I.D.E.A.S CDECA Newsletter
Get Involved! Is this your year to volunteer? The 2014 AGM is coming up, are you ready to make a contribution to the decorating industry?
Spring Forward
The best events across Canada Calendar of Decorating and
Creative Flow
How to unleash your creativity
Design events happening near you!
Do your best work everyday by unlocking your right brain’s potential.
There’s an App for That Custom app that will change your business!
MARCH 2014
The Canadian Decorators’ Association (“CDECA”) is a professional not-for-profit Association representing both Student and Accredited decorators and designers, and Affiliate businesses across Canada. Our goal is to foster the growth of the decorating industry in Canada; provide advocacy respecting policy matters; promote a positive image of the industry through proactive activities and events; and offer value to Members through upgrading of skills and knowledge. CDECA is the most influential Association representing decorators in Canada.
Since 1994
RED BORDERS CDECA NEWSLETTER
Welcome Members Chair’s Message, monthly update from CDECA’s Chair.
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Vision Board Creative Flow: H ow to unleash your best work.
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Decor Trends mpengo Designer a custom app made for Canadian decorators.
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CDECA News Chapter & Member News How to get involved with CDECA.
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Design Dispatch Upcoming Events. Decorating and Design Events all across Canada.
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Red Borders IDEAS NEWSLETTER MARCH 2014 www.CDECA.com
This newsletter is written and edited by staff at CDECA National office. To include your content, or comment on any material included in this issue, please contact Karina Waluk at kwaluk@cdeca.com
New IDEAS Launched! CDECA is proud to launch a new newsletter format just for you! The IDEAS Newsletter is your source for Industry news, local Chapter events and information and the latest design trends from our affiliates. If you are interested in writing for the newsletter or have a great new tip that you would like to share please send it to info@ cdeca.com. For all advertising inquires please contact Karina Waluk at CDECA National office at 416-231-6202 or kwaluk@cdeca.com.
WELCOME MEMBERS! Monthly update from the National Chair of CDECA. Read to learn more about what CDECA is doing for you! Dear Members, It is hard to believe that Spring is just around the corner and that daylight savings time commences on March 9, 2014 as we appear to still be in a deep freeze! However, the good news is that it is time to mark your calendars for CDECA™’s Annual General Meeting! This event, together with the Awards Gala, is scheduled to take place on Monday, April 14, 2014 at the Estates of Sunnybrook, in Toronto, Ontario. Once again, we look forward to you joining us at this exciting event!
CHAIR, CDECA Nominations will soon be open for participation on the National Board of Directors of CDECA™. Please consider putting your name forward to become a director. More information on this process will be circulated soon. Yes, it can be fun!
From an administrative perspective, the Board of Directors has updated its Ambassador kit and Education policy to reflect the current needs of the organization. Thank you to those who provided comments on how to improve the I am pleased to announce, Ambassador power point prethat along with the 10-year sentation. Feedback is very Membership Recognition Pin important as it helps guide us and the CDECA™’s Volunteer as to what changes should be of the Year Award approved made to improve various poliby the Board of Directors at its cies and/or processes. last Board meeting, the Board has approved the issuance of Sincerely, a certificate to celebrate those members who have reached Pamela Harrod a five-year milestone as a Chair, CDECA™ CDECA™ member!
Pamela Harrod
Creative Flow The creative process may seem like a mystical process; inspiration comes at unexpected moments and creative blocks plague us at inopportune moments. How do we keep the creative flow steady, so that we’re producing our best work everyday?
Image courtesy of : opensource.com/
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reativity is often seen as a gift that a person is born with; you’re either creative or you’re not. It’s true that a certain level of natural talent is necessary for traditional creative work, for example, having a sense of rhythm if you’re a musician, or an eye for symmetry if you’re an interior decorator is important. An inclination for one type of work or another is the basis for all creative work, but what if you’re a mathematician solving a problem? Are you doing creative work? Of course you are! Approaching all of the work you do with creativity will open up an entire new world of possibilities. Creative thinking will help you solve design problems, develop more interesting work for clients, and solve complicated business problems. reative thinking will help you C produce better work and solve business problems.
It’s understandable that after a long day of tackling client projects, working with contractors, and responding to a high volume
of phone calls and emails, it can be challenging to tap into your creativity, but giving yourself a few minutes to cultivate your creativity can actually save time and energy. Creativity is like any other skill ; it takes time to master and practice is important. If you’re interested in seeing how applying the creative process will enrich you, but skeptical of the benefits, give yourself 14 days to try it out. Once you’re ready to hone in on your creative skills go out and get a journal. You will carry around this journal at all times, so make sure it’s something that will fit into your bag or pocket. If you like to jot down ideas as doodles or mind maps then get a book that isn’t lined. Next, identify a time of day when you feel most energetic and block off 30 minutes in your calendar in this time frame. On your first day write a journal entry about what you wish to accomplish through the process, what your hesitations are, and assess how creative or inspired you’re feeling at this moment. For the next 13 days use the guidelines and tips on the next page to help you make the best use of your 30 minutes.
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Get Inspired! It’s easy to get stuck in rut if you haven’t been exposed to anything new in a while. Plan to read something new, go somewhere you haven’t been, or attend a seminar on a topic that interests you. Answer a Question. This can be a question related to a challenge you’re facing, or something completely r a n d o m . Use mind maps and diagrams to record your answers; don’t limit yourself to a few choices, try to exhaust every possibility. While the answers might not immediately be useful to you, the process has helped get the creative juices flowing - now you’re ready for work!
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Take a risk. Take on a project you’ve never done before, or find a new way to approach clients. The challenge of doing something differently will lead to new ways of thinking, and although you might not strike gold on the first try, the process will lead to new insights for future projects.
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Collect new ideas. Inspiration strikes at any moment. Now that you have your notebook be sure to jot down ideas, or capture something you find interesting by taking a photo or writing it down. Be h i n d e v e r y g r e a t a r t i s t , w r i ter, leader and scientist is trail of filled notebooks, scribbled on napkins, and collection of clippings. Of course, in today’s world we would need to account for digital ephemera as well.
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Walk it off. Think about one thing very hard and then go for a walk and don’t think about it at all. Don’t be surprised if you stumble upon a “Eureka” moment just as you’ve forgotten about your problem. That is the way the mind works, and by giving yourself the incubation period, you’re actually working more effectively then if you’d continued to mull over your problem. In addition to the occasional blockage that comes with being exhausted or stuck in a particular thought pattern, one of your greatest challenges will be negative thinking. Self-doubt and worrying about being perfect will stifle all creative thinking. Trust yourself and give into the process – let go of the pressures and expectations and things will just “come” to you in unexpected ways. Want to learn more? Watch TEDX Talks about Creativity Do These Creativity Exercises Read Article “Forget the brainstorming”
Why join?
Get Involved! Have you thought about running for the National Board?
Jeanette Wisby
“The greatest benefit of being involved in CDECA is the camaraderie and learning that comes with belonging to an industry group. Involvement offers the opportunity of sharing, communicating and brainstorming with colleagues, as well as the fun… “
There are many ways to contribute: join the National Board, a local Chapter, or help with an event.
Do you want to make a meaningful contribution to the decorating industry? Volunteer your time and knowledge and run for the National Board of Directors! CDECA’s Nomination Committee is accepting nominations for Directors to stand for election at the upcoming Annual General Meeting on April 14th, 2014. Candidates must be minimum 18 years of age with the power under law to contract. The term of office is two (2) years. All categories of members may run for a position, but a majority of the members of the Board of Directors must be Accredited Members of CDECA.
For more information please contact
National Office.
Pictured Above: CDECA National Board 2013-2014
If you would like to stand for election or nominate a candidate for the position of CDECA National Director and/or Officer, please send the nomination in writing, together with a biographical sketch and outline of why you would like to be a Director (or in the case of a nomination, a letter of consent from the nominee) no later than Monday, March 10, 2014 to: Sharyn Kastelic, CDECA Nominations Chair
info@cdeca.com
Click on either image to be taken to the online video or presentation to learn more about Bill 119.
Earlybird Registration Opens March 7th
It’s Time to Take Charge of your Business Can you imagine taking all of your office with you to a client? There’s an easy solution. As they say in the iPad age, “there’s an app for that”.
Your business depends on your creativity. It also depends on keeping track of your projects. It also depends on getting paid. Too often you find yourself managing clients and doing paperwork back at the office to manage the business instead of decorating. There’s an easy solution. As they say in the iPad age, “there’s an app for that”. Can you imagine taking all of your office with you to a client? mpengo Ltd. – well known for their suite of apps for those with mobile businesses has just introduced mpengo Designer. Now you can take your whole office right to your client’s site on your iPad. All of your project information, notes, product and site photos,
invoicing, and reporting comes with you to work. It comes complete with client change request tracking and electronic sign-off right on the iPad, assuring you and your client agree to the work and prices before billing day. And the price? An unbelievably low $34.99. Once. Just once. This includes free updates and all the support you need. Compared to other solutions which charge far more than that every month, it’s a steal. It’s a sure-fire way to take charge of your business and stay on top of agreements, project details, and client requests. It’s also a better way to be sure you get paid. You can find mpengo Designer in iTunes or the Apple App Store.
Article written by: Carla Jones, MPENGO Inc. For more information: http://mpengo.com/
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
BC
MARCH 5 Designer Monologues 2014: Achieving Growth in a Changing World RAILTOWN DESIGN DISTRICT - VANCOUVER
MARCH 21-23 North Vancouver Home Expo KAREN MAGNUSSEN ARENA - N.VANCOUVER
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MARCH 18-19 BUILDEX -EDMONTON EDMONTON EXPO - EDMONTON
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APRIL 4-6 Home Expressions Show RBC CONVENTION CENTRE - WINNIPEG APRIL 11-13 Brandon Home & Leisure Show KEYSTONE CENTRE - BRANDON
ON MARCH 6 Getting Green Roofs Right UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO - TORONTO
MARCH 6-9 The International Home & Garden Show METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE - TORONTO
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Continued from pg 10..
ON
QC
MARCH 7-9 Greater Hamilton Home & Garden Show PLAYERS PARADISE SPORTS COMPLEX - STONEY CREEK
MARCH 7-16 The National Home Show PLACE BONAVENTURE - MONTREAL
MARCH 7-8 Neuro Logics: Architecture, Starting with the Brain UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO - TORONTO
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MARCH 13-25 Oppositions: Architecture On Film BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA - TORONTO MARCH 14-23 National Home Show & Canada Blooms DIRECT ENERGY CENTRE - TORONTO MARCH 20-23 Ottawa Home & Garden Show EY CENTRE - OTTAWA
MARCH 26-27 One of a Kind Spring Show
MARCH 28-30 Spring Ideal Home Show EXHIBITION PARK - HALIFAX
DIRECT ENERGY CENTRE - TORONTO
MARCH 27 Project 31: OCAD Auction OCAD U - TORONTO
For a full listing of events: http://www.cdeca.com/en/calendar
For more news and information be sure to follow us on social media:
www.cdeca.com www.cdecablog.com