My name is Adam Skalecki and I’m a Senior Digital Designer at Crispin Porter + Bogusky. My love of making things is fueled by inspiration. At the end of our design process, we’re never completely satisfied with our work because we strive to be better.
I use Flipboard as a place to consolidate the mashup of my influences in design and creativity. It’s why I call my magazine “Chaos Theory.” There is beauty in chaos and we learn from things in a variety of areas. We’re naïve to think that we should only focus on our profession. Sure, I curate articles directly related to my field, but I’m not afraid to stray and embrace inspiration coming from outside sources.
I share my Flipboard magazines with my design team at CP+B in the hopes of inspiring them as well. With the internet’s contents growing larger, the quality is suffering. Flipboard helps me find the tastier bits and I curate those into a ‘zine that provides a concentrated dose of inspiration in a short period of time.
The first article I flipped was “The Creative Power of Drawing Ideas” from Creative Something. I was working on a Kickstarter campaign for a product that had to do with connecting pencil to paper and designing outside of Photoshop from sketching. I flipped the article to save it for later. That led me to finding web tools and browser plugins for flipping content and soon after that I tried curating my first zine.
The best article I read all week was not an article exactly, but a great podcast I just started listening to called StartUp, which offers me a look into the entrepreneurial world.
My favorite topic on Flipboard is architecture.
A magazine I’ve found on Flipboard that’s made my life better is “Small House.” Small or tiny home architecture helps me think better dimensionally and spatially. I imagine the constrictions while the architect manages to execute a beautifully functional solution.
My media diet is as diverse as I can make it. I definitely try not to share from the same five sources because it’s easy enough for people to follow those sources directly. The value I can provide to myself and others is to scour and curate the greatest pieces I come across from a variety of places.
My productivity tip is to avoid getting caught up living a life of consumption and chasing an inspiring high without ever actually creating for yourself. I own this shirt and wear it whenever I need a reminder.
~ShonaS is reading “Radical Rambling”
Spotlight: Architecture Photography Andy Marshallhttps://in-id.about.flipboard.com/magmaker/spotlight-architecture-photography-andy-marshall
My name is Andy Marshall and my medium is architectural photography at andymarshall.co.
My love of architecture has driven me into a career which involves engaging people with the beauty of our built heritage using the medium of photography. I treat the camera like the Proton Pack in Ghostbusters. Drawing the spirit and atmosphere of a place into a photograph has fascinated me since I was a young boy. It’s a common thread that runs throughout my work.
There isn’t an average day: you might find me filming in the Whispering Gallery at Saint Paul’s Cathedral London or donning wading boots in a tunnel to photograph a long-lost medieval bridge beneath a concrete overpass.
I use Flipboard as a form of inspiration, as a resource, and also as a way of establishing a connection with other like-minded people. Ideally for a photographer, Flipboard imparts information in a highly visual way that draws people through the image into the information at hand. Thus, I curate several magazines which have a visual emphasis on our built environment.
Spirit of place, the domestic interior and urban typography all feature in the magazines that I curate. I’ve also set up Flipboard magazines based upon projects that I’ve been involved with: #hexhamlight magazine was updated live during a time-lapse and photography shoot in an abbey in England, culminating in the final film itself. I’ve also recently set up a magazine called Archigram which I use to share my Instagram pics with a wider audience.
The first article I flipped was probably one of my pics of Lincoln Cathedral Chapter House to kickstart my Genius Loci magazine.
My favorite topic on Flipboard is technology—I’m always looking for cutting edge ways to capture, enhance and express my work.
A magazine I’ve found on Flipboard that’s made my life better is Paris My Way by Gr8ful Ted. Travel, food, cafe culture…gives me a bit of headspace during the day.
Alternatively, Skyscraper City by Skyscraper City keeps me up to date with the latest in urban architecture.
My biggest influence photographically is Edwin Smith, an architectural photographer who photographed England’s post-war built heritage in the ’50s and ’60s. Also, Eugène Atget and Berenice Abbott are key influencers who captured the spirit of their home cities of Paris and New York in such an enigmatic way. It was via Flipboard that I found out about an exhibition in London of Abbott’s work with images from her project “Changing New York.” The article, “Constructing Worlds: Photography and Architecture in the Modern Age” was from Lens Culture.
My media diet includes The Guardian, Huffington Post UK, Archdaily and Flipboard’s The Daily Edition.
I spend (several hours) online/reading/watching TV. I’m always connected to a media resource whether it be on my desktop when I’m working or mobile device whilst out on a shoot. My other sources are the BBC (mostly via the BBC app, Radio 4 or the BBC World Service). Whilst I’m processing photographs, I often have a film or documentary on from BBC iPlayer or Netflix or you might find me listening to the “Your Favorite Coffee House” playlist on Spotify.
A unique productivity tip of mine is if you are a creative and you use several platforms for expressing your work, try setting up a magazine that captures your work from all the platforms in one convenient magazine. My catch-all magazine is called Oeuvre.
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My name is Tiffy Diamond and I’m an advertising producer at LiveArtLove and a fashion blogger at CuteLA.com in Los Angeles.
My love of film and fashion is the result of always being a bit of a creative monster. Since I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a producer—I love everything about film, from writing to development. I fell into advertising because I view each commercial as a miniature short film.
As for fashion, I started out modeling and got to the point where I wanted to help indie fashion companies and entrepreneurs. I created CuteLA as a way to introduce readers to brands they might not know about while encouraging them turn their dreams into a career.
I use Flipboard as a source to read about all of my favorite topics in one place. My interests range from business to entertainment to fashion. Flipboard is perfect for tailoring all my needs. I curate magazines that highlight my work while also flipping from blogs, writers and companies. Plus it’s a lot of fun: I have four magazines and recently created a Flipboard called “Coffee x Donuts” — it’s a simple premise that gives me immense joy in the flipping process.
The first article I flipped was “Wow. The Man Who Hugs Wild Lions Brought A Go-Pro This Time.” It included a video about Kevin Richardson, known as the lion whisperer. He attached Go-Pros to the backs of lions and hyenas, and it’s pretty amazing to watch.
The best article I read all week was “Secrets Of The Most Productive People” by Fast Company. I love learning from successful people. I find it fascinating to see their productivity rituals. This article interviewed people in a range of industries to show what an average day looks like to them. You instantly grasp an understanding of why everyone on this list made it to where they are.
My favorite topic on Flipboard is business and entertainment. As an entrepreneur, I enjoy reading about small businesses and startups. Even if it’s not in my industry, learning about individuals going from nothing to the Forbes List interests me. Entertainment-wise, I love to keep track of upcoming films. I enjoy the development side of entertainment vs the celebrity gossip side. You’ll often find me reading the Hollywood Reporter, Indiewire and filmmaking sections on Flipboard.
A magazine I’ve found on Flipboard that’s made my life better is “What I’d Wear (If I Were A Girl)” by Fatboy2004. It’s up-to-date on great female fashion. I was drawn to it by the title and subscribed because the photos are great inspiration. Another magazine I love is “Digital + Social Media + Marketing” by Brian Fanzo. It’s a great resource if you want to become an expert at marketing yourself through social media.
My media diet consists of online engagement through social media – Twitter and Instagram. I spend about 3 – 4 hours a day online during the week – that includes reading industry related articles, watching shorts films/commercials, and researching for projects. On the weekend I’m not online as much and take a break from the online world of social media. I have a kindle and it’s jam packed with books about business, enlightenment and fiction. I don’t have a lot of time to watch Television but when I do I opt for Netflix or Amazon Prime. I’m among the growing trend of millennials moving from cable. I enjoy watching indie films, Twilight Zone and old movies. Mainly to study them from a filmmaking standpoint and get inspiration for work.
A productivity tip I recommend starting each day with is a simple to do list. I like to include all the goals I’d like to accomplish that day. It often helps to keep my mind focused and not drift into the entire week. In addition, for a lot of small projects (Social Media, Emails, Research) I’ll give myself time limits of 30 minutes to an hour to complete as much as I can before moving on. I’m a firm believer that if you break up large projects into smaller steps you’ll feel less stressed. You have to remember that every great accomplishment is a culmination of small tasks done with consistency. You can accomplish greatness, you just need to stop waiting for perfection and jump in.
My biggest influence is life. Everyday I’m inspired, and sincerely love what I do. I encourage others to follow their dreams because that means endless possibilities. Finding a passion can ignite a fire. Flipboard can help that exploration through sharing stories and articles that inspire you to take the first steps.
Spotlight: Interaction Designer Noah Mittmanhttps://in-id.about.flipboard.com/magmaker/spotlight-interaction-designer-noah-mittman
My name is Noah Mittman and my medium is the web.
My love of cinema and computers led me to the internet when it first was growing as a medium. My father worked pre-press at Rolling Stone, and I had grown up in the hallways of the magazine’s offices, so when leaving college I was determined to make my own version of Blender, a popular CD-ROM magazine at the time. Naturally, the internet quickly obviated the CD-ROM format, and I quickly joined other future-minded folk who were figuring out this new Wild West for this first time. Ever since, I have stayed hungry for seeing how the internet can keep improving services and connecting people.
Flipboard allows me to keep tabs on a number of sites and networks that are just too busy for me normally. Its formatting is perfect for helping me serendipitously scan through the publishers I’ve curated into my Flipboard, instead of triaging stories like an email inbox. Most sites I want to check in on publish so much in one day they drown out my trusted bloggers, and with Flipboard I can give each source its own time, focusing on just them, or sample everything together that’s getting attention using Cover Stories.
Flipboard is also great for getting suggestions to other articles from sources I haven’t pinned down yet, especially with the latest release. Adding topics is a fantastic feature I am trying to use to its fullest, and I’m adding as many broad subjects as possible that can related to my work—as opposed to very specific ones—so that I can make my own connections and stay thinking outside the “echo chamber” of industry publications. I also like to throw a source or two I don’t always agree with, just to make sure I can stumble across contrary opinions.
The best article I read all week was the Flavorwire article about the death of mid-budget cinema. It helped explain why so many of the filmmakers I followed when I was studying filmmaking were either missing from the public eye, or making films that seemed nothing like their signature work. It got me wondering if there is an opportunity for a focused crowdfunding venture to provide this kind of funding where traditional investors won’t normally, just as there has been PledgeMusic for albums; something above and beyond Kickstarter that could draw better pledges for them, or at least keep them better connected with fans. I’ll sometimes flip these into a read-later magazine as a kind of scrapbook for future reference.
Something I discovered on Flipboard that’s made my life better is finding how great it is as a social media client. I do nearly all of my Twitter activity in Flipboard because of its formatting, which helps me quickly differentiate when people are sharing links and when they are simply chatting. Plus, whenever I find what I’m tweeting is too lengthy, it’s a no-brainer to turn it into a Tumblr post instead. I also use Flipboard’s YouTube support extensively, since the time-ordered view makes it incredibly easy to scan just what’s been added recently across all my channel subscriptions.
My biggest influence has been video games. There isn’t anything that demands comprehension, good design, intuitiveness, and efficiency in storytelling at a breakneck speed than something that puts a controller with two sticks and 10+ buttons in your hand and says “have fun.” A bad design or bad interface will be noticeable almost instantly, and I’ve learned so many lessons of good user interface vs. bad user interface over the decade or four of console gaming I’ve done. It’s one of the reasons The Next Art is my favorite of my Flipboard magazines. When I was very young my family couldn’t afford a game system, so for Christmas one year I got a subscription to Electronic Games magazine instead, which I pored over endlessly. Making games and writing about them have always been intertwined for me, so collecting stories of people pushing the boundaries of the medium, and the critical thinking about the medium, is always a thrill for me.
Spotlight: Spyden8or Illustrator Max Headroomhttps://in-id.about.flipboard.com/magmaker/spotlight-spyden8or-illustrator-max-headroom
My name is Max, aka DJ Spyden8or, and my medium is digital content remixing. I’m an illustrator, musician and writer.
My love of digital art has drawn me into the newest technologies, which allows art to be expressed and reflect our mind’s eye in new and more exciting formats.
I use Flipboard as a digital content lens filter to focus on exactly what I want to read, watch, listen to or experience. In the past few years, the Internet has experienced information overflow. As it expands, the need for filtering becomes critical—especially if you need to see, get and know it all right now.
Flipboard allows me to cultivate my sensibilities in an almost subliminal and unconscious way. It’s become my information sentinel, working tirelessly to present my feed the way I like it on any interface.
Flipboard is also great for wrapping up my Google+ posts. Although G+ is a cool format to create and post content, the platform is hard to use if you have hundreds of posts. Flipboard helps to format and rearrange posts in order to create different storylines.
The best article I read all week was “5 Reasons Our Universe Might Actually Be Virtual Reality.” It was one of the best quantum physics-related articles I read in a while. We all saw The Matrix and heard about “parallel universes,” but it’s always been within the realm of science fiction. The author of this article, Brian Whitworth, tackles the subject in a simple way that’s easy to grasp with warpspeed fluency, explaining the idea through quantum realism concepts that are hard to ignore.
My biggest influence is the fusion of art and technology. As the ability to use technology to express and distribute digital art becomes easier to use, the influence of art will hopefully grow as well.
Spotlight: Opinionated Environmentalist Chris Maldonadohttps://in-id.about.flipboard.com/magmaker/spotlight-opinionated-environmentalist-chris-maldonado
My name is Christopher Maldonado and my medium is questioning the norm, especially in terms of politics and the environment.
My love of the environment and natural sciences has shaped my life for many years. I have grown up in many places along the East Coast and as such, have experienced many different climates and views on the major topics and issues of today. I’ve consistently had to form my own opinions, stay strong in my convictions and always look deeper into the facts.
I use Flipboard as a tool to collect the most intriguing articles out there. With my love of the environment, history, technology, the future, genetics—and a bit of help from Flipboard—I’ve created 11 magazines. In each, I attempt to bring intriguing concepts together and produce magazines which invoke a deeper thinking.
My Environmental Issues and Solutions magazine tends to be my major fallback when flipping articles. First, this was for my friends and family, but now, I hope that my growing number of readers can also be surprised and absorbed by what I find across the internet and quite often have a personal opinion of.
The first article I flipped was “This Man Shot 40,000 Elephants Before He Figured Out That Herds Of Cows Can Save The Planet” over two years ago, into my Environmental Issues and Solutions magazine. The rather blunt title grabbed my attention just as it was supposed to. It discussed holistic land management in a very professional and interactive way, even including a TED talk in the article.
The best article I read all week was “D.C Bans Conversion Therapy for Gay Teenagers.” I was actually surprised when I saw this article because it just hadn’t occurred to me this was still a medical practice. It was also surprising to note that this has only occurred in Washington D.C, New Jersey and California. With this flip, I hoped to expose issues which can so easily be ignored when going through the daily routine.
A magazine I’ve found on Flipboard that’s made my life better is The Art of Manliness. While I’m obsessed with my environmental and political magazines, I always find myself letting my eyes wander at this magazine. Sometimes it provides comical relief concerning the historical stereotypes of men; at other times they provide the type of advice I would ask an older brother or father figure.
My biggest influence is the environment and the research therein, which is growing exponentially. My family is the next biggest influence—specifically, my siblings. Everything I do—Flipboard, university, work—is to one day help my siblings make eco-conscious decisions, pushing them to live more sustainably than previous generations.
Spotlight: Chef Calvin Canlashttps://in-id.about.flipboard.com/magmaker/spotlight-chef-calvin-canlas
My name is Calvin Canlas and my medium is food.
My love of food—which includes my ability to look at things from the perspective of a professional chef—all contribute to the perspective shared in my magazine. This statement by Alton Brown sums up my philosophy: “I’m an absolute connoisseur of cheeseburgers and like to think that I can detect even mere percentages of shift in fat content in ground meat in a burger and can actually name the temperature to which it was actually cooked to the degree if I’m, you know, really on my game.”
I use Flipboard to share my craft and passion for food. I enjoy keeping current with the world of cooking. I’m also able to share my passions, influence and outlook.
The first article I flipped was about how to properly cook poached eggs in “Put an Egg on It” by Bon Appetit. This article reflects my approach—attention to detail. It also echoes my love for the science of food!
Flipboard is also great for connecting with peers, fellow chefs and sharing stories with friends. Connecting through different digital platforms makes it even easier to find like-minded people. Sharing our knowledge within the cooking community is one of the most natural ways to acquire new ideas.
The best article I read all week was “5 Unexpected Ways to Use Plastic Wrap” from The Huffington Post. I love plastic wrap and am impressed by its many uses outside of the kitchen!
Something on Flipboard that’s made my life better is the ability to gather my daily information and centralize all my news (super efficient and resourceful for various perspectives of new information) in one place.
My biggest influence is Alton Brown, who looks at things objectively and thinks outside of the box. Like Alton once said: “The kitchen’s a laboratory, and everything that happens there has to do with science. It’s biology, chemistry, physics. Yes, there’s history. Yes, there’s artistry. Yes, to all of that. But what happened there, what actually happens to the food is all science.”
Spotlight: Smile Mercantile’s Valerie Lloydhttps://in-id.about.flipboard.com/magmaker/spotlight-smile-mercantiles-valerie-lloyd-2
My name is Valerie Lloyd and my medium is handmade crafts.
My love of art and crafts is a result of the years I’ve spent studying, collecting and creating beautiful things. I run an online shop called the Smile Mercantile where I sell unique and vintage craft supplies, and heirloom-quality seasonal decorations that I make by hand. To see my collection, visit Smile Mercantile, or take a look at my Etsy shop right on Flipboard.
I use Flipboard to learn more about the things that interest me. As an artist, I enjoy studying design and art history. As a small business owner, I’m collecting ideas for my shop and keeping up with trends. I also read a lot about gardening and decorating, and I love that Flipboard brings together all of my favorite print magazines. I really cover a lot of different topics from a wide variety of sources. In my magazine, “Antiques and Vintage,” I enjoy curating articles about history, rare objects and tips for collectors. I try to find really great content with lots of pictures, but also the stories behind them.
Flipboard is also great for inspiration. My morning routine is to get up, grab my coffee and phone, and then get back in bed to consume Flipboard for a half hour. I get up early, just so I can do this! Reading an article about the history of a beautifully designed piece of furniture, or viewing a collection of black and white photographs from the 1930s is a great way to start my day. It is so important to see things that get my wheels turning, and that put my mind in a creative place. Flipboard allows me to absorb a huge amount of inspiring content in a short amount of time. For me, it’s like reading the morning paper, except every single article is something I want to read, and is completely tailored to my interests.
The first article I flipped had this amazing headline: “Loving Husband Buys His Wife 55,000 Dresses in 56 Years.” What made him do it? What a fella! He sounds like kind of a nut, but doesn’t that make you want to read more? It was an article that I knew I would want other people to see. It’s a bit ridiculous, but also tender at its heart, and it gives you a glimpse into the mind of a person who has collected something over a lifetime.
The best article I read all week was Remodelista’s “Expert Advice: Halloween Decor Tips from a Master of the Dark Arts.” It has some great ideas and incredible pictures—very spooky and totally un-tacky. Think dark linen, foraged moss and candlelight.
A magazine I’ve found on Flipboard that’s my made my life better is Design*Sponge and their Biz Ladies series. I’m completely obsessed. They profile creative women and their businesses, and I find so much encouragement and inspiration in their articles. So often it seems that business publications project a really narrow view of what an “entrepreneur” looks like. It’s really refreshing for me to read articles that explore the idea of women being successful in business, without changing who they are to fit someone else’s ideals. It’s a confidence-boost to read stuff like this.
My biggest influence is my ceaseless desire to create. I’m happiest when I’m making things, and I’m fortunate to be able to do that for a living. I think putting creativity first is a lifestyle, and it is one that fits me.
~ShonaS is curating “Proof of Experience”
Spotlight: Astronaut and Educator Leland Melvinhttps://in-id.about.flipboard.com/magmaker/spotlight-astronaut-and-educator-leland-melvin
“Second chances”— it’s a phrase former NFL player-turned astronaut Leland Melvin uses to describe his extraordinary life. His first do-over happened in high school. With a college football scout in attendance, Melvin literally dropped the ball. As the scout got up to leave, Melvin caught the game-winning touchdown and was awarded a full scholarship to the University of Richmond.
After graduation, Melvin was drafted by the Detroit Lions. Benched by back-to-back hamstring injuries, his professional career was sidelined after three short years. But a sedentary life was never part of the plan, so Melvin went back to school to earn a Master of Science degree from the University of Virginia.
His second act came at the hands of yet another recruiter: one from NASA. Visiting a job fair, Melvin accepted an offer from the famed aerospace agency. For eight years, he led a series of engineering projects at NASA’s Langley Research Center before someone asked him if he wanted to become an astronaut.
A little unsure about life in space, he realized his unconventional story—and the chance to cruise the cosmos—could serve as a source of inspiration for future generations. Melvin’s many “second chances” taught him that it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from: before anyone can believe in you, you have to believe in yourself.
My name is Leland Melvin and my passion is educating and inspiring the next generation of explorers.
My mission is to share my story and passion for S.T.E.A.M. (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) education with our future explorers—help inspire them to dream big, bold dreams and help get them the tools so they can make those dreams become a reality. They will then have opportunities available to them that will help positively change the world.
I use Flipboard to read interesting articles while I’m traveling, curate magazines on topics that I’m interested in (including S.T.E.A.M., space and photography), and share the curiosity that I have for science and space with others.
Flipboard is also great for discovering compelling content that I might not have come across otherwise. Diving into topics and magazines with people who are interested in similar issues is such an amazing experience.
My biggest influences are those who have come before me. I am so blessed to have been one of only 564 people who have traveled into space and each pioneer before me helped pave the way.
The first article I flipped was a blog post by Vicki Davis, who is also a Flipboard MagMaker, which started my “The Explorer” magazine focusing on S.T.E.A.M. education and explorers.
The best article I read all week was a story out of Iowa about an exceptional S.T.E.A.M. student who built a communication system, ground station and antennae, through which he sent text messages to the International Space Station orbiting our planet at 17,500 miles per hour.
An article or magazine that’s made my life better? There are countless articles that I’m sharing to help make other lives better. I am always coming across thoughtful magazines whose content I reflip into my own magazines. Sharing ideas through and with other Flipboard users is what makes curating these digital bits of information so powerful.
~ShonaS is curating “Big Ideas“
Spotlight: Singer and Songwriter Carolyn Malachihttps://in-id.about.flipboard.com/magmaker/spotlight-singer-and-songwriter-carolyn-malachi
Music moves us but for a select few, it does plenty more. To hear Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Carolyn Malachi describe it, music is a mentality, a form of empowerment, and perhaps the best way to tell the truth.
But the truth is sometimes subjective. In Malachi’s case, it was a matter of being true to herself. Despite having a famous jazz pianist for a great-grandfather, her parents encouraged her to go to business school. As a natural born leader, it seemed like the perfect fit.
On a whim she took a music class. And her truth revealed itself. A once dormant love of music came to life, and she left the world of finance for a life of expression.
Fusing jazz with hip-hop and spoken word, her music evinces the idea that music is a conduit, a way to trade stories, morals and mythologies about who we are. Getting people to share those stories—and find strength in the process—is what she believes music does best. Her Flipboard magazine provides a front row seat to her career and passions.
My name is Carolyn Malachi, and I am passionate about music.
My mission is to inspire, ignite and nurture the human spirit through music. I like to organize and transform seemingly disparate fragments of life into works of art. In a way, this fresh cohesion represents the interconnectedness of everything.
I use Flipboard to check out the latest developments in tech and art (especially photography), explore perspectives on issues that I find important, and to share music-oriented content, including (but not limited to) performance footage, vocal techniques and songwriting tips.
Flipboard is also great for aggregating social media content into an elegant presentation. The glossy magazines are digital stages. For the fans, flipping through my magazines is like arriving at my concert, walking into a grand theater and being ushered to the best seat in the house.
My strongest vocal influence is the great jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan. With every note, she told a captivating story.
The first article I flipped into a magazine was probably an article about black and white photography. Just like music, photography captures moments in time with great detail.
The best article I read all week was an article in The Huffington Post about a printer that turns photos into 3D objects, allowing blind people to hold on to treasured memories. Fascinating!
Something that I’ve found on Flipboard that’s made my life better is an article about habits formed by people who build long-lasting relationships. Everything I do involves teamwork. I love my team and am always looking for ways to strengthen our bond.
~ShonaS is curating “Big Ideas“