Breaking Through Creative Block

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Never be Blocked again and learn a secret about coming up with ideas and getting into the "Creative Flow".

Some days you wake up and don’t feel overly creative which makes generating ideas super frustrating. Others in your field seem to always come up with new, amazing projects, but your creative juices are suffering a drought.

Creativity is a learned skill.

We can train ourselves to be more creative by using simple techniques to retrain our brain to allow those thoughts to come out. We tend to make things more difficult than they actually need to be. Chances are you’re struggling with creative solutions just like I have in the past…

• Why did this seem so easy to come up with, did I miss something?

• I can’t just come up with ideas on the spot, I need more time.

• haven’t been feeling creative for over a week now, how am I going to be able to finish this project?

• All my ideas are so generic and boring.

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in negative thinking, stalling projects and feeling constantly blocked creatively.

BUT the good news is…

You’ve been preparing to solve creative problems since the day you were born.

At the heart of it, creativity is really just problem solving. It’s easy to complicate and misinterpret the problem itself, and it’s human nature to do so. So how can you get “unstuck” if you’ve been conditioned from past projects to approach problems like they’re more difficult than they actually are?

I’ve got just the thing, Introducing...

BREAKING THROUGH CREATIVE BLOCK

COURSE OUTCOMES

By the end of this course you will:

• Define Creativity

• Understand what a "Creative Idea" is.

• Learn the two pathways of how the brain works.

• Understand the difference between Strategies and Tactics and how to apply them to your situation.

• Learn 2 tactics on how to break through "Creative Block"

Resources:

YOUR CREATIVE BRAIN: SEVEN STEPS TO MAXIMIZE IMAGINATION, PRODUCTIVITY, AND INNOVATION IN YOUR LIFE

This book changed my life and how I view “creativity”. Anyone who wants to be better at what they do need to read this book.

Pick it up HERE

This provocative book reveals why sitting in front of a light box can increase your creativity more than listening to a Bach concerto. Harvard psychologist Shelley Carson, Ph.D., explains that creativity isn't something only scientists, investors, artists, writers, and musicians enjoy; in fact, all of us use our creative brains every day at home and at work. Since its initial release, Your Creative Brain has been the recipient of several awards, including The Will Solimene Award for Excellence from the American Medical Writers Association, as well as the Living Now Book of the Year Award.

COURSE MODULES

Module 1 - Creativity

What is Creativity?

Shift our mindsets away from the mystical word of Creativity to Problem Solving and now we can approach it entirely differently.

The process is going to take some un-learning bad habits that we have created for ourselves. The amazing thing about our brain is that is can be retrained. At any age.

I will introduce you to my process of working that I have been using for a long time.

What is a Creative Idea?

You are a unique database of knowledge and experiences. The more experiences we have, the more bits on information we can pull from to come up with ideas. Break out of your bubble and find something new to explore and then see how it can relate to what you do.

Module 2 - How the Brain Works

The Brain is a magical thing. It is always changing. Once we know how the brain works during idea generation we can start to manipulate it to our benefit.

There are two types of thinkers: Spontaneous and Deliberate.

If we borrow from the other style of thinker it can help us be faster and better idea creation machines.

Module 3 - Strategies and Tactics

The Brain is a magical thing. It is always changing. Once we know how the brain works during idea generation we can start to manipulate it to our benefit.

There are two types of thinkers: Spontaneous and Deliberate.

If we borrow from the other style of thinker it can help us be faster and better idea creation machines.

Module 4 - Tactics

The Power of the Pen

Bird, Human, Dog

The Idea to Print - Creating a Photobook

Full Overview

The photobook is a book of photographs by a photographer that has an overarching theme or follows a storyline – a convenient and reasonably affordable way of disseminating the work of a photographer to a mass audience

This course is designed for anyone who is interested in developing a photographic project into a photobook. Participants do not need to have prior knowledge of designing books and concepts, or how to use design software.

Course Outcome

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Develop an idea into a completed project

• Design a photobook

• Edit a series of photos for a consistent look

• Use typography and graphic design fundamentals to design a photobook

• Prepare files for submission to a print provider

Prerequisites

The student needs to have an understanding of RAW image processing and file management skills. Ideally, participants will be working on a photographic project that they would like to make a photobook with. Access to a design program such as Adobe InDesign is preferable but other free software options can also be used.

Course Modules

Module 1 - Preparing Assets and Sequencing

You will be introduced to developing concepts that elevate your photobook to being more than an album of photographs. We will look at methods of preparing your images and beginning to create a sequence along with different types of photobooks.

Module 2 - Graphic Design Fundamentals

You will be introduced to professional approaches to choosing book formats, layouts, colours, and typography and how to design your book.

Module 3 - Book Design Software and Printers

You will watch a book being made in front of you and prepared to send it to a printer. The industry-standard Adobe InDesign will be used, but other software that can do the job will also be discussed including Lightroom. You will be given a list of recommended printers. We will also discuss different papers and bindings. You are now ready to begin to design your own professional looking photobook.

Module 4 - Mentorship and Guidance

You will have direct access to your instructor to help with any questions or technical issues you may be experiencing while creating your photobook. By the end of this course, you will have a completed photobook sent off to a printer.

Starting Your Creative Business

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course will strip away much of the overwhelm you may feel as a new creative entrepreneur. It will take you on a journey from coming up with profitable business ideas, discovering where your talents lie, to testing and packaging what you are going to sell, and to show you how to make a living.

Designed for anyone who is running a service business or is a solopreneur - creatives, coaches, consultants, designers, photographers.

This course will ease the transition from concept to business and take you on a journey from inspiration to income.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Define their professional practice

• How to differentiate themselves from the competition

• Define their Niche

• Define their ideal customer

• Construct effective proposals

• Determine their pricing model

• Use proven tactics in negotiations

• Create their business plan

• Develop their contract and invoicing process

• Determine their Cost of Doing Business

COURSE MODULES

Module 1 - Foundation

Just like building a home, it all starts with a strong foundation. With a solid foundation in place, you then have the freedom to be creative with the direction and messaging of your business.

• Pricing

• CODB (Cost of Doing Business)

• The Creative Fee

• Positioning

Module 2 - Structure

After laying a solid foundation we need to determine our customers, how much they will pay for our service(s) and then develop our pricing strategies and how we present ourselves to them in our portfolios.

• Pricing Strategies

• Personas

• Portfolios

Module 3 - Administration

With a solid structure in place our focus shifts to the day-to-day administrative practices that will help strengthen our relationships with our customers, provide protection for both us and our customers and make sure we get paid.

• Imposter Syndrome

• Negotiation Basics

• Proposals and Contracts

• Revisions

• Copyright and Licensing

• Invoicing

Module 4 - Packaging

Now we get to get into full "Creative" mode and work on our messaging, branding identities, how we can get our business in front of new clients and most importantly put it together into a plan to keep us on track or to let us know when to change direction.

• Putting the Plan Together

• Branding

• Marketing

Photoshop for Photographers

Full Overview

Finishing images is the final step in the development of your style in photography. Understanding the foundations of digital pictures and the tools’ inspiration is crucial to your success and will never leave you not understanding how to complete a look. This course will expose you to the systems involved in the editing of digital images allowing you to apply what you need to develop your point of view.

Course Outcome

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Understand the foundations of Digital Images

• Work with different file types based on the requirements

• Resize Digital Images using proper Image Resolution and Size Techniques.

• Apply Digital Colour Theory principles to the editing and finishing of their images.

• Understand Colour Space and work within colour channels

• Begin the process of developing their workflow

• Understand the similarities and differences when editing between types of images

Prerequisites

The student needs to have an understanding of RAW image processing and file management skills.

Course Modules

Module 1: Digital Image Theory

Why do we need to know this? Once we can understand what a digital image is, we will know the limitations and manipulate them to achieve our vision.

Outcomes

• Understand what makes up a digital image

• Know the difference between the two types of digital images

• Understand Compression and File Types

• Identify the difference in Colour Modes

• Understand why Colour Space is important

• Understand how Colour Gamut affects how we view digital images

Module 2: Digital Colour Theory

Why do we need to know this? By understanding how colour works so we will understand the decisions about how to process our digital images.

Outcomes

• Know the difference between Additive and Subtractive Colour Modes

• Understand the different Colour Spaces

• Applying Colour Theory to our edits

Module 3: Digital Image Finishing Workflow

Why do we need to know this? Using a consistent workflow, we can consistently and repeatedly create high-quality digital images based on how we want them finished.

Outcomes

• Lightroom/Camera RAW to Photoshop round trip

• Creation of a File structure

• Naming Conventions

• Non-Destructive Editing Techniques

• Working in colour channels

• Use of adjustment layers

• Use of layer groups

• Working with Brushes

• Repairing/removing elements

• Creation and editing of masks

• Create and Use selections

• Exporting to different file types

Module 4: Editing Digital Images

Why do we need to know this? By understanding the subtle differences in editing specific types of photography, we can incorporate techniques into the development of our unique workflow. 

Outcomes

• Portrait Retouching

• Editing Landscapes

• Creation of commercial product photos

• High-end Fashion/Beauty Retouching

• Combining multiple photos to create composites