Bend Design Conference returns to Central Oregon for two days of conversations, tours, workshops, exhibits and human-to-human awesomeness during Tenth Month . Not the “artsy type?” No worries. Bend Design 2017 is for creative thinkers and doers. That just about covers everyone, including your Uncle Larry. Our world is full of complex problems and Bend Design wants to chip away at them with creative solutions. This means breaking a few rules to pave the way for something better.
So pull up your socks and get ready to change the world. Here are a few things this year’s Bend Design Conference will teach you:
1. EMBRACE CREATIVITY IN ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING
Bend Design inspires you to look at the world with a new set of eyes. Listen. Collaborate. Find joy in creating. Do work that matters so you can shape the future.
2. DESIGN FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD
In Thursday’s Talk Block, John Cary—architect, advisor and author— will speak about the design of the spaces in which we live, work and play and how it influences the quality of our lives.
3. CLOTHING FOR CRISIS
Of the many factors that contribute to the safety of refugees and migrants worldwide, clothing rarely cracks the top ten. On Thursday afternoon, Angela Luna, Founder and CEO of ADIFF, will discuss how intentional fashion can be a cause for social change.
4. MUSIC + ART FROM THE FRINGE
How do music and art affect how we see the world? Join Kawandeep Virdee and Bryan Lee for one of Thursday evening’s Mashups, where attendees will interact with emerging artists pushing boundaries.
5. DITCH THE HOT MESS OF HARMFULNESS
Troy Coleman from PicMonkey leads a hosted conversation on Thursday night, where a small group of creators will chat about Imposter Syndrome and how people—even highly skilled creatives— struggle to believe in their abilities. Walk away with strategies for overcoming your fraud-y feelings.
6. BECAUSE SCIENCE
BPC—otherwise known as Blank Page Complex—has challenged creative people since the beginning of… well… people. Frustration and resistance rear their gnarly heads as we contemplate creating. These challenges are similar to those of a scientist who observes, tests and develops every day. During a Friday workshop, Ryan Summers, Creative Director of Digital Kitchen, dives into using the scientific process to discover our creative selves.
7. WHAT’S WORTH PRESERVING?
Though technology has dramatically changed how we communicate, the handwritten letter still serves as an honest, purposeful, and authentic way of connecting with people. In one of Friday’s workshops, Tanner Woodford from the Chicago Design Museum will read letters from random people answering the question “What is worth preserving?” Their words might surprise you.
8. HARNESS YOUR TALENT FOR SOCIAL GOOD
Steffanie Lorig, an artist and creativity consultant, used design thinking to create a social venture that changed an industry and helped over 155,000 children internationally. During her Friday workshop, Steffanie will help you unpack your personal mission statement and workshop ways to take creative ideas for social good to the next level.
9. JUST GO OUT THERE AND DO IT
Beauty Is Embarrassing is a funny, irreverent, joyful and inspiring documentary featuring the life and times of one of America’s most iconic artists, Wayne White. Shown twice on Friday, the movie chronicles the vaulted highs and crushing lows of a commercial artist struggling to find peace and balance between work and art.
10. MAKE A RUCKUS
Come to Bend Design Conference with an open mind and leave with a new outlook on the place of design in our ever-changing world. Yes, bring a fresh notebook and your favorite pen for scribbling flashes of brilliance, but be prepared for two days of questioning the “but this is how we’ve always done it” mindset and breaking a few rules along the way. And then get ready to shape the future.
Design is everywhere, and people like you belong in the center of it. Celebrate design thinking and design doing in Bend, Oregon this October 26 + 27. Snag your Bend Design ticket here.