Creative Morning with Michael Bierut... Sigh


If I could be anywhere on January 15th....
This is where I'd like to be.

As is well known in the blogosphere Tina Roth Eisenberg's swiss miss blog brought together an enormous group of design enthusiasts online. By organizing these Creative Mornings once a month she has now transformed this group into a real live 3D community of people that get together to discuss ideas, get inspired and eat bagels! I think it's a really wonderful idea -- and makes me think Toronto should replicate it here. hint. hint.

ps. Have already written about Michael Bierut - great designer, great writer, very funny guy. Read more about him here.

Filling the Well: Design matters Podcast with Maria Kalman


After a couple weeks of eating, drinking and being merry it's time to fill the well.
Tonight did some painting while listening to a great Design Matters interview with the wonderous Maria Kalman. She talks alot about her creative process and feelings about illustrating vs. writing.
Really loved the fact that when she has an art opening she asks people to bring in some "light sewing" to be done (by her!) as she likes having something to do with her hands at all times. My kind of gal.
ps. You can subscribe to Design Matters in iTunes.

Inspiration: Reading One Book a Week for a Year


Designer and writer Michael Surtees has a wonderful blog called Design Notes. This week he posted a great interview with fellow creative guy Inaki Escudero who fulfilled his goal of reading a book a week for a year. Inspired to perhaps try such a thing himself Michael interviewed him to find out more about how he accomplished the readings and why.
Inspirational.

ps. One of Escudero's fave picks Clay Shirky's Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organization is definitely on my list for 2010. Clay is a frequent guest on Spark and is always enlightening+ entertaining.

via swiss miss.