Refueling our Creative Tanks at Gas Can

When creatives get the right fuel to power our work, we get inspired to turn out innovative ideas that blow up common and expected ideas. So it’s fitting that the AAF-KC creative conference is called Gas Can—a day devoted to TED-style talks and workshops to act as the fuel to ignite our creative spark.

MBB+ had the privilege of bringing several of our creatives to Gas Can this year, immersing ourselves with fellow creatives in the Kansas City community. Attendees were largely writers and designers, but speakers ranged from a large-format metal sculptor to a banjo maker to a chef—proving that creative inspiration can come from virtually anywhere and anyone if you pay attention and are open to it.

We heard stories of hanging out in the woods to see and learn how wolves moved in order to recreate their shape using metal. We also heard that you can still make a to-die-for red pasta sauce even if you personally despise tomatoes. These are two inspiring examples of actively stepping out of comfort zones for the sake of producing imaginative and innovative work.

So those of us that attended may have arrived with our gas cans running a little low, but we left with them filled to the brim. Thanks to AAF-KC and the committee that worked so hard to put on this event for the creative community.