Amber Bonney wears many hats. As well as being the force behind her creative studio Edison Agency, she is a mother, wife, sister, strategic, designer, artist, writer, planner, mentor and mediator. Amber now adds the role of CWC President to that list. Prior to accepting the role , she was on the AGDA Victoria Council and spearheaded the development of their Professional Mentorship program. We chat with Amber on work, life, and the things in between.
The one page marketing plan every creative needs
Very few creatives go into their field with a solid business or marketing plan. Most creatives ‘fall into’ their profession from dabbling in a skill as a passion or a side project that eventually organically evolves.
If this is you, well done on making a career out of your passion! But if you’ve got the ability to generate a higher income by charging more, attracting more clients, automating some of your processes or monetising elements of your business, why wouldn’t you?
Why desire and motivation pull us in different directions
Every new year I promise myself that I will get in shape. My vision is toned and tight, tanned skin and an ability to lift my body weight effortlessly. I go to the gym, I do yoga, I eat well, drink heaps of water. For a few weeks I’m moving towards my goal and starting to feel and see results. My mood improves, I feel confident, capable and strong. And then… out of the blue, I start skipping classes as I meet my own destructive personality habits and inhibitors.
Creativity is just simple math. Here are the formulas to prove it.
Creativity can be defined as an ability to create new ideas by combining one or more existing ideas. Like adding, building and connecting - sounds a lot like simple arithmetic to me. The more I looked at this, I discovered that Creativity has some fundamental similarities with Mathematics. Both areas require creative thinking and problem-solving processes such as addition, subtraction and multiplication. Reckon you’re not that good at math? Turns out, you are more than likely engaging in maths in your creative practice…
Establishing your creative niche in a crowded marketplace: why the world still needs you
We’ve all been there. Watching wistfully from the sidelines at our competitors’ online followings, high-profile customers and sales, or all-round enviable lifestyles as we mildly indulge in cyberstalking them (social media reflects reality, right?). Then it hits: retreating into a cloud of paralytic inferiority, we wonder why we ever believed in achieving something similar. Surely, there can’t be space for us in a crowded marketplace already served so well?
How to stay "Instasafe" as a creative
Interview: Jane Connory, a champion for women in graphic design
Inside Jane Connory's home, the walls are covered in art, including Guerrilla Girls' manifestos—an indication of her determination to increase visibility for women in Australian graphic design. On Jane’s desk sit treasured books about women in art and design such as Paula Sher and Guerrilla Girl Donna Kaz. From Jane’s uncluttered workspace she has views over tree-lined streets and neat rooftops.