How much would a cup of coffee and an ounce of inspiration cost? Completely free at Creative Mornings Singapore! Think TED talks, for creatives.
Sporting a different theme each month as guided by its New York headquarters, the breakfast lecture series gathers Singapore’s creative community to share, collaborate, and be inspired through a 20-minute talk by a guest speaker in the field. Despite what many say or believe about our nation’s ability (or lack thereof) to be creative, Creative Mornings champions the motto and shows us that Singapore (actually) is creative!
On October’s theme, Crossover, a packed out Glass House at the Singapore Art Museum with all sorts of artists in their own right, sat captivated by Adri Reksodipoetro’s. His talk was punctuated with moving stories of the urban migrant crossing over from rural surrounds to the concrete jungle, fending a living with the jugaad spirit. The Hindi idea of Jugaad encapsulates the cultivation of ideas through necessity.
Out of the many tales told, this one left the deepest impression: Mansukhbhai Prajapati created the world’s most cost-friendly and environmentally friendly refrigerator with the simplest and cheapest of materials: clay and water. Why? Because normal refrigerators were way too expensive! Yet, he wanted to figure out a way to keep dairy products and food fresh for more than its current couple of hours. His invention benefitted his family, and others in the community in provision of a low-cost fridge at $40, and new jobs for his unemployed neighbours. What a wonderful picture of community, sparked by a moment of inspiration and creativity seeded through necessity.
We took a leaf out of the organising team’s book, and gathered three pointers on creating a space for collaboration at your events:
1. Provide your community with a voice. Two start-ups in the creative industry were given an opportunity to present project pitches – co-working office space The Working Capitol and Keepers, a Singapore Designer Collective. This is essential since these companies are able to source for potential partners while attendees are able to learn from their experience. Creative Mornings has thus developed a win-win situation for both parties and banks on its objective of sharing and collaboration.
2. Document your event. A great cause of distress is when an idea is forgotten. Most seminars and lectures often distribute visual aids or slide handouts. Creative Mornings has bettered this by taking videos of their talks so that the exchange is catalogued. With an on-the-ground videographer, not a second of the talk is missed and a person who attended the talk can easily access it via the Creative Mornings website.
3. Make your event accessible and create a sense of inclusion. If you attend a Creative Mornings talk, you don’t have to be worried of condescending jargon being thrown at you. It is a friendly circle with most of the subject matter being relatable. If you find yourself available on a Creative Morning, you will definitely find it to be an engaging and worthwhile affair with takeaways to boot and no; we’re not just talking about the coffee.
Head for a Creative Morning, its easygoing sensibility makes it an accessible event even for those who do not identify themselves with the word “creative”. Be inspired, interact with industry trendsetters, bounce ideas off others over a cuppa at the next session! Happening this Friday, 14 November, register for a spot here.
Written by: Stephen Vergara
Edited by: Claire Ding
