest. we took a trail that started along a mostly-dry washout basin, creeping up into the trees, eventually to a very live creek, and finally a waterfall. i’ve been on neighboring trails, but had no idea this oasis was hidden back here, what a nice surprise.

the scenery and exercise was a great setting to get people talking, and that’s just what we did. i know about half the group pretty well, so we were able to get a little more in-depth with what’s new and how our businesses are going. it was really nice to get to know some people i don’t see as much better as well.

once we got up to the falls, we sat down for lunch, topics turned to all our interesting food experiments of late—i love how everyone is trying new things and applying creativity in the kitchen.

freelancer frolic was promoted primarily through kernspiracy [scroll down for the sign-up link] and facebook, stay tuned for the next one!

freelancer frolic in eaton canyon

article of the week

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crowd-sourcing design: the last frontier by steven heller for print magazine

bring up crowd-sourcing in a design community, and you’re sure to get an uproar of protest against it. bring it up with fledgling small businesses, and it’s seen as a cost-effective alternative to professional design services by many, though i wouldn’t say there’s a majority opinion. i think it’s important to address this topic beyond the design arena, and i think heller took great care in pointing out the you-get-what-you-pay-for facts.

if you really believe you need a logo before a brand strategy, and you’re willing to sacrifice the process that might make it meaningful to your business, by all means, hire yourself as art director and crowd-source away. here’s a tip though: some very successful businesses out there got started with a small client base, getting recommendations on the merits of their work before they ever had logos. put your work first, use the materials you can afford at startup, and make identity design a savings goal. there’s no need to rush, gaining all the setbacks that rushed behavior brings in the process.

article of the week

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why are you building this website by christopher butler for imprint.com

What promises are you (or your client) making that you know you’ll probably break? The best way to figure that out is to get to the heart of why, exactly, you’re even building this website in the first place. It seems like a simple question, doesn’t it? But you’d be amazed to know just how often web projects reach significant milestones only to fail to launch because it hasn’t been asked—or answered—by the people involved.