This month's KCDesignCore meeting is WAY out of the normal box. We won't be learning where to point or click in our Adobe software to accomplish certain tasks -- but we WILL be learning how to be better creatives and visual designers as we work through some interactive exercises with Stefan Mumaw, author of the book Caffeine for the Creative Mind, creative director at Reign, and "purveyor of all things that rock."

This meeting idea was suggested at our February planning session (our continued gratitude to Suzanne Warner who swears by the book!), and we managed to track down THE MAN behind the caffeine! He's graciously agreed to spend the evening with us and work through one of the book's topics: "HABIT." As visual designers, this is the kind of departure from the normal "how-to" that could easily help us win, or dominate, a new project. Come prepared to let loose and have some fun.



"Habit"

Are your ideas flimsy? Do you feel like they scamper away in the dark and hide the moment you share them? Are you jealous of those rocking few who seem to come up with novel, creative solutions to even the most hard-nosed of problems, the kind of ideas that are uttered along side angelic voices while beams of light fall from the heavens? Good, because Reign Creative Director and Caffeine for the Creative Mind author Stefan Mumaw has the plan to turn your creative output from sparse to habitual. "Habit" is a hands-on creative workshop that explores where creativity hides and how we can generate ideas in greater quantity and quality, regardless of job title or project restrictions. Don’t settle for routine thoughts and stale solutions, crank up your ideation and learn how to boost the potential of your concepts.



Our local sponsor, TekSystems, is joining us with some actual caffeine (of the physical nature). Stefan will bring copies of his book to sign and give away, too.



This promises to be a fun, interactive, hands-on meeting for all of us who create ideas for a living. Invite your creative friends to join us. Everyone who brings a friend will receive an extra raffle ticket for our drawings!



STEFAN MUMAW

If Celtics legend Kevin McHale and a giraffe hooked up, the result would most likely be Reign Creative Director Stefan Mumaw. Born and bred in Southern California, Stefan graduated from Chapman University and foresook a lucrative career in MMA to follow his passion for design. So enamored by the creative process, in fact, Stefan has authored four books on the topic of design; two on creative web design and two on the creative process. A fifth book, "Tall Designers and Thin Air: Lack of Oxygen and the Creative Advantage" was strangely never published. He also speaks at numerous industry events, followed by a constant effort to play down the embarrassing behavior he typically exhibits on stage.

http://www.meetup.com/KCDesignCore/events/53349412/