Bringing Ideas To Life
If you consider yourself a creative person then you know how rewarding it is to see your ideas and your moments of inspiration actually become something. Portland Creatives was originally just an idea and like many ideas, it was placed on a shelf. As our agency has grown we’ve at last arrived at a point where we could bring this idea to life and so far it’s been an awesome experience! There is so much happening in Portland. It’s almost as if you’ll miss something if you stop and blink. We’ve been so fortunate to meet with a handful of creatives who are helping to progress and expand Portland culture in their own unique ways.
We hope this first season of Portland Creatives was able to slow down time a bit for you. By sharing the stories and visions of these creative individuals/small businesses, we’ve made detailed snapshots of Portland culture at work. You’ve seen the hands-on philosophy Coava’s Matt Higgins applies to coffee roasting. You’ve experienced the flame spouting bagpipes of Brian Kidd the Unipiper. You’ve hopefully gone out to taste the peanut-butter-pickle-bacon burger after hearing about how Killer Burger’s TJ Southard aspires to be different.
We’ve covered a lot this first season but one recurring thing we’ve noticed is the concept of collaboration. The creative culture of Portland thrives off of collaboration. When creative minds combine their efforts to benefit each other, amazing things happen. Just look at what Joel Gregory with Ex Novo, Martin Eichinger, and Ward Cunningham were able to achieve by doing so.
The real question is why.
Why did we decide to take this idea off the shelf and actually make it happen? First, we believe in the power of small businesses across all industries. We also believe that it’s creative people (like you) who are responsible for keeping the culture and spirit of this country flowing. And last, we simply want to inspire our communities. It’s fulfilling to see the great things happening in our city and we want to see Portland’s flame continually burning brighter. The American dream is often misinterpreted as the “white picket fence” cliche, when in fact it’s something so much more. If I can remember Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby well enough, I think this dream is simply that you should have the opportunity to be who you want to be and to do what you want to do. The creative individuals and small businesses of Portland are making this clearer than ever!
As we wrap up this first season it’s been so great looking back at all the inspiring people we’ve met during the making of this web series. But as we look ahead toward the future, we’ll be revealing the amazing lineup of creatives who will be featured in our next creative venture - our expanded national series: The New Creatives!