how to make mistakes on purpose
is not a creativity workshop.
read the
communication arts article here.
this year, HTMMOP was a huge success
and stockholm design lab, and
at the banff new media institute.
the workshop was attended by a herd of elk,
and we all danced until 3 A.M.
How to make mistakes on purpose
is not a creativity workshop.
Trying to be creative works about as well
as trying to be charming.
Sometimes I call it “What to do when it’s too late to get burrs stuck on your pants and invent Velcro all over again.” It thrives on word-of-mouth recommendations, (see below) but there can be no syllabus. People are just encouraged to Show Up.
I tell people in charge what it involves, but for the participants, at least, it MUST be a SURPRISE! because its about surprise.
Former participants are asked not to describe it. OMERTA! There should be no expectations or preconceptions. This year I have taught “How to make Mistakes on Purpose” at ArtCenter in LA, at the Iceland Academy of Art and will be teaching at Maryland Institute of Art and at the Cooper Union in NYC. I also held 4 workshops of 50 participants each at the AIGA NEXT National Conference in Denver, 2007.
It has been taught at Rhode Island School of Design, AIGA New York, Moore College of Art, Brighton University, Parsons School of Design, NYU, School of Visual Arts, AIGA Minnesota, Camberwell (London), Iceland Academy of Art, Beckmans, Konstfack, and HDK (Sweden). If you think it might be fun to try it, you are right. It’s usually 12 hours total over 2 or even 3 days, but it can also happen in 2 to 3 hours. It’s been written about in The New York Times, HOW, and many other publications.
Anyone can do it. It is not for designers. No special skills are required. CORPORATIONS such as STARBUCKS. GOOGLE and MEREDITH have held the workshop.
Here are some testimonials that say good things about it:
“This experience loosened up my uptight intellectual mindset like nothing else.”
Ellen Lupton
Director, Graphic Design MFA Program
Maryland Institute College of Art
“This workshop gives even the smartest student a totally new view on visual force and speed.
It’s fun, fast and very useful!”
Tom Hedqvist
Principal, Beckmans College of Design
Stockholm
“Laurie Rosenwald runs the workshop with no name, no direction and takes no prisoners. Make no mistake though, it works. Students have fun, get creative in a completely intuitive and accidental way, and get pushed to stop thinking and just “make stuff.” It all makes no sense but complete sense too. Be afraid, be very afraid.”
Lawrence Zeegen
Academic Progamme Leader, School of Arts and Communication
University of Brighton, Brighton, UK
“Fun, cool, a wrong-thinking, crazy, intuitive, inspiring, top brain, collaborative, bottom brain, and definitely not business as usual.”
John Bielenberg
Co-founder and managing member, C2
Project M
“Laurie teaches by forcing-through the sheer power of her personality and in-your-face determination-everyone let go of their preconceptions. This workshop magically reveals that one of the worst ways to solve a problem is to set out to do just that. Like a rabbit out of a hat, Laurie reveals this surprising insight: Start with an answer, any answer will do-then go find the problem is solves.”
Greg Galle (Starbucks Creative Camp)
Co-founder and managing member, C2
San Francisco, California
“By encouraging me to make mistakes on purpose, Laurie showed me how to embrace my inner failure. In so doing, she introduced me to her own special kind of “failure judo,” turning a perceived weakness into something personal, unique, and powerful. I’m now a much stronger designer. And woe shall befall my pathetic enemies now. Thanks, Laurie!”
Alex Isley, Creative Director and Partner
Alexander Isley Inc.
“We needed a good kickstart for our first year in graphic design, product and fashion design departments. Something that would completely sweep our students off their feet, make them less self-conscious and more spontaneous. They discovered something within themselves. It was the perfect workshop for us.”
Sigridur Sigurjonsdottir
Professor of Product Design
Iceland Academy of the Arts
“Laurie’s workshop was a blast.”
Cyrus Highsmith
Senior Designer, Font Bureau, Inc.
Professor, Rhode Island School of Design
“Laurie’s workshop was great fun, fast, funky, backwards and rewarding! Cool lady!”
Svein Meek
Studieleder Grafisk Design
Norges Kreative Fagskole
Oslo. Norway
LET ME BRING CHAOS TO YOUR ORDER.
