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BY ANDREA TOMOE
Back from a three-year hiatus, The Portland Creative Conference threw itself back into Portland's artsy scene Friday, Sept. 25 at Portland Center Stage's Armory Theater.
The day was stocked withspeeches about overcoming obstacles, staying authentic and fighting back against "dream killers" from brand designers, animators and best selling authors. In between the 40 or so-minute talks about how to make your ideas fly, local musicians China Forbes (Pink Martini) and Bibi McGill (Beyonce's lead guitarist) played a duet, and Academy Award-winning animator Will Vinton—who founded the Conference 25 years ago—gave a commemorative speech. "Thank you for being a part of this resurrection," Vinton said to the crowd. The Creative affair ended fittingly at PNCA's new facility, the re-vamped Post Office in the Park Blocks by Union Station.
Dwayne Edwards, founder of Pensole, brought up the challenge of being part of a racial minority in creative industries. As a young high school student, Edwards' guidance counselor told him "no black kid from the city will ever be a designer," he said. But Edwards went on to work for create shoes for LA Gear and collaborate with the Shaquille O'Neil and Snoop Dog. "How are you going to leave your industry better?" he asked the crowd. It's a worthy question considering how much creative capital has circulated through Portland in recent years.
One of the more enjoyable presentations came from Laika's visual effects supervisor, Steve Emerson. While sharing tidbits and showing clips from movies like Coraline and Box Trolls, Emerson advised his audience that "inspiration is a component of creativity, and not the catalyst." Don't wait for a reason to be creative, Emerson said, get to work.
The crowd seemed to agree. Audiences dwindled as the day went on and most of the speakers focused on the glory of their own past innovations. But if there was one central theme between the talks from musicians, filmmakers, designers and theater pros, it was this: Creativity overcomes challenges. After all the setbacks it's endured—including an apocalyptic closure and seven year hiatus after 9/11—the best example of this theme might be the Conference itself.
Willamette Week
