Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ulrike Kerber. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ulrike, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
1. Learning: I have always been curious and enjoy picking up new skills, tools, and technologies. After many years of working as a designer in the entertainment industry, I re-started my education in Hyperisland University’s MA program for digital mangement. My first master’s degree was in communication design, so the transition to digital management, which offers fresh insights and a variety of technologies, fits perfectly. I like to stay current, read trend reports, all kinds of literature, and dive into new software learning with tutorials.
2. Teaching and fascilitating: I learn a lot when I teach, which keeps my creativity alive. I teach storytelling and motion design at International Universities. Getting to know many new people from all over the world, gives me fresh perspectives and insights.
3. Traveling: Traveling is stimulating my creativity because it forces me to change my perspective and put myself in another person’s shoes. My empathy and creativity level rises when I connect with other people.
4. Creativity is a muscle; just like physical fitness needs practice, mental creativity needs constant practice. I do something creative every day.
5. Failing: I know that the creative process can be painful, and I don’t mind going to this uncomfortable edge. When I try something new and experimental, I never know where I will end up…either something great or terrible. Failing experiments is not really failing. With experiments there is always something interesting unfolding, visible only from a reflective perspective.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I currently research Artificial Intelligence and am excited and concerned about this new field. It is supercharging the designer right now, and exciting new tools come out every week. Experimenting with them and seeing how I can use them for client projects is fun. For example patterns, textures, and illustrations can be done with AI. Logos development or the creation of videos is not yet fully functional with AI tools. There is another side to it: AI will also replace creative positions.
It is disrupting all industries. For example, with ChatGTP, copywriters may no longer be needed at companies. There may not be copyright anymore, everybody can create, enjoy, and be endlessly entertained and lost in the metaverse. There will be scams, fake news, and fake offers. It could lead to a widespread sense of distrust, which leads to a lack of love and loneliness, which may result in more escapism, addiction, drugs, and other coping mechanisms. It is the Wild West. But a strong disruption also can be a force for good and catapult us into a new evolutionary state.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Creativity and creative skills 2. Clear Communication
3. Flexibility and adaptability
1. It is simple to identify the appropriate learning tool thanks to online resources like Linkedin Learning, SkillShare, Coursera, and YouTube.
2. It is paramount to have clear communication with team members and clients. The frequency should not be too often and too rare. To avoid confusion, the communication platform needs to be established at the onset. The language needs to be concise and descriptive, for example in a creative brief .
3. Things change all the time unexpectantly. Unexpected changes occur frequently. It is best to avoid passing judgment or dismissing other people and to go with the flow. Surrender your resistance!
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
Kevin Kelly’s book “The inevitable” is eyeopening and gave me a lot of insights for future trends. The Technology trends that are now in motion will inevitably dictate much of what happens over the next 30 years. Kevin Kelly, a co-founder of Wired magazine and a creative thinker, anticipated the size of the Internet revolution. In this book, he describes greater forces that will totally revolutionize the ways in which we work, play, learn, and interact with one another. He offers a plausible road map for the future. Nobody knows how this new world will manifest itself, but we are currently going through a significant transition.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ulrikekerber.com
- Instagram: @divadeviva
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivadesign/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/vivakidstv
