creative

So, the Patriot’s won another big game – shout out to the Rams for making it a close game (even though it was a bit of a yawner). The halftime show was met with mixed reviews – one thing is clear – Adam Levine is a big fan of ink.

There is so much more involved in a successful photo shoot than just showing up to take pictures. I’ve learned this by working alongside Reed Brown of Reed Brown Photography the past several years. Reed partners with roux on many projects and has become a trusted professional and friend. He understands the importance of intentional planning and preparation for every project. We’ve asked him to compile his top tips for preparing for success during a photo shoot, to provide some useful advice for practical application.

Summer is in full swing and we hope you are enjoying it! Lauren Weiss designed come cool summer wallpapers featuring yummy fruits and refreshing popsicles that you can download for the season. Enjoy!

We recently had the opportunity to create a video of The Wall That Heals, which is a traveling replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, DC. The entire process of bringing The Wall into a community, to constructing it to seeing people experience it was tremendously impressive and emotional.

I recently began taking pottery classes at a local shop down my street. It’s been a very fun, messy adventure that I’ve been doing as part of the roux ‘go look’ challenge (I speak a little about that challenge here ). The pots don’t always come out how I anticipated but I love the creative process and how it allows us to learn new things and grow skills over time.

We all have our go-tos – the items that we throw into the shopping cart without blinking an eye.How often do we really think about where that product came from or who made it? I’ve been working to become more intentional with my favorites products lately by finding things that are made by local businesses or by companies that care about the environment and their associates. While it can be a bit challenging, I’ve found that I can almost always find a great product without having to compromise on the quality.

What are the only “fruits” of labor that never spoil – ever ? Honey has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs still edible. Wow – if we knew our work would live on like that how much harder would we work? Honey production begins with creative collaboration. This collaboration doesn’t start with traditional brainstorming – which by the way rarely results in unique ideas or creativity at the highest level. This collaboration utilizes each team members’ roles and strengths and will always be better – especially when these team members are willing to be challenged by other perspectives which will bring about deeper work and stronger ideas. My bees do this everyday by sticking to their knitting while supporting the greater good of the hive. The queen, drones and worker bees each have strengths and by leveraging their multiple communication channels they progress the hive closer to the goal of promotion of the species and production of sweet honey. Such a fascinating community of experts with an amazing work ethic and yummy results deserve future blog posts…stay tuned. Submitted by Stefan Speligene

“I strive for two things in design: simplicity and clarity. Great design is born of those two things.” – Lindon Leader With ol’ Lindon’s words running through my mind, my overall goal for the new roux website was for it to be a breath of fresh air. My main goal ties in with my desire for roux to have a site that reflects who they are as a company, and I feel that this mission was accomplished. I used a clean, sophisticated style so that users didn’t feel overwhelmed with graphics and information. I craved a steady balance. The overall experience needed to be effortless so that visitors felt comfortable and confident with every click of the mouse. Upon accepting this project, I quickly realized that I was both excited and terrified by the task at hand. As a recent college graduate, this was my first “real” project with a “real” firm, an incredible firm at that, so I knew that I had to give it my all and then some. With that being said, my biggest challenge throughout this entire project was myself. I was very nervous when I was asked to code this site, but I pushed through (with the croux’s encouragement) because I knew that it would be a great learning opportunity and portfolio piece. Boy, was it ever! So, with a lot of patience (that I didn’t know I had) I pulled through! I had an absolute blast working with WordPress and re-familiarizing myself with the program as well as working with the entire team to make this site roux’s new home. The icons that I made from scratch are my favorite elements of the site. I put a lot of love and care into making them look like a package deal that fit roux, and I am truly proud of how they turned out. I am so happy to have worked on this project, and the satisfaction from the site’s completion is a gift that just keeps on giving.

Sometimes when I am driving in crazy traffic out of frustration I say I am surrounded by idiots. But then I realize that everyone is just trying to get somewhere just like I am and I try to think of the other drivers, as my sister does, as her “friends.” One day while not in rush hour traffic, I began thinking about how many creative people are in my life. Of course, working at a marketing and communication agency lends itself to being connected to the creative community. But what I started noticing was extraordinary. I work directly with a person who instead of just writing a blog post, creates a beautiful and visually interesting infographic to go with it. While taking a Zumba class at my favorite studio I marvel at the creativity and skill it takes to choreograph a class and lead an entire room of people in the same direction even if the group is not familiar with the moves or the songs. I look over to a new friend who’s dancing away, smiling and having a great time and remember he’s a published author and an in demand motivational speaker. My cousin’s wife runs her own business making everything from baby bibs to pet beds (my kitty’s bed is adorable). She posts photos of fabrics she’s purchased and promises new products made from them overnight. Continuing to look at my family, my father and aunt are both entrepreneurs, starting and successfully operating several unique businesses. Two of my uncles are extremely talented woodworkers and I have many cherished works of art in my house from them (actually just from one of them but I’m still your buddy, Uncle David!). The list of creative people I am surrounded by could go on and on (and may become another kitchen post). Who surrounds you? If you stop and think about it, you might just be surprised or maybe even astonished.