Project Description
/PAST/ This project, now my entrepreneurial endeavour, started off as my Master thesis: Lively curiosities was a tea brand looking to tackle issues of diversity and inclusion for a better shared future, through a packaged storytelling experience: by sharing cultural stories from under-represented nations, the tea brand promotes cross-cultural dialogue.
/LEARNINGS/ After initial steps and testing in the Canadian market, I realized that focusing on diversity and inclusion would not be a sustainable business model in the long term. As such, I have switched gears to create ‘Createavity Atelier’ – the Creativity (Tea) Atelier: due to increasing automation around us, creativity is becoming a skill in demand; additionally, creativity is a form of self-expression which forces us to listen deeply and feel a little uncomfortable; the hypothesis is that this could encourage participants to open up and engage in cross-cultural dialogue.
/PRESENT + FUTURE/ Merging the poetic appeal of design with the sensory experience of tea tasting, Createavity Atelier is a conceptual studio delivering tea tasting experiences designed to inspire creativity, curiosity and promote social interactions by creating memorable moments for attendees. All updates are on our Instagram; you can also join our circle to stay up to date with our developments!
Original project: Lively curiosities
Lively curiosities was a tea brand delivering a storytelling experience using tea as the medium – more specifically through the packaging design. For a more detailed summary of this project, see the description provided for my masters exhibition here.
Applied skills:
- Concept design
- Business design
- Packaging and product design (for prototyping purposes)
- User experience
- Design of the social intervention component
Prototype learnings
Changes derived from prototype testing:
- Target market: Madrid —> Toronto GTA
- Concept: Diversity & inclusion —> Creativity
- Social intervention: Different event themes will target different social issues, and designed as part of the event
- Business design: large initial investment required to launch Lively curiosities; Tea brand —> Conceptual studio focused on delivering tea experiences
- Packaging and product design: beyond the prototyping phase, the investment required for packaging design & production was too large
- User experience: changed the focus from packaging to in-person events
Current Iteration: Createavity.Atelier
Just like the word “Createavity” which blends the words ‘Creativity’ and ‘Tea’, our Createavity events seek to bring out your individual creativity through carefully curated tea tasting experiences. The experiences are designed to push the boundaries of what tea represents: more than a simple a commodity, or a hot drink on a cold day. By extension the goal is to push your boundaries for creative expression, the one thing that makes each of us unique. What better place to do this than in our Atelier*?
*Atelier (n): A place of creativity.
Join our event meet up here to stay in the loop.
Around the world, tea is a symbol of hospitality and welcome. Whether it is Morocco, England, India or Kenya, tea time brings people together and encourages social interaction. Building upon this metaphor, our goal is to bring people together around a shared pot of tea through the Createavity Atelier.
Design is about challenging the status-quo by asking provoking questions, addressing social issues, but also creating user centric experiences that bring value by understanding human needs and behaviours. In this context, we use a designer’s magic power, empathy, to create connection among Createavity Atelier participants.
Born from merging my love for tea and my passion for creative expression & facilitation, this conceptual studio leverages design to curate a unique tea tasting experience that helps participants be more present, connect with their creative side, and promotes togetherness through an informal social setting. We want to gift you with “hygge”, the secret sauce to happiness according to the Danes.
Prototype testing results: Workshops of interest
Creative Tea-cocktail bar
See some of the recipes on my Instagram page!
Using our knowledge of tea and cocktails, we explore our sensory skills and practise creativity through cocktail making with tea as a mandatory ingredient.
Tea ceremonies to promote creativity
Design research is the beginning and the foundation of the creative process. As a trained tea sommelier and avid cultural traveler, I share knowledge around tea ceremonies and use them to inspire workshop attendees to unleash their creativity! Some of the tea ceremony facts are showcased on my Instagram account.
Creative storytelling workshops
Learning about tea culture and the History of tea cannot be dissociated from Tea Legends and the utensils used to prepare and serve tea. We again use this knowledge as a basis to help you practise storytelling through a fun creative workshop!
Sample tea stories & legends on my Instagram account!
Event photos
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