UCDA Creative Summit
Inspiration can fuel your imagination, spark the next big idea, or be the catalyst to respond to change. But for that to happen, we need to allow ourselves the time to discover, create, and connect. The UCDA Creative Summit—spanning two invigorating days (mid-day hours)—will provide you that creative outlet.
Engage virtually in an intimate setting with design professionals across North America. These illustrators, filmmakers, lettering designers, printers, and creative thinkers will be sharing their work and stories, with a hands-on creative exercise. Roll up your sleeves and come prepared to learn, share, and grow your creative potential. You’ll walk away with a unique keepsake, new ideas, and a tight-knit community to support you along the way!
TOP REASONS TO ATTEND IN THIS SUMMIT
Education—Six carefully curated sessions from five speakers over two days to help you engage and spark your creativity.
Community—UCDA: Creating community for creative professionals in education. Connect with the folks who do what you do so you can charge your creative battery.
Affordable—Without the need for travel or lodging, the UCDA Creative Summit is very affordable—plus, there is no registration fee. Both members and non-members may attend live absolutely free.
Kate Bingaman-Burt, Illustrator, Author, and Educator, Outlet
Lora DiFranco, Founder, Free Period Press
Ken Lashley, Artist, Marvel Entertainment
Rudy Valdez, Filmmaker
Cymone Wilder, Lettering Artist and Designer, Simon and Moose
Full speaker bios can be found below
The schedule below can help you protect and preserve your time. Note that all times are in North America Eastern Time.
Registration/Check-in: Monday, April 25—11 a.m.-2 p.m. ET
Live Event: Tuesday, April 26—11 a.m.-2 p.m. ET
Live Event: Wednesday, April 27—11 a.m.-2 p.m. ET
We start mid-morning at 11 a.m. Eastern (we have found this is the best overall time to allow different time zones to join us). Given this start time, we have only scheduled short breaks (no long lunch break), so plan to have water, coffee, and snacks on hand.
MONDAY, APRIL 25
Registration / Check-in
TUESDAY, APRIL 26
1. Finding My Voice Through Imposter Syndrome —Cymone Wilder
Imposter syndrome is the persistent inability to believe that one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one's own efforts or skills. Join Cymone as she takes a look into her struggle with feelings of imposter syndrome, and how it helped her find and define her voice as a lettering artist.
2. Live Drawing and Q&A—Ken Lashley
Join comic artist Ken Lashley as he does a live drawing of a fan-favorite comic book character and takes questions from the audience. Ken (also known as Ledkilla) will share a glimpse into his illustration process and what it's like to work for Marvel, DC, and Hasbro.
3. Failure From My Point of View—Rudy Valdez
Every voice deserves to be heard. Stories from a filmmaker who believes that everyone should be the hero of their own story. Rudy will discuss his relationship with failure—and how he has evolved with it—and the importance of your individual point of view.
Bonus: Creative Summit Mixer
Come chat with other summit attendees to discuss what you've learned, and share your insights on new ideas, and where you find your creative spark.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27
4. Balancing Ambition and Self-Care: Advice for Overachieving Creatives —Lora DiFranco
How do we accomplish big, audacious goals without burning out in the process? While she certainly doesn’t claim to have all the answers, Lora will walk through her process of growing her indie publishing business while balancing her personal life and practicing self-care. You’ll leave the session with a list of prompts to develop your own self-care plan.
5. Collage Workshop: Cut, Paste, Unplug—Lora DiFranco
Join us for a session of creative collaging! Lora, founder of Free Period Press and publisher of the Collage Kit, will walk through collage tips, techniques, and inspiration. Please bring old magazines/catalogs, a glue stick, scissors, or an X-acto knife to the workshop. If you don't have any old magazines, you can download and print these sample pages from Free Period Press's Collage Kit: https://bit.ly/collagekitsample. No past collaging experience is needed!
6. 3rd Spaces, Making Places, Mac and Cheese, Zines, and a Risograph Machine Named Barbara—Kate Bingaman-Burt
Come and join Kate process the pandemic through the lens of operating a very in-person and hands-on community risograph print shop called Outlet and how she perhaps coped with the stress and regressed by making even more zines and why finishing a sketchbook seemed to elude and even taunt her for the first 40 years of her life.
Bonus: Creative Summit Mixer / Closing
Continue the conversations and share your collages with other summit attendees. Share your summit experience and what takeaways you'll be taking back to your day-to-day activities.
Thank you to all our program partners. To be a partner for this year’s program, please email info@ucda.com.
| SUMMIT PASS (all prices in USD) |
Regular |
| UCDA Member (Professional, Associate, or Faculty) Become a member |
$147 FREE |
|
UCDA Partner Member |
$197 FREE |
| Non-member/Subscriber | $247 FREE |
| Student | $97 FREE |
See UCDA’s Cancellation Policy
See UCDA's Inclusiveness, Code of Conduct, and Anti-harassment Policy.
PROGRAM CHAIRS
| PROGRAM CHAIR Alex Parsons Creative Director Facility for Rare Isotope Beams Michigan State University |
PROGRAM CO-CHAIR Ryan Sprowl Art Director Office of Communications Oberlin College |
Location:
Live Virtual Event