PROFILE + WORKSHOP // Friday Night: Learn To Make Mistakes With Laurie Rosenwald

"The only way to cure my hiccups is to offer me 20 bucks to hiccup again," says Laurie Rosenwald in a Communication Arts article about her How to Make Mistakes on Purpose workshop, which comes to 3rd Ward tomorrow night. (Reservation required as space is limited, so get on it.)

One of the main premises of Rosenwald's creative approach is that once you start trying, things can actually get a lot harder. "Instead of focusing on a problem to solve it, do something careless, pointless, opposite, random," she says. "Something that has nothing to do with what you're doing or wanting." 

Mistakes are good. That's another key Rosenwald-ism. "It can be a dot, a blog, an object, a word," she says. "The important thing is that the 'mistake' is not carefully chosen. It must be found, and not created with the intention to use it in any particular way."

Rosenwald's got some serious credentials under her belt, so hit the jump for more on why you won't want to miss this.

We can't tell you much about what goes on during a Mistakes on Purpose session, as Rosenwald asks participants to swear "omertà," the mafia code of silence. But, based on the places where she's taught the workshop (SVA, Google, Stockholm Design Lab and many more), it's clearly something of a big deal. Check our previous write-up to hear about the IKEA sheets too.

On her website Rosenwald describes herself as "the world's most commercial artist," and while there's some humorous hyperbole in that statement, she certainly has been commercially successful. Her illustrations have appeared in the New Yorker, New York Times and New York and many other publications, and she's received lots of awards. Her animation work has nominated for an Emmy, and she designed the awesome typeface Loupot. She's even appeared in an episode of The Sopranos.

Rosenwald's not in it just for the money and fame, though. It's more about doing things that haven't been done before, and making things that haven't already been made. Some of those "things" include the award-winning children's book And to Name But Just a Few: Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, the illustrated guidebook/sketchbook New York Notebook and All the Wrong People Have Self-Esteem, an "inappropriate book for young ladies." 

She also recently collaborated with David Sedaris on David's Diary, an app featuring diary entries read by Sedaris and animated by Rosenwald herself. 

-- John Ruscher

WORKSHOP HEADS-UP // "How to Make Mistakes on Purpose" with Laurie Rosenwald Is the Opposite of a Mistake

Courtesy: IKEA

It's a commonly known fact that penicillin, electricity and gravity were all discovered, more or less, by accident. (And in that regard, so were Silly Putty and potato chips.) Designer Laurie Rosenwald can not be credited with inventing any of those things, but she did develop a class called "How to Make Mistakes on Purpose" in order to help you harness your weird foibles and transform them into brilliant inventions. 

Rosenwald's taught this course to everyone from the corporate giants of Google and Starbucks to the creative powerhouses of RISD and SVA. And next week, she brings her mistake-massaging expertise to 3rd Ward.

In case you were wondering why you're staring at a photo of bed sheets up there, it's because IKEA released a line of textiles developed during one of her workshops. Rosenwald promises you don't have to be a designer (or hold some coveted talent) to attend the class. In fact, all she asks is that you remain open to not being good at stuff. 

The class is November 11, 7:30-10:30 p.m. and costs $35. It's being co-hosted by the New York chapter of the Industrial Designers Society of America, so head over to their site to sign up. And strive to be a little less perfect.

--Layla Schlack

THIS SUNDAY // Hone Your Urban Farming Skills with 3rd Ward's Dekalb Market Workshops

The Dekalb Market is underway in Downtown Brooklyn, and in addition to our most excellent Shopbox, on Sunday, Sept. 11th, 5-8pm, 3rd Ward is bringing some of its Epicuriosity classes to accompany this farm-fresh party. Here are some highlights of what to expect:

Chickens in the City with Megan Paska: It is perfectly legal to raise your own hens in the city. You will learn how to warm your neighbors to the idea, choose a coop plan, select and order chicks, what to feed your birds, handle hens and much more. Megan Paska raises four egg-laying hens and maintains ten apiaries in Brooklyn, selling her Brooklyn Honey at local markets. She has been seen in Huffington Post, ABC's Nightline, National Geographic and New York magazine. Check out a video on Megan's backyard chicken coop after the jump.

Followed by:

Seed Saving with Zach Pickens: Saving seed from your own garden is a great way to save money and preserve rare plant varieties. We'll teach you the basics of saving seed from your own vegetable and herb plants, giving you a head-start on next year's growing season. Zach Pickens is the farm manager at Riverpark. He also composts, builds bikes from found parts, and makes a mean spicy garlic dill pickle.

We'll also be joined by the Brooklyn Grange, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, CUNY City Tech, and more. Hope to see you there!

And now for that video:

 

WEEKEND WORKSHOP // Take the "Starving" out of "Starving Artist"

If you could use a reminder that “creative” and “broke” need not go hand-in-hand, we have just the set of tools you need.

This Saturday, May 14, head to The Art of Money: Personal Finance Resources for Artists, a FREE workshop held from noon to 5pm at the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation in Brooklyn (1368 Fulton St at New York Ave).

This one-day event, organized by NYC’s Department of Cultural Affairs and the Department of Consumer Affairs Office of Financial Empowerment, is specifically designed for artists and arts administrators from all disciplines.

Highlights include:

• a free, confidential, one-on-one consultation with a financial counselor
• tips on how to learn how to access and use credit, reduce existing debt, and plan for the ups and downs of erratic income
•  advice on how to navigate home ownership and the mortgage process (Yes, we’re talking to you about owning a home in NYC, the place where all your dreams are supposed to come true!)

After patting yourself on the back for spending a Saturday so responsibly (remember Woody Allen’s observation that “Eighty percent of success is showing up”?), kick back at the Networking Reception in the Skylight Gallery from 5-7pm.  

Space is limited! RSVP to rsvp@culture.nyc.gov.

 --Cara Cannella