Insipration & Creativity: Interview with a winner

Last September, I asked for your opinions to help me as a judge in a creative talent competition.

The winning entry was by Romaine Reid, from Ravensbourne College. His video really stood out amongst the competition with its colour and vibrancy. Judge for yourself; here’s Romaine’s video:

As one of the judges (getting the videos down to two entries, which went on to a public vote), here’s what I had to say about Romaine’s video:

“Romaine Reid’s entry stands out most. It brings a number of concepts together in a steady flow that shows attention to detail and an eye for specifics. He takes ideas that are accessible to a mixture of ages and backgrounds, whilst maintaining a true sense of the product and brand’s purpose throughout. His entry shows simple ideas, professionally applied.”

The public agreed and he won the vote. Romaine got his hands on a pretty amazing bunch of electrical gear, as well as a two-week work placement at a top creative agency.

After his success, I asked Romaine a few questions about his plans and how the creative process works for him.

Romaine-Reid

What would you suggest to others looking to excel, as you have here?

Romaine: “Work hard and stay focused on your goals. I always wanted to get into design & advertising. I think that if you have a creative spark, you should always explore new ways you can express your ideas to an audience, while catering to a clients needs, in the form of an advert or design. When taking on a brief, try to find an element of it which kick starts your imagination, then relate that idea to the brief in a clear and entertaining way.”

How do you push yourself to find new ways to be creative?

Romaine: “I think that the world has many different forms of inspiration, and we only need to penetrate the surface to be inspired by it. I am really inspired by music of all genre’s, and the emotions that it evokes in me. This tends to generate creative impulses for me, to create visuals which evoke the same emotions for others. I always want to take the viewer on a journey and try to express what is in my own imagination, and I think that the goal is always for the recipient to ‘feel’ or be ‘inspired’ by what I’ve produced……I’m still growing however and it remains a continuous goal of mine.”

As part of your prize, what do you hope to take away from your two-week work placement at a creative agency?

Romaine: “I still have much more to learn, so I hope to continue growing and learning from others in the field. I think that there are many people which have a great knowledge to share, and I hope to have a better understanding of the software used. While also being inspired artistically from other creative thinkers.”

Do you have any other specific plans for your future, or is it one step at a time for now?

Romaine: “Ultimately I want to create inspirational work and design, for people to enjoy. I want people to ‘experience’ my designs, not just see them. Wherever this takes me, only time will tell…”

—

My congratulations go out to Romaine. His humble, yet determined attitude has served him well. Hopefully he’ll be wowing people with his work for many years to come.

Open Your Mind: Take A Different Route

When I’m feeling uninspired, I do the same thing differently. When I need help solving a problem, when I’m not in the mood to start important work, when I’ve got something on my mind, when I need a bit of mental stimulation, I do one thing.

I change direction. Literally.

photo by ChodHound

One of the most consistent and shockingly simple actions you can take to open your mind is to take a different route somewhere. Walk, drive, cycle…it doesn’t matter. Just go a different way. It’s simple, yet amazing.

Next time you want a mouthful of mind food, travel to campus a different way to usual. Go home along paths you’ve not explored before. Find another way of getting from A to B. Even if you change just a few steps off your normal route, do it! Make it count.

Plan a different route in advance if you like. You don’t need to be spontaneous. The purpose of changing direction is to see things differently. If you go the same way, every day, you’re unlikely to be inspired by the same old views and landmarks.

As soon as you vary the journey a little, you notice new things, you appreciate it differently, and you stop treating the commute as a necessary annoyance. Upon reaching your destination, you’re more likely to feel positive, alert, and ready to deal with whatever comes your way.

There are all sorts of variations on this:

Ride a bike instead of taking the bus. Changing mode of transport is just as effective;
Take the same route as usual, but look up instead of down at the pavement. Challenge yourself to spot things you hadn’t noticed before;
Make a point of studying a particular aspect of the route, like the distinguishing features on the front doors you pass, for instance;
Find three or four ways to get from A to B and never take the same route two days in a row;
Switch off your iPod. Listen to the world as you walk;
Switch on your iPod. Let the journey and the music be one. Listen to different types of music each day and see how it changes the way you feel;
Go further…walk the long way around to get somewhere. Leave more time and enjoy a leisurely walk off the beaten track. Who cares if you start off by walking away from your destination? You’ll get there in the end!

Stuff like looking at front doors may seem a bit strange, but it’s simply to help you think differently. You don’t have to have a reason for it. The exercise is to stimulate your mind in a way you hadn’t been stimulating it before.

This is probably the most effective exercise I do. In the past, when I’ve been feeling bogged down, angry, confused, stuck for ideas, uninspired, or anything negative, this has been the key back to wonder.

Which direction are you headed today?

29 More Money Matters: Spending, Saving, Working, Living

I’m sure many of you are eagerly awaiting the next loan instalment to land in your bank account. Hopefully you’re not still awaiting the first instalment after the student loans fiasco.

Now seems a good time to post another set of tips for keeping hold of your cash for as long as you can.

photo by Bashed

Some of these tips will sound like overkill, but they work if money is particularly tight. You have to choose whether to save money any way possible, or to rack up some extra debt in the name of a good time. It’s up to you!

29 More Money Matters

Work when everyone else is spending money – Friday evenings, for instance. Or one of the popular student nights in your area. You may miss a good night out, but while everyone else is bleeding money, you’ll be dancing to the tune of the cash register.
Join an inexpensive club to take up some of your recreation time.
Learn to say ‘no‘.
Only attend major gatherings and special events. Anything decided off the cuff and all outings just for the sake of it can be turned down.
Stop being proud and learn to accept money from your parents. If you are blessed with access to the bank of Mum & Dad, don’t turn it down because you want to pay your own way. Seriously, there are some students out there who think they need to prove a point and go it alone. If you have a cash problem, take off your stubborn hat and accept the offer.
Don’t dwell on money as the reason why you’re not having fun – if you aren’t happy with your situation, blaming money is an excuse.
Don’t think of loans as free money. You’re more likely to spend the cash if you don’t treat it with extra respect and recognise a loan as a loan.
Be patient. Even if you can’t resist buying an item, surely you can wait until you can afford it? Unless it’s a limited edition item that’s likely to sell out straight away, what’s the harm in waiting an extra week, or month, or year? Let the initial excitement for the product calm down a little. Not only will the extra time help you gather the necessary funds, but you may also reach a position where the prospect of owning the product isn’t as exciting as you’d previously thought.
Slap down peer pressure. Your money is precisely that…yours! No matter how much your friends try to persuade you to buy that designer t-shirt, they aren’t the ones looking to buy it. If they’re that bothered, ask them to buy it for you. And don’t fall into the trap of asking mates whether you should buy something that you can’t afford…it’s an excuse. If you can’t afford it, you shouldn’t buy it. But you know there’s a fair chance your friends won’t see it that way. You know that full well!
Don’t take out cash. For some people, taking out a wodge of cash means the money is already spent. A load of tenners in your pocket can last five minutes if you’re not careful. If the physical presence of money makes you more likely to spend it, use your card when you can instead of taking out the cash.
Do take out cash. For other people, using a card isn’t like spending money at all. If you fall into this trap, use the cash machine to take out a daily/weekly allowance and try sticking to it. When the lure of spending on the card is too great, don’t take it out with you. Then you can’t use it!
Get a job. So many students need to work part time while they study. There’s nothing wrong with getting a job to make a bit extra. Work helps some people manage their time better, even if they end up with less time available. That’s even more reason to consider a job.
Don’t be stubborn…accept help. It’s not just Mum & Dad who can help. Generous family members may also want to boost your bank balance. Bursaries and hardship loans are also available at uni. Ask at uni if anything is available to you and check the government information on bursaries, scholarships and awards. Accepting help isn’t weak, it’s awesome. 🙂
Don’t buy everything, even if you think you can.
Consider every purchase carefully.
Ask for a discount. Be willing to haggle. The worst outcome is simply being told ‘no’. In which case, walk away. No harm done!
Use your NUS Extra card.
Compare prices.
Check the Web for reviews. Read them. Is it a good deal? Does it do what you want it to? Is a better version about to be released? Make sure all your questions are answered before you buy something.
Use mysupermarket.co.uk and see if you can switch supermarkets to save money.
Find vouchers. Vouchers and coupons are now hugely popular ways of saving money. If you don’t seek them out, you risk missing out on all sorts of bargains.
Make MoneySavingExpert a regular destination. With a great list of vouchers, a regular money saving e-mail, a bot to find the cheapest MP3 music, and fantastic forums, I’m sure you’ll save loads. Just make sure you don’t spot too many good deals and buy everything just because it’s too good to miss. If you don’t need it, you can miss it!
Do you really need to buy the latest edition of a textbook? If not, look for second hand bargain at AbeBooks, eBay, on campus book sales, and via your uni Intranet. Many people want to sell their old books when they’ve finished studying, so bargains are around.
Sell your old books. Perhaps, like me, you want to keep your books. But if they’re now surplus to requirements, why not sell them to the next lot of students coming through? Even if you bought the books second hand yourself, selling them back on could be even more cost effective. Everyone’s a winner!
Club together on a big purchase. If several of you can benefit from an item, try and work out a way of splitting the cost. This may not be practical, but it’s worth a thought.
Swap stuff. You don’t want something, but your friend would love it. Maybe you’ll find something valuable to you that your friend doesn’t want.
Be Freegle! Give away what you don’t want and find freebies in your local area. Sign up for regular e-mails offering all sorts of goodies…furniture, books, sports equipment, clothes, all sorts! Before you can grab a free item, you need to offer one item first. I think that’s fair enough.
Consider renting expensive goods for one-off uses. It’s fine to buy something expensive if you’re making a relatively long-term investment. But when you’re unlikely to use it more than once, see if you can rent it instead. Do make sure the rental cost isn’t *too* high, otherwise it misses the point somewhat.
Borrow stuff. Another cheap idea, because borrowing is free (unless your mate is out to make a quick buck). Why bother keeping up with all your friends, when you can make use of their splashing of the cash? Friends are unlikely to turn you down when you want to borrow something, unless you’re not good at remembering to give stuff back…

photo by HowardLake

Reduce Carbon Emissions by 10% in 2010

Now for my final ‘retrospective’ post. A bit on my energy consumption.

As you may have noticed, I display a graphic showing that TheUniversityBlog is a 10:10 website.

I have pledged to cut my carbon emissions by at least 10% in 2010.

The 10:10 campaign kicked off earlier in 2009 and I have considered my energy usage even more seriously since then.

By way of comparison, I thought I’d share how much I roughly reduced my footprint in 2009, compared with 2008.

Using the Guardian’s Quick Carbon Calculator, I found I had the following carbon footprints:

In 2008: 16.5 tonnes CO2e
In 2009: 12.89 tonnes CO2e

The reduction came about mainly by the following:

Less regular intake from takeaway meals;
More locally sourced produce;
Fewer newspaper, magazine and book purchases;
Eating less meat (my other half is a veggie, so it’s been pretty simple…without help, some meat-eaters won’t be spurred on so easily to cut down!);
Using less car fuel;
Having more shopping delivered to me, rather than driving to shops all the time.

This is a healthy reduction in carbon emissions, which pleases me greatly. My footprint has reduced by more than 20% based on the rough calculations.

This is not an in-depth analysis of my footprint, but it is good for getting a gauge of how I have started changing. And the changes haven’t exactly made my life more difficult.

As for 2010, I still intend to find ways to cut my footprint. The 2010 UK target is 14 tonnes CO2e, while the UK average is currently 15.4. I may be happy to find that 12.89 is much lower than the 2010 target, but it’s still far too high. The 2050 target for the UK is just 3 tonnes CO2e.

I’ve got a lot of work to do before reaching such a low number. We all do. As a starting point, here are some articles from The Guardian about environment-conscious fashion and food:

Shop your closet – How to look stylish without buying new clothes
Can I give up buying clothes for a year?
How to green your eating habits

And here are a few ideas to help you reduce emissions even further. I’m sure you’ve heard most of them before, but they’re worth remembering and actioning:

Unplug devices when you’re not using them (such as TVs, chargers, etc);
Don’t wash so often! (Many of us wash more often than we actually need to…do you dare shower less?);
Turn down the brightness of your TV and/or computer’s monitor;
Turn off the tap when brushing teeth;
Close doors to keep warm air in;
Turn off lights when you leave a room and only use the lighting you actually need;
Most of us enjoy a cuppa, but only boil the amount of water you need, rather than filling the kettle to the top;
Wash your clothes (or get your parents to wash your clothes…) at 30 degrees centigrade, rather than 40 degrees or higher;
If you’re in your own property and can control the heating, reach for a thicker jumper before you reach for the thermostat.

There are loads of little tips like these. What tips do you have?

Making easy changes can make a difference. As pointed out in The Guardian by Andrew Simms, “The under-appreciated discipline of behavioural economics confirms that our actions are more influential than we often like to thin.”

Whether or not you believe the global warming arguments, where’s the harm in trying to reduce the amount of energy you use? If nothing else, it should help you save money. And you know how important it is to keep as much money in *your* bank account than someone else’s!