MEX

Supercreativity is the latest PopTech ‘Edition’, comprising videos, a reading list and an ongoing discussion forum.  In their words:

Supercreativity provided an intimate setting to explore perspectives on creativity as technology tools help us shift from consumption to creation.

I particularly enjoyed the HBR article they link to: ‘Balancing “we” and “me”: the best collaborative spaces also support solitude‘ by Christine Congdon, Donna Flynn and Melanie Redman.  While I didn’t agree with some of their conclusions, I did find it thought provoking.I’ve chosen Supercreativity as an inspiration for several reasons:

1. There are obvious thematic links with our own MEX exploration of ‘Intersection, the pivot between consumption and creativity’.
2. The format – combinining events, original content, external references and ongoing discussion – is similar in some ways to MEX, but it is always interesting to see how others are doing it.
3. There was an element of serendipity to this discovery.  I found PopTech while visiting friends in the lovely little port of Camden, Maine a few years ago.  Their conferences are held in the town each fall.  I was there in late October sunshine, just after they’d held their annual event, and the PopTech posters were still up.  In the harbour, boats were being put away for the winter, and I thought to myself what a relaxing, thoughtful place it would be to have a good old chat about life, technology and ideas.

The photo above is of the Camden waterfront, where PopTech is held.  It is so cold in the winter they shrink wrap their boats to keep them cosy.

Part of Friday Inspirations, an ongoing MEX series exploring tangents and their relationship to better experience design.  We explain the origins of the Inspirations series in this MEX podcast and article.  Share your own inspirations on Twitter at #mexDTI.