Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.

-Erich Fromm

From KC to NYC

Hallmark recently had an exhibit at the New York Licensing Show, June 10th-12th at the Javits Convention Center in New York City.

Most people know that Hallmark has licensing relationships with places like Disney, Mattel, Marvel, Dreamworks, and many more (and we've got the cards, plates, cups, napkins, ornaments, and gifts to prove it!). However, most people don't know that we also have a group responsible for licensing out some of Hallmark's creative assets.

From the Hallmark Design Collections website. "For nearly 100 years, Hallmark has been creating images that people love. Each year, we add more than 23,000 new illustrations, designs, and photographs to our collection—a collection that spans every emotion, occasion, and season. Hundreds of thousands of images are waiting for you—created by Hallmark artists and photographers, or derived from Hallmark-owned collections. It's a treasure trove of creativity, one that will truly set your products apart."

So, below are some photos from the Hallmark Design Collections booth at the New York Licensing Show. Be sure to check out the Design Collections website to browse more of the collection and for information on how to tap into our unparalleled creative collections!

ISU College of Design Career Day

Hey from San Jose, CA! I'm on the road this week in sunny, warm California at San Jose State University. It's much warmer here (72 today!) than Iowa was last week (15!), but I wanted to give a shout out to all of the ISU students and faculty who stopped by to chat with Hallmark and/or came to our presentation at the College of Design Career Day last week. Here are a few photos from the event of our (Hallmark)RED booth. Thanks for coming to see what we're up to at Hallmark, and remember: the Hallmark Creative Summer Internship deadline is only 14 days away (March 17th)!

Left side of the booth. See the black and white books in the front of the photo? Those were all the goods we handed out! White books: Award-winning (A4, Kansas City AIGA Awards Show 2007), stitched booklet with an embossed cover chock full of info on Hallmark Creative and Kansas City (plus some of the top-selling cards from our RED line. Black books: Award-winning (Communication Arts annual, 2006) spiral bound book focused on typography and various paper stocks, all about Hallmark's Design Studios.

Right side of the booth, "See How Far a Card Can Go" posters designed by our Environmental Graphic Design Studio for Hallmark Gold Crown front-of-store (Jan-Feb 08). Similar signage was on a billboard in Times Square, NYC in December 07 and January 08!

Gift Presentation product (bags, tissue, boxes, gift wrap, hang tags) and a few cards and stationery (boxed cards)

Some of the RED cards and some print collateral from the Marketing Design Studio, our internal ad agency.

Me and Meg B., a Hallmark Designer (check out her blog, so fun! link under "Hallmarkers Who Blog" on the right)

(Hallmark)RED booth in full

Hallmark Creative Summer Internship Deadline-March 17th!

Submit your portfolio today on our website.

Looking for a cre-a-tive summer internship?

***Visit http://www.hallmarkcreativecareers.com today to learn more and to apply for one of 14 creative summer internship opportunities!***

Survey results!

In my latest survey, I asked: What is most important to new college grads when considering employment opportunities? Thirteen people voted, and the survey said:

Great location is most important. 1 (7%)
Working for a green company is most important. 0 (0%)
Flexible work hours and vacation time are most important.   1 (7%)
Competitive salary is most important. 0 (0%)
Name recognition of employer is most important. 1 (7%)
Creative freedom is most important. 5 (38%)
Moving up quickly is most important. 0 (0%)
Quality of co-workers is most important. 5 (38%)

It looks like creative freedom and quality of co-workers topped the charts. I have to say that in my experience, these two things are the two things that have made my career rewarding, exciting, interesting, and just plain fun. It's what makes coming to work every day worth it! Thanks to all who voted. Another survey will be coming soon -- anyone have a survey question they'd like to see posted?

Leadership: for only a select few, or for all?

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Recently I have been reading a lot of books and articles on leadership. It's facinating: typically, creatives don't see themselves as leaders, nor do they think that they might want to be a "leader" one day -- "Manage people? No way! I just want to be creative and design!"

I have been thinking more deeply about the concept of leadership, I am starting to realize that you don't have to have a certain title (like Art Director, Creative Director, or Vice President) to be a leader. That sounds naive, I know, but when you think about that idea, and really take ownership of it, it becomes a very powerful thing: You can be influential in your current position, at your current age, in whatever you are currently working on.

To me, the first part of the Antoine de Saint-Exupery quote (above) is more for the people who are leaders by title -- those who are trying to direct people and products and design work. Those people with the typical "leadership" titles. But the second part of the quote pertains to everyone, me, you, us, in our daily lives, in our daily jobs, in our creative work, in all we do. To "long for the endless immensity of the sea" is to absorb, learn, grow, influence those around us, collaborate, be creative, change, innovate, and influence. To dream up the seemingly impossible idea. To go for it will all of our passion and energy, and to succeed.

If you do this each day, I believe that you are a leader. But then again, I'm not a philosopher or writer or saint, so let me know what you think!

Holy Deliciousness!

I had to opportunity to visit one of my favorite places on earth (a big statement, I know, but oh so true) last Friday night during Kansas City's First Friday event in the Crossroads Art District. Not only is the new retail space for Christopher Elbow Chocolates stunning, but man, does it smell good! And, the delectable designed treats inside this little shop taste even better than they smell.

Emeril Lagasse, Jean Joho, American Restaurant, Eiffel Tower Restaurant, Oprah, Food & Wine, InStyle, Food Network, Elbow has influenced them all with his creativity and style -- and of course, his ability to make the most amazing chocolates. From Fresh Lime to Espresso With Lemon, Tahitian Vanilla Bean, or Passion Fruit -- you name it, Christopher Elbow has probably experimented with it at some point during his chocolate-making endeavors. Sometimes the most odd-sounding combinations are the most amazing flavors -- my pick -- Strawberry-Balsamic Caramel (but then again, I pretty much like them all).

Every First Friday night (and probably every other Friday night for that matter), you will find Christopher Elbow's little shop packed with all types of creative people, people who love chocolate, tourists, friends, and fans. No matter who is inside, one thing is certain: everyone is smiling, everyone is eating (or drinking) one of Christopher's tantalizing treats, and everyone is raving.

I'll leave you with a quote from his website that I think embodies the spirit of what I'm trying to say here. Head to his website, http://www.elbowchocolates.com to read more, and while you are there, order some of these unique artisian sweets!

"Like most creative professionals, Christopher Elbow likes to experiment with different materials. But while some artists dabble in bronze or oils or clay, Christopher chooses some of the finest varieties of chocolate. Working in small batches, he meticulously sculpts tiny pieces of chocolate perfections into miniature works of art that look as exquisite as they taste. This is the inspired world of Christopher Elbow. Where modern culinary artistry meets traditional handcraftsmanship. Where taste experiences are rivaled only by visual sensations. Where the art of chocolate is expressed in beautiful, decadent pieces that are hand-created one at a time."

The poll results are in!

30 people who responded to the latest survey, What is the best way to get your creative juices flowing? Results are as follows:

Research: reading, shopping, web-surfing, etc. 12 (40%)
Talking with other creatives 8 (26%)
Creating with your hands (getting away from your computer) 4 (13%)
Being Active: working out, going for a walk, running, etc. 4 (13%)
Getting a good night's sleep, taking a nap 2 (6%)
Plain and simple: Caffeine! 0 (0%)

Thanks for your input! Feel free to comment below if you have any other ways to inspire your creativity.

Blogging Nerves

I have to admit that I was quite (ok, super-very-mucho) nervous today when I invited over 300 designers, illustrators, photographers, professors, and writers (and more!) to become part of CRE·A·TIV·I·TY. I'm not sure how to measure success or failure regarding blogging, but I'm having fun so far -- and so far, around 50 people have already signed up to join us!

Kudos to all of you who have already come to check out CRE·A·TIV·I·TY, and welcome! I hope that our community continues to grow.

Feel free to leave comments and questions and participate in the poll (coming soon!) to tell me what you are interested in learning and discussing.

I'll sign off for the day with something I heard in a recent meeting here at Hallmark: [paraphrased] "We must listen for insight, not just information. It isn't information that leads to change."

Growing up Creative?

I was home in Iowa this past weekend for a family reunion -- 75 people from my extended family converging on my parent's farm for a three-day-weekend of food, fun, and fellowship. While in the midst of four generations of my family, I came to a wonderful realization that I'd like to share. I'll get to it in a bit, but first, a little backgound...

When I came to Hallmark three years ago, I was immediately in awe of the amazing talent around me. A naturally curious person, I began to ask my co-workers about their creative backgrounds. Many people had gone to specialized art schools or private art colleges. Several people spoke about amazing internships or past career opportunities at top design firms in New York or LA. Almost all of my colleagues mentioned "growing up creative," which was a new and interesting concept to me: some designers here have famous artists in their families, some were influenced by their parents who were fine artists themselves, some even had one-on-one training by famous artists or designers. I started to become intimidated: Why had I decided to study design? How did I even get a job at Hallmark with the amazing talent already housed here?

My co-workers all spoke of something that, at the time, I didn't think I had: a creative upbringing. As a farm girl from Iowa who attended a state school (Iowa State University - Go Cyclones), I quickly began to feel that I was in the shadow of these life-long, specially-trained designers and artists.

It wasn't until my family reunion last weekend that I came to a conclusion: Could it be that I actually had grown up creative? As part of our family reunion activities, my dad had created a 5 ft x 16 ft wooden puzzle, cut into 80 pieces. Each family member was to take a piece of the puzzle and, starting with their name, design a piece that represented them. As I watched four generations of my family creating their pieces, I started to realize that even though none of my family members are classically trained artists, and none of them have gone to a specialized art school (and certainly none of them had a design internship in NYC) each of them in their own way is indeed creative. My dad drew an illustration of his favorite place on earth - the White Cliffs of Montanta, complete with him in his canoe! My 3rd cousin wrote and illustrated her story about being adopted and about her love for her grandparents. My 88 year old great-uncle drew a picture of the state of Iowa, and labeled all of the places he had lived during his life and memories from those places. My brother-in-law, who is probably the least "artistic" person I know, drew a history of his teaching career using the school colors of each school where he has taught.

It wasn't just the puzzle pieces designed that weekend that showed our creativity. It was the dinners that my mom cooked for 75 people each night, it was the hymn sing on our deck with my 2nd cousins making up harmonies to classic hymns, it was the storytelling around the campfire and looking at the rock formations on the river during the early morning canoe floats. And it was evident during Sunday morning church in the hayloft of my family's barn where we all gathered, 8 months old to 88 years old, to celebrate all of the joy we had been given because of each other and our individual personalities, woven together, to make our unique, and yes, our creative family.

I discovered last weekend that creativity is actually in all of us, in many ways, shapes, and forms. It is with us when we are young, and grows and changes as we do. We just have to know how to recognize it and draw it out of ourselves - and each other.

The first post!

WOO HOO! I don't know if those who blog ("bloggers" - guess that's me now!) usually celebrate their first post, but I am certainly going to! I'd like to thank my mom and dad, my boyfriend, my sisters, my friends, my boss, my team at work, my roommate, her cats.... Ok, you get the idea. I'm very excited to be up and running on blogger.com (guess I should thank them too!). Cheers to my first post!

I am an entry-level blogger, but I have a lot to share with anyone who is interested in all things creative. I plan to share my own perspectives and advice on creativity (my background is in graphic design), but I also want to talk about the place where I work. A place where I come every day. A place that inspires me to be creative. A place where I can be myself. A place that is respected an known across the world. A place that houses over 1400 creatives who do what they love to do every day. That place is Hallmark Cards, Inc.

This won't be a place where Hallmark is "advertised" or where all we talk about is greeting cards (Note: Hallmark creates much more than cards). This is a true story about the creative journey I am on, and the awe-inspiring company that I call home. This is a place to share stories. This is a place for conversation and exploration, for questions, and for ideas. I want to hear from you. I want to hear your stories, thoughts, feelings, and opinions. Let's be creative!

(and again, YAY to my first post)!