I recently came back from a very fun and creative weekend in San Francisco. It was my first time in the city and I loved it (more travel posts later). My main reason for the trip was Brit + Co’s Re:Make conference. It was a day filled with creative inspiration, smart and entertaining speakers, new company discovery, and brilliant and colorful design. It was fun to talk and geek out about DIY and creativity with other attendees! In more detail, here are four things that made Brit + Co’s #ReMake2015 conference rock.
Creativity
The website and conference is focused on one thing: creativity. Brit + Co’s Founder and CEO Brit Morin started the morning discussing creativity. From studies and questionnaires, we know that most adults don’t think they are creative and exercising creativity has the positive outcomes of happier and healthier lives. According to research from San Francisco State University, those who participate in regular creative hobbies perform 15-30% better at work! So, what if we held creativity with as much importance as eating good foods or exercising? By consistently setting aside time to be creative, we have the opportunity to be more relaxed, more energized, and happier. That’s one of the reasons why at each seat were watercolor notebooks, brushes and watercolors to be used throughout the event.
Speakers
The conference featured smart and entertaining speakers who helped us think about creativity in new ways, encouraged us to act on our goals and shared their insights in moving forward and doing great things. Some quick highlights:
- How can you be more creative? Author and Professor Tina Seelig recommended paying more attention to things! Think about the processes in your daily life and how to make them better.
- Creativity X Organization = Impact. Scott Belsky emphasized the importance of focus and organization to actually make progress on your ideas. Coming up with ideas is great, but instead of focusing on the next idea, commit to one and organize your routine and plan to accomplish it.
- Less than 1% of girls study computer science. Made with Code is on a mission to change that. Kate Parker, Made with Code’s Head of Marketing, was on hand to share the cool things the organization is doing and why it’s so important. Their website is a great resource to learn more.
- Suzanne Howard, Partner at IDEO and founder of IDEO U encouraged: Creativity is a muscle you need to exercise to prevent atrophy.
- Lindsey Stirling ended the day with an incredible violin performance!
Want more creativity from speakers? Head over to anitakc.com for a full recap on the speakers!
Up-and-Coming Cool Companies & Brit + Co’s #IAMCREATIVE Foundation Winners
One of my favorite parts of the conference was hearing from up-and-coming companies. There were a few products that I thought were so cool and are on their way to big things when they launch. You can read all about the featured companies here but here are the three I was really amazed by.
- June is an intelligent oven that recognizes the food you put into it and cooks it to perfection. Hundreds of recipes are programmed into the oven and you can add your own. The company includes an app for recipe suggestions.
- Little Lotus has a created a swaddling blanket to keep your baby at the perfect temperature, providing peace of mind. They are also a one-for-one company and your purchase of a blanket gifts a life-saving Embrace infant warmer (a blanket that acts as an incubator) to babies in developing countries around the world.
- Lily is the world’s first flying camera that is a combination of a drone and a GoPro. Throw it up in the air and it will follow you. Check out the cool video on their website to see it in action!
Also, earlier this year, Brit + Co unveiled #IAMCREATIVE Foundation to provide grants to creative individuals ready to take the next step in entrepreneurship. All five finalists were introduced and surprised with grant rewards at the conference. Learn more about the winners in this Brit + Co post.
Design
Last but definitely not least, the design was on point! As you could have guessed, around every corner was something Instagrammable, creative and asthetically-pleasing. From the GIANT coloring book wall to colorful signs and displays, the setting was a constant inspiration. Creative displays and friendly representatives were there to gently promote their products and it was obvious the sponsors had a fun time being as creative as possible about how to present themselves. It was the perfect place to do it!
This Crayola crayon wall with 8,000+ crayons was a feature at the Re:Make festival on Sunday
Displays by Hallmark (left) and Izze (right)
Other big hightlights…
I met Brit Morin and Jordan Ferney (of the blog Oh Happy Day)!
Thistle is a company that delivers cold-pressed juice and healthy plant-based meals, in SF, East Bay and the South Bay. They sponsored the lunch with delicious superfood salads and cold-pressed juices. Since their mission is to deliver nutrition that is delicious, healthy and affordable, they’ve kindly offered my readers a discount! Use the code “FEARLESS” for 20% off. Visit their website thistle.co.
Yummy cookies were from Doughbies, another California company.
What a fun conference! Here’s to living creatively!
You might also like
