#crazivity

[bcxtra-blog]

Loving the XTRA posters for our launch week. Big thanks to the awesome Roxanne WIlliams from Crazivity / #IITSPIRATION for the design. 

[industryinthestreets]

The awesome Rox Box AKA @crazivity knows how to get noticed. #IITSPIRATION notice board Takeover! Salut crazivity 

[weareartsnet]

Roxanne Williams and Crazivity will host an artist space at the UthinkPDP Fox Court London - Creative Venue in Holborn for October through mid-November.  All artists know the struggle to find somewhere to create thats affordable and big enough to unleash their creativity so this is the first of our projects to take on that challenge. The somewhereto_LDN vet is searching for artists to produce "visual candy for the soul." alongside her for FREE.  Earn somewhereto_digital badges, produce original art and exhibit you work mid November alongside other visual artists.  Message her or contact [email protected] or [email protected] for more info and to join in.

[merginginks]

Would you like to merge inks with artist Connie Lim? She will be creating live art with us on Saturday 2nd August 2014. She uses pen and ink to create beautiful fashion illustrations. Her favorite art achievement is producing her own work using a deck of cards as a platform to showcase 54 hand drawn fashion illustrations. It's a compilation of her work from her early 20's till present day and is a series very personal to her.

The artist she would love to merge inks with is James Jean but she could be collaborating with you at our London event or you can purchase a limited piece by this great artist on the night.

Merging Inks - Live Art + Entertainment = Good Times August 2nd 2014 12-5pm Richmix London E1 6LA

[crazivity]

Top 6 Tips for Collaborating

1. Listen to music

Listening to music can often help get those creative juices flowing. The same music can be interpreted very differently to different people and provides an opportunity for common ground.

2. Communication

Communication is key when collaborating. Working together can’t be successful without clear guidelines through open communication.

 3. Acceptance

Having an open mind is one of the most important tools in collaboration. Keep in mind not everything is what it looks like from the start and everyone differs in their style. Whether it be music, clothing, or art, style is a defining factor in everyone’s life. It’s crucial to keep an open mind when working together.

 4. Contribution

Working with others is no fun if everyone doesn’t play their part. It’s important to make sure and fulfill your role and encourage others to do the same.

5. Determination and Motivation

These two words define themselves. Without determination and motivation, you lack passion, which leads to unsuccessful projects.

6. Honesty

Having an open, honest relationship with those you work with is a key tool to success. Dishonesty only leads to miscommunication and unsuccessful projects.

  The image attached is a picture taken from the live art wall at Crazivity pop-up shop this past October. We are always looking for designs to collaborate with. Think you’d like to collaborate with us? Get in touch at http://crazivity.com/contact/

[somewheretoblog]

Roxanne Williams reporting for somewhereto_ at innocent Inspires_

How do they keep creativity alive in an organisation that has grown from 3 fresh faced graduates with an idea to make fresh smoothies to a multi million pound operation now part owned by Coca Cola... Yes coke? I had the fantastic opportunity to explore the company ingredients that make Innocent as good as they are.

Here are my top five finds on what they do to encourage creativity:

Make mistakes, acknowledge them and learn from them.  For example, exploding bottles of innocent resulted in them paying to clean up customer’s houses and then design new pressure relief caps.

Hire the right people! All the staff I met seemed to be fully engaged in the brand and its beliefs. This make staffing their events a breeze, with employees from various departments willing to get stuck in and be advocates for the brand.

Socialise together through entertainment nights in the office from live music to comedy.

Not have their staff sit in department teams so ideas cross pollinate in all areas of the company.

Host a series of talks with passionate experts in the fields they operate in. This is a perfect place to bring their brand values to life (that are prominently displayed in their communal lunch space) and inspire both customers and staff alike.

In the evening I was lucky enough to experience the last Innocent Inspires talk of the series based on creativity and set in Shoreditch Studios renamed ‘Innocent Gallery’. On display were works of art based on responses to the phrase ‘where do great ideas come from’ a project managed and partly designed by the innocent creative team. A great line up of speakers was chosen for this topic made up of Benjamin Zephaniah, Rob The Bank, Kate Moross and John-Paul Flintoff.

In a conversation with Kate before her talk she shared great advice for young people starting up including the simplest yet powerful call to action. “Just do it! If it doesn't work out you can just move on” which is a sentiment shared by all the creative people I encountered that day. Another good point ‘Don't get caught up watching what the other people in your field are doing focus on you’ funnily enough is the opposite of what Innocent do as they have a dedicated wall in the office for competitor juices based here and abroad. Lastly she gave great advice for those hoping to work in the field of commercial design world ‘Be simple, fast and have good ideas’

Benjamin Zephaniah shared with us his journey with poetry, which is what he was clearly born to do as he was gifted from an early age. He recalls spending lunchtimes indulged in his passion with another guy reciting poetry.  After his talk I spoke to him about his travels around the world and he freestyled a poem. He encouraged us to “stay creative in any way we can” and said “we rearrange 26 letters in the alphabet all the time so we are all creative”

John-Paul also squashed the idea of creativity being an ‘exclusive gift’ by getting the audience involved in improvisation games with each other. This included pretending to receive the gifts we always wanted from the person next to us, which proved anyone can be creative in a fun way. I shared this experience with the awesome poet who graced the stage earlier and he gave me a unicorn. What a sweet guy. The key take away point from John-Paul’s talk was ‘Your obvious is original to someone else’

This was brought to life later by Rob The Bank, one of the speakers that resonated most with me that night. It was his casual responses to all his achievements like creating Bestival which this year included building a giant ship for a themed stage within the festival. Doing things differently is so natural to him ‘a gut feeling’ that it’s inspiring and lets me appreciate where I can be in a decade or so with my own approach to creating.

While what inspires these 4 creative individuals differ, the two shared elements that seem to trigger their ideas are the people they surround themselves with (whether part of the team or a chance interaction) and downtime unwinding. Rob had some of his greatest ideas in the bath!

Overall the format of network, themed talks and group Q&A left the room full of inspiration! As did the free mocktails, boxes of nutty treats from Graze, The Dip Society's crudités and the amazing performance by Nathan ‘Flutebox’ Lee and friends.

So if you’re reading this and hesitating to get your creative idea started... You can breathe a sigh of relief as one thing all speakers agreed on is with every choice you make, you already have! 

Thanks to somewhereto_ and Innocent for an inspiring day.

Roxanne Williams – Graphic Designer & Artist www.crazivity.com

So! Inspired? We are on hand and ready to help you make your first steps by finding you an amazing space for absolutely free! Why not get in touch?