Pecha Kucha Worcester #1...unbelievable!

{John Herman ~ New-Media Guru / Inspiration through Collaboration}

{standing room only~that's me on the far left with my co~hosts Scott Zoback, center sitting and Cynthia Woerhle on the far right. Also in this photo is Scott Erb of Erb Photo, sitting left,
and Paul Dalpe of Point Source Media, back center}

{guests @ Bocado}

{Schedule of presenters/graphix by Todd Rawley}

{Megan Mcintosh~ Freestyle Slalom Skating / Aspects of Freestyle}

{Adoniram Sides ~ Photographer / Quiet Spaces and the Way of Inspiration}

All images in this post by Andreea Waters, who was also one of the presenters,
Art Director / Life By Design

Pecha Kucha Worcester #1

{Adoniram Sides speaks about the philosphy of space showing "Fruit on Plate No. 75"}

{Derek Ring speaks about relationships between monsters and girls and boys}

{this image of Megan McIntosh inline skating champ, learn about her here, taken by Cynthia Woehrle at PKN Worcester #1 @ Bocado}

Pecha Kucha Night is the brain child of Klein Dytham Architecture, Japan. We are so ecstatic to have brought it to Worcester Massachusetts, the 169th city of over 205 cities in the world. Visit our Pecha Kucha Worcester flickr group and upload your photos.

"When there is nothing else to burn, you have to set yourself on fire!"
{image via ffffound}

Insane handlettering skills at work. Nice. Right in line with...........
Pecha Kucha Night Worcester #1!
Sunday. 7:20 drinks . 8:20 presentations begin.
20 slides X 20 seconds each
8 presenters
Bocado

Details

PKN in WO MAG

Pecha Kucha Night
Written by Doreen Manning
Wednesday, 10 June 2009

Cutting through the chatter

By Doreen Manning

When artists get together to mull over their craft, one could call it idle chit chat. But when artists present their work in an organized, fluid and productive way that inspires creative action, that’s called Pecha Kucha Night.

Roughly translated from Japanese for the sound of conversation, this event for creative professionals was started in 2003 by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Japan-based Klein Dytham architecture as a place for young designers to meet, network, and show their work.

The Worcester segment kicks off June 14 at Bocado Tapas Wine Bar (82 Winter St.). The format is simple. A select group of creative types is chosen beforehand. Each will present 20 slides of his or her work, with 20 seconds allowed per slide, culminating in 6 minutes 40 seconds. Inspiration and discussion then follow.

When Cynthia Woehrle posted her idea on worcesterite.com to host a Pecha Kucha Night here in Worcester, fellow artist Michelle May — who had also expressed interest in hosting a PKN a few months earlier on the same blog — jumped on board. First step for the duo: research. “I was determined to find out as much as I could about this organization,” says Woehrle. Contacting other area cities like Boston and Portland that had already hosted a PKN event, and receiving great feedback, Woehrle then contacted Japan to find out how she and May could bring the event to Worcester. “We were hopeful that we could get approved and invited (Worcester Magazine News Editor) Scott Zoback to collaborate on this project; he loved the idea and signed up to help.” After a six-week wait, approval from Klein Dytham arrived and Worcester was officially added as the 196 cities in the PKN network.

Drinks and greetings begin at 7:20 p.m. followed by artists’ presentations at 8:20 p.m. (“20” is the PKN theme, as if you couldn’t tell). Name tags keep the name-game stress at bay, and a directory of speakers complete with photo profiles will be at the entrance. An MC will keep the presentation flowing, and each presenter will stand with his or her work and guide the viewer quickly through the progression of images.

With four nights committed to PKN in the coming year, the organizers have high hopes. “Not only will it expose Worcester as a cultural center, it will give us a social media voice all over the world, through the PKN website, Twitter and Facebook,” May says. “This will give artists and designers a chance to meet socially, know faces, and hopefully grow the community here in Worcester and surrounding towns. Fine artists have a forum here in town, but other designers, not so much. PKN is a great opportunity to show a little piece of your universe to Worcester, while getting people fired up. Seeing what inspires others is a very powerful tool.”

Pecha Kucha Night offers an opportunity for practitioners of all types of media — writers, filmmakers, painters, graphic designers, musicians and more — to showcase their work. “I am looking to integrate artists of all types,” shares Woehrle, “and bring them to a format where they can share ideas, projects and inspirations on the same playing field, as well as give the community an opportunity to hear perspectives from creative thinkers.”

For Woehrle, Zoback and May, the goal is the same: to promote that sense of community and foster creative ideas. So stop the chit chat, and start the inspiration.

Worcester Volume #1 at Bocado Tapas Bar, 82 Winter St., Worcester. June 14, 7:20 p.m. Free. Learn more at pecha-kucha.org; pecha-kucha.org/cities/worcester; pechakucha-worcester.blogspot.com.

again, via worcester magazine

Invitation Inspiration

{all designs by michelle may for checkerboard, detailed photographs by adoniram sides}

The National Stationery Show is our once a year opportunity to meet up with our clients and touch base with them on what is new and happening. As a designer, it's also pretty much our only opportunity to get feedback on our work from outside the company, where it really counts! Being in NY for the show fills us up with inspiration and really connects us to our customers and what they need. Love it! I love chatting about their clients and what makes them excited about our designs and our company. Fun stuff. These are some of my new designs for wedding "unveiled" at the show.

Beyond designing for Checkerboard, which fuels my creativity, I am so happy to be on board with Cynthia Woehrle and Scott Zoback for Pecha Kucha Worcester and to collaborate with my good friend Andreea Waters for Cirque du Noir also held in Worcester, coming back in October for year two! I am pretty pumped about both happenings, that offer up doses of intimate creative inspiration. What makes us creative? What drives us to be creative every day? What unblocks creative people? What can make someone creative that never knew they had it in them?

Pecha Kucha Night and the live art presentations of Cirque du Noir can help you learn more about yourself, your design medium and your creative spirit.

Take a peek inside the minds of the creative people who live and work in the Worcester area. There are so many unbelievably talented people in this city! Now is their chance to shine, so be there to soak in the rays of electric energy. If you are in the area and are looking for people like you who also consume creativity and spirit, stop by and say hi!

If you're feeling like a voyeur, then come on baby, bring it on: Pass the word!
for daily PKN: Pecha Kucha Daily

NYC 2 and PKN Worcester

{a van leeuwen artisan ice cream truck}

I love NYC and I don't get there often enough. The visual and auditory inspiration makes me so happy. With 10 colleges here in Worcester, you would think the culture thing would be kickin' itself into gear. Cynthia Woehrle, Scott Zoback and I were thinking that we needed to bring it...up a notch. So we are giving it a little kick in the pants. The first Pecha Kucha Night Worcester is coming up June 14th.

Every designer of any kind, any creative person, scientist or educator, fine artist or writer, photography or jewelry artisan, movie maker or movie lover, poet or musician, entrepreneur or marketing director... seeker or sage, should stop by Bocado on Winter Street and check out PKN Worcester. You will leave fired up and ready to rumble. We have some great presenters lined up for you too including, Adoniram Sides www.adoniramsides.com, Paul Irish www.aurgasm.us, Andy Fish and Veronica Hebard, and John C. Herman johnherman.org. Look for more names added soon.

Visit our blog Pecha Kucha Night Worcester and watch Cynthia's youtube video about the premise of the event and the presenters lined up so far. We are so excited to bring this to Worcester.

Get personal

{image via ffffound}

Lately, I have been doing alot of trends research for work and one main compelling trend is getting personal and connecting with nature. No matter what your business, getting personal is a strategy that the best will achieve and I cannot wait to see how creative it gets. Take this packaging from Belvoir Fruit Farms. The labels wrap around on an angle and are handlettered. The bottles are sleek and modern with personal lettering, making you feel like someone penned them and shelved them just for you to "pick your favorite flavah"! (You have to listen for my New England accent.)

{image via ffffound}

They also grow ingredients right on their farm. Their site is really nicely done and even their homepage is vibrantly hand drawn with abundant elderberry flowers (mmm, I can smell the sweetness now)... and there is more great packaging exploding off their pages.

Packaging is like magic. There is a little gift shop in Tatnuck Square in Worcester, called Bhadon. She beautifully wraps any gift. With a thoughtful presentation, even a small gift conveys a multitude when presented with a personal touch. Bhadon is my first choice because I know she goes the extra mile to make my gift special. Retailers must listen to consumers and compete for their position in today's market more than ever. I hope to see alot of initiative back to this kind of creativity and effort.

Refresh your interiors: Part 2

Add splashes of color to rejuvenate your rooms and your spirit. (Especially if you live in the frigid winter zones!) Can you tell the winter is getting to me? With all the talk of sandy beaches, warm sun, and color...I can't wait to "sun and fun" myself. A bio luminescent bay with no moon perhaps? A little comfort for the adventurous soul. For now a pink pillow will have to do.

images via living etc.

Refresh your interior: part 1

Adding and subtracting from what you already have is a great way to punch up the winter funkies. I tend to change things around alot because boredom sets in. Create new spaces and celebrate change, with a glass of wine of course!

images via living etc.

Zentangle Seminar

I am soooo excited to be attending the first ever

Zentangle Certification Seminar to be held Feb 24-27
in Whitinsville, Massachusetts.

Hosted by the innovative creaters, Maria Thomas and Rick Roberts. Both of them have talents beyond your wildest dreams and with the widespread discovery of Zentangle, people from around our globe will be descending upon Oakhurst Retreat and Conference center for a "Zentangle celebration".
To find out more about Zentangle and the art form, click here.

Tiles shown here were drawn by Rick Roberts, Nancy S., Molly T, and Maria Thomas.

If you are interested
email: rickandmaria@zentangle.com
phone: 508-234-6843
web: zentangle.com

check out ZENTANGLE designs on flickr

pecha kucha

A collage of handlettering with intricate and ethnic henna tattoo...

including work penned by Picasso to Gertrude Stein, Maria Thomas, Iris Chase & Paul Antonio. Penstrokes evoke the utmost emotion in me...always has. I have huge admiration for those with great skill for this art. I have the luxury of working closely with one of the best...Maria Thomas, also known worldwide for her invitation company Pendragon Ink.

Frida, the colorful life, the dramatic ups and downs and still she painted in her bed, with a mirror hanging from her ceiling. She followed her dreams and let them take her wherever she wanted to go. Too bad for Diego. Eclectic and full of passion, Frida Kahlo was an inspirational to female artists of her time.

One word......SHOES.

What lights your fire? What makes you inspired to create, to dress, to entertain or to celebrate? I am prepping for a pecha kucha and I am so rev'd up to get my slides together. Public speaking is another matter altogether, and since it is for work, there is no alcohol being served up. I begged to have it at the restaurant down the street, but not so much. I have to suck it up and keep my mind on the goal.

From Pecha Kucha.org:

What is Pecha Kucha Night?
Pecha Kucha Night, devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham (Klein Dytham architecture), was
conceived in 2003 as a place for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public.
But as we all know, give a mike to a designer (especially an architect) and you’ll be trapped for hours. The key to Pecha Kucha Night is its patented system for avoiding this fate. Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each – giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show. Pecha Kucha (which is Japanese for the sound of conversation) has tapped into a demand for a forum in which creative work can be easily and informally shown, without having to rent a gallery or chat up a magazine editor. This is a† demand that seems to
be global – as Pecha Kucha Night, without any pushing, has spread virally to over 100 cities across the world. Find a location and join the conversation.

Inspired by the outrageous excitement of Payal Kripalani, who attended one at Mantra in Boston, I look forward to hearing back from Klein Dytham about having one in Worcester! So get your creative groove on!