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CREATIVE CONSULTING
LET YOUR IMAGINATION ROAM FREE
ABOUT
One of my favorite lines is “What if…”, because it is limitless. As in: there are limitless possibilities when you open up to your own curiosity and imagination. When you create from that space of “what if” you transmit an energy that comes from your essence, and is your unique expression made manifest in this world.
Through exploring possibilities in this out-of-the-box way, I can help you develop elegant yet simple solutions to challenges that initially might have seemed too difficult to overcome.
STARTING THE FIRE
Every creative project starts with a conversation, either with yourself or with others, and the energy generated from this conversation fuels the first step towards completion. Fruitful projects are the result of energy progressively being added at each phase and riding that momentum through the highs and lows until the project is finished.
I can help you light the initial fire that burns brighter through every phase, or jump in mid-way to help rekindle the flame if the embers are growing dim.
EXAMPLES AT WORK
Because this topic is so broad, it can be hard to understand what I do within the context of creative consulting. So here are a few examples of my work:
I received a call from an event organizer operating on a very tight decor budget but wanted something that was big and fun for a private party happening the following evening. And by big and fun I mean quinceanera vibes at a gay bar. After having a conversation about budget, vision, and timeline it was time for me to do some “what ifing”:
“What if…you spent the entire budget on balloons and made a big floor-to-ceiling archway?”
The result: The event organizer managed to source a small air compressor to help blow up hundreds of balloons that filled out the space above and beside the DJ booth and was an immediate draw when people entered the space. The floor was filled all night and the bar owner enjoyed the balloons so much that during tear down he asked the event organizer to leave the balloons up so that he could continue using them a little longer.
An entrepreneur approached me with an interesting puzzle: he was working with a master bamboo furniture maker on how to monetize a property owned by the artist. Of note, the property held 30 species of bamboo from around the world and had a modestly built home overlooking “the library”. The artist, who had been in the bamboo industry for 35 years and a pioneer in his craft, recently turned 80 and was looking to use the property as a source of retirement income. This one really got my wheels turning and after some dialogue with the artist about his values and priorities, I began my process.
“What if…the home on the property could be retrofitted to reflect the artist’s craftsmanship style?” From architectural bamboo accents to his signature furniture, the humble house could be transformed into an immersive resume of the artist’s work, similar to a Frank Lloyd Wright home.
“What if…this could be a legacy project funded by patrons and admirers of the artist’s work, using crowd sourcing rather than the artist’s savings to fund construction costs?”
“What if…the home could be rented out for cultural tours, events, or even as an overnight accommodation?” This could generate passive income for the artist to live on through his retirement years.
The result: Both the artist and the entrepreneur loved the idea of a legacy project because it not only highlighted the artist’s work, but offered a preserved blueprint that could be studied by his successors.
The artist made small improvements to the home and began renting the space for locals while the entrepreneur and I began to develop ideas for financial backing. An idea sprouted to create ticketed dinners with the artist as the keynote speaker, complete with a silent furniture auction to help inform and inspire the legacy project forward.
At the time of this writing this project is still underway, and the energy remains consistent despite this being a quieter phase of the project. An 80 year old can only work so fast, after all.
SOME OF MY CREATIVE CONSULTING CLIENTS ALSO ENGAGE IN
CUSTOM ART
Okay, one more story: My partner and I worked with a festival to create an archway leading people into the workshop space. Through some serious “what iffing” we decided that we wanted a natural driftwood arch with selenite crystals erupting from the wood in small clusters. Bonus points: “what if…the crystals lit up at night”? YES. He figured out how to drill holes through the wood to hide LED lights and I was tasked with how to create clusters of selenite from single sticks plus create a consistent shape to slot the clusters in for quick and easy set up and take down.
The result: I sculpted and cut the selenite sticks and glued them together, creating natural-looking clusters. Then, using plastic party cups as a mold I used resin to set each cluster base into 2 standardized sizes and shapes. I made over 50 clusters for the arch and they provided an enticing twinkle as participants explored the nocturnal landscape of the festival. The arch became an addendum to the workshop space and was used the following year as a familiar landmark to help people locate the workshop space.
TESTIMONIALS