Monday Vision: Creative Freedom
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
It’s Monday morning again and we have one thing on our minds. Beer. Perhaps a little odd to be thinking about this so early in the day, but we’re not drinking it. We’re observing how artists have been creative with beer. So today we’ve decided to return to our theme of Creative Freedom: the power of freedom in creating new ideas.
We headed to The MF Gallery in Brooklyn, where art and beer have come together for a show that runs through to 30 April. The theme is: 40 oz Beer Bottles, Customized by over 40 Artists, For Sale starting at $40. You’ve got to love it. We met the owners, Martina and Frank, by appointment only, and they helped us quickly get our curious minds around the multitude of artistic interpretations that surrounded us. They have invited many of the best underground artists to transform a standard beer bottle. There are no other rules or constraints, just that the bottle is their canvas.
Some of the show’s 40 oz Beer Bottles, customized by over 40 Artists.
MCo ladies enjoying the exhibition on how artists have been creative with beer bottles.
Some chose to create their ‘own brand’ of beer through a more traditional beer label shape, some have completely gone to town and painted them all over, or added other materials, while others have completely transformed the bottles into sculptures and unexpected works of art. Who knew you could do so much with a beer bottle! It just goes to show that artists will be artists, if they have the Creative Freedom to express themselves fully. We thoroughly enjoyed soaking up the artistic diversity and how people think so differently about the same challenge. We feel that the liquid form of the subject may have influenced some of the creative expressions, but whatever it takes!
A) Angel “Mud” Perez, ‘A Toast To You’ B) Nathan Groppe, ‘Deadly Headly’ C) Mike Mass, ‘Lil’ Wayne’ D) Phresha, ‘Dirty Handed Dame’ E) Todd Batchelder & Tiffany Cummings, ‘Untitled’ F) Erica Doll, ‘A Message In A 40′
Afterwards we went to a local cafe for tea, not beer, to discuss what we’d seen. We humored ourselves for a moment by referencing some of the ‘design briefs’ we have received in the past and how restrictive these were, doing absolutely nothing to inspire or encourage creativity and new thinking. The ideal brief for us is one in which we are encouraged to explore new ideas and possibilities for design to transform the expected into the unexpected. And our Collective model continues to feed us with diverse inspiration and ideas from all sorts of experts, allowing us to truly live up to our concept of Creative Freedom.
At Monday Collective we live by Creative Freedom to find new ideas and possibilities for design. If you’re open minded and up for experiencing new ideas, please do get in touch through more@mondaycollective.com.
Monday Collective: connected brand design ideas
Monday Vision: Creative Freedom
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Today we’ve treated our senses to a break from unwanted pollution and enjoyed an extended moment of blissful silence. The reality is that we all crave more time to think properly, no matter what we spend our days doing. Bring on Creative Freedom: the power of freedom in creating new thinking.
As our days at Monday Collective are spent creating big ideas for brands, we know how essential it is for us to remove ourselves from the bombardment of visual and written messages that don’t inspire us to think differently, explore new ground and create the unexpected.
The interior of Park Here’s temporary indoor ‘pop-up’ park
The ‘pop up’ concept is not new thinking, but a temporary indoor park in the stylish neighborhood of Nolita, in the middle of an extremely cold New York winter, is the sort of thinking we like to experience. Park Here is an indoor pop up park that’s only around for the month of January. It’s decked with an artificial lawn, forest murals, picnic tables, SAD light boxes, life size trees, chirping birds… oh, and a random pink see saw. The park hosts yoga and pilates classes during the day, and at night they house private events like flower arranging classes, chocolate and wine tastings, movie nights and dinner parties. On the weekends the park provides a space for local food businesses to function that wouldn’t normally be able to during winter months.
The MCo ladies enjoying some time in our new newly discovered environment
Having just walked in from the freezing cold streets of the city, we were not going to remove ourselves too quickly from our newly discovered environment. We lazed around on the grass under the trees laughing at ourselves, which happens often, while we bounced and scribbled ideas in our new limited edition pac-man Moleskine notepads.
It’s an unexpected, transformative park environment and we just love that it’s been created to meet the real needs of busy city people. Two things came to mind. First, brands should create more relevant and meaningful experiences for people. Second, everyone deserves a little space to think about new possibilities.
At Monday Collective, our culture of Creative Freedom enables us to connect with the reality of what’s going on around us so that we can explore the most meaningful and powerful design ideas. Our Creative Freedom allows us to experience The Brilliance of Change™. If you’re in tune or intrigued, we’d love to hear from you at more@mondaycollective.com.
