Export or edit this event...

Refresh Portland — Staying Creative When Your Day Job Is a Grind

FINE
1140 SW 11th Ave Suite 200
Portland, OR 97205, US (map)

Website

Description

Doors open at 5:30. Talk starts at 6pm.

Ask any CEO: the creativity and innovative ideas of their employees are a key driver for business success. So why does so much of our work suck the creative energy right out of us?

It’s not just paper pushers who are struggling with creative burnout – designers, writers, programmers and others in de facto creative jobs find themselves bogged down in repetitive work while their best ideas are rejected by clients and management alike.

Why does this happen, and how can we combat creative burnout to reclaim our spark? From our desks at work to our living rooms at home, Cat will explore ways to conquer monotony, nurture inspiration, and boost our creative output. Oh, and have a lot more fun in the process.

Our Presenter, Cat Rayburn

Cat began her interactive design career making website Flash intros. Clients loved them! Users had no choice but to tolerate them. After a dark night of the soul, she spent the next 15 years trying to atone.

Now she’s a dogged advocate for users and an evangelist for user-centered methods, and recently served as co-leader of IxDA Portland. Cat has traversed design agencies, explored the uncharted territory of a freelance career, knocked about in the belly of the corporate beast, and finally repatriated to agency life. Each new move brought creative challenges, and yes, some creative ruts as well. She is currently a Lead UX Designer and Researcher at Amplified Design where she designs applications for the education, IoT, non-profit, automotive and healthcare sectors.

Outside work she makes costumes with sporks, caution tape, artificial birds, and sometimes fabric.

Share

Tags