Creative thinking over breakfast anyone?

Very proud to be co-creating one of the Breakfast Session series workshops with Begin Anywhere & Economy of Hours, in East London, UK.

Think colour creative playfulness over coffee, pastries & a group of like minded folk seeking new ways to be their best creative self in their creative career or anywhere creativity can be applied… it’s all about creating together to grow a creative & sharing economy.

FB_Echo_breakfast-sessions-Creative_Thinking_18th_May_2016_Anna_B-Sexton

Creative Thinking comes to East London…

My favourite type of thinking… so I’m super excited to launch a new longer Creative Thinking course. Over the 5 week 2.5 hour session I’ll be guiding you through the steps to bring your idea to life.

Introduction to Creative Thinking 2016

Enrol for this course:

Either:
Telephone 020 7364 5665 between 10 – 4pm, Monday – Friday, with the course details and have your credit or debit card ready.

Course code C2404

Or:
Drop into your local Idea Store, with the course details, and ask at the desk.

Course code C2404

https://www.ideastore.co.uk/course/index/code/C2404

 

Creatively exploring…

Best #64millionartists challenge yet… Exploring

Today, go somewhere you’ve never been before and really look. It could be a place just around the corner or somewhere further away. It could be down a corridor or in a cupboard. It could even be into a book or a box of things. Document it however you’d like to. Just explore something new….

Looking underneath, and in different ways to my everyday, familiar surroundings…

So much better than any of the themed projects we were given at art school… I had some much fun crouching around on the floor seeking out something to shoot.

Exploring_your-surroundings_creatively_day-11_Anna_B-Sexton_64_Million_artists.jpg

#beopentocreate #everydaycreativity

#64millionartists

Creating a photo an hour during my day #64millionartists

image

Random acts 0f kindness – #everydaycreativity

Another #64millionartists challenge I liked… I enjoy the whole process of creating, sharing and the after effects of random acts of kindness.

Who am I really being kind to? The person/s who may or may not receive my act of kindness in that spirit or myself? The giver and receiver simultaneously…

This one was definately a win/win as I have a purpose to be more involved with my green fingered passions of gardening, sharing plants and being outdoors more…

Random_act_of_kindness_Anna_B-Sexton_64_Million_artists

#beopentocreate #everydaycreativity

#64millionartists

What I’ve lost in the past… day 5 #64millionartists

Losing balance
Connection to my inner fire, passion
Too many watches to mention
Funny bones
Ha, ha, ha…
Sentimental jewellery from long dead relatives
And sometimes peace of mind

image

#beopentocreate #everydaycreativity

#64millionartists

Coaching Skills for improved communication 7th July 2015 Oxford House

Coaching skills workshops 7th July 2015 in partnership with Echo & Oxford House

Coaching skills workshops 7th July 2015 in partnership with Echo & Oxford House

Vote for the small museum with the BIG heart by 8pm today… 16th May 2015

The small museum with a big heart, that is very close to my heart = Hackney Museum.

Voting closes today at 8pm UK time for a once in a museum’s lifetime chance to work with Yinka Shonibare MBE, internationally acclaimed artist and Hackney resident. So even though he lives 6 streets down from our Museum we need to win his time, creative energy, vision, input through the funded Museums at Night competition.

HERE IS WHERE YOU COME IN

VOTE http://museumsatnight.org.uk/yinka-shonibare/

Every vote counts in these last few hours as we are up against some big museums and we know in hearts we have every chance of winning an amazing supper club to celebrate Black History season in October 2015. Voters get a chance to be a guest at Yinka’s Supper club!

Eight top tips for authentic creative networking…

How can you be authentic and creative when you network?

Over the years networking has for me been the polar of extremes from superbly pleasurable and profitable through to boring and not one person whom I gave a card to getting back to my follow up emails/tweets etc! Hence I co-created Authentic Creative Networking – first with Alison Seddon and now with Martin Copland-Gray

So what’s the point in networking and how can you be your bright, creative and authentic self?

Image by Anna B. Sexton

Creative Networking tips
New creative networking tools
Learn your creative networking style

Eight Top tips for authentic creative networking

  1. Have a purpose – anything from “being myself and being honest”, “asking genuine questions and listening”, “to meet new people to boost our network”, “to secure new income generating work”, “to get a paid public speaking gig”
  2. Work out what you can give / offer to others – sometimes you will the one person another nervous and anxious networker is able to speak to all night. You are offering a service by listening, encouraging, hearing how you could be of service to enable their vision
  3. Find out who else is going to be there – asking for the list of delegates or checking out the Eventbrite guest list in advance allows you to see who is there who will most boost your creative business.
  4. Read up on any guest speakers, look at their photos – by the time you are there you will have given your brain the chance to think it has already met the speaker panel because of seeing the pictures in advance
  5. Take business cards – but if you forget them when you meet people whose information you want to keep take their email address, add it into an email which you can send once you get back from the event.
  6. Drink water and herbal teas –  coffee, tea and booze add to any pre existing levels of anxiety about walking into a room full of new people. By drinking soft drinks you give yourself the chance to tap into your 6th sense about people when you meet and trust what you feel, hear, think and see.
  7. Make sure you follow up with everyone you say you will… have a pre-drafted post networking response email you can tweak to personalise to each person you met.
  8. Give yourself a reward for attending and all the pre and post event work you put into growing and sustaining your creative business network…

Over time ‘networking’ does get easier, and some days it doesn’t. It’s okay to feel nervous, feel a little shy… chances are each person in the room will be somewhere on the spectrum of all the feelings we humans can experience.

You are not alone…

Authentic Creative Networking 24th April 2015 10am – 2pm 

Life is what you…

Make it...

your own unique version of creativity…

Ever act is a creative one… most days getting out of bed can be biggest and then each step from the bed onwards requires choice. I get such a thrill making the images I post (see above) out of a retro spelling/word game found in a charity shop somewhere in East London. Then making up statements mostly to inspire myself, to see something a little bit different from the usual Instagram fodder and I hope inspire you to make what you will of your next moment, creative project or………. 

Starting from 23rd April 2015 I’ll be launching a 5 week Creative Thinking Course via Idea Store, Whitechapel, East London, UK… will you join me?

Enrollment sign up HERE