A little background info for you…

Scott Meyer is a bro-founder of 9 Clouds, a digital marketing and education firm that improves the digital literacy of businesses. He’s a frequent speaker and teacher and has taught around the world helping businesses and organizations of all sizes find effective digital solutions for their specific markets. He combines his passions of technology and travel by writing how to live and work anywhere in the world at 9clouds.com/blog and makes a mean Spanish tortilla.

Sounds like an interesting guy, right? Keep on reading.

1. You and your brother John are “bro-founders” (love that term!) of your company, 9 Clouds. What was the inspiration behind your company, and how is it unique from other online/social media consulting companies?

My brother and I were home for Easter in 2009 and watched as my mom struggled to find the number for the local pizza place in the phonebook. We knew there were businesses out there like her who needed to improve their digital literacy.

That helped us get started and from there we have continued to focus on helping businesses know which tools can help them online and how they can use them. We’re unique in that we focus on educating the client and enabling them to grow their business online based on the data of what works best for their specific business.

2. Building off the first question, how did you come up with the name for your company, and does it have any special meaning?

We always wanted to make people happy by putting them on cloud 9. With the growth of cloud computing, we knew that we would be spending a lot of our time “in the clouds,” so we flipped the phrase around and became 9 Clouds.

3. A slogan you use on your site is “Improving business through digital literacy.” When you were in town for Tweetea, we talked a bit about digital literacy and why it’s so important. Why do you argue that digital literacy is essential today?

Digital literacy is knowing which digital tools to use and how to use them. It is essential because no one has enough time to keep up with the latest technology. With the explosion of online networks, marketing channels and content creation, businesses just need to know what works. If they can master that little sliver, it’s enough to significantly grow their businesses.

4. You work in a very creative space that is constantly evolving. Where do you draw your creative inspiration from, both for personal and professional purposes?

I’m inspired through travel. I love seeing how others use technology and organize their lives. Whether it’s watching kids typing faster with their thumbs than I can with 10 fingers or traveling abroad to experience how to eat at midnight and walk two miles to work, I’m inspired by new surroundings. That’s why I write so frequently about travel at 9clouds.com/blog and am aiming to work on every continent on the planet by the time I’m 35 (you can guess how long until that mark.)

5. If you weren’t doing what you’re doing right now, then what would you do? Sky’s the limit!

I am in love with Norway and after spending four years living about the Arctic Circle and working as a tour guide and professor, I left to start 9 Clouds with slight hesitation. If I wasn’t with 9 Clouds, I would have created a mobile app to help others guide themselves around Norway. The great thing is I’m actually getting ready to help people discover and explore Norway with an upcoming ebook, Travel Hacking Norway!

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If you’re on Twitter, connect with Scott and get to know him better. He’s definitely a good guy to know and follow as he continues to do great things with 9 Clouds.

Know of someone who would be great for my Creative Q&A feature? Send me an email with the details!

Creators, entrepreneurs, artists, designers, scientists, thinkers and doers will all converge on September 28 for the third annual TEDxDetroit conference, taking place at the Orchestra Hall at the Max M Fisher Music Center from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. What’s the goal of bringing this diverse yet interestingly similar group of people together for an entire day? To spread positive ideas for the world from Detroit.

TED (which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design) conferences aren’t like any other conferences I’ve attended. They’re eclectic and quirky, but in an engaging and inspiring way. While I’ve felt inspired after conferences like FutureMidwest and BrandCamp, TEDxDetroit conferences have produced a totally different type of creative inspiration in me. That’s why I’m looking forward to attending again this year.

To get an idea of what TED conferences are like, take a look at the diversity of 2010′s speaker lineup, which included poets, a chief science officer, a video producer, a belly dancer and a singer/songwriter. And, watch the below TEDxDetroit performance by David Blair, an amazingly talented artist who sadly and unexpectedly passed away this year.

So, what’s in store for attendees of this year’s conference? Charlie Wollborg, executive producer and curator of TEDxDetroit, was nice enough to answer a few questions about the 2011 conference.

How will the 2011 TEDxDetroit conference differ from past conferences?

Our mission remains the same. TEDxDetroit is a day for ideas, innovations and inspiration highlighting positive ideas from our city and state for the world.

Can you share any general information about the speakers this year?

The speaker names are starting to trickle out on social media and the press, but I actually like to keep them a surprise. I like folks to come in with an open mind and join us for a wild ride. This year’s program will feature Giant Robots and Tap Dancing and Cherries and Sword Fighting and Nuclear Super Colliders and Fine Art for Babies and a Gourmet Lemonade Stand run by a nine year old kid. I’m serious.

In your opinion, why is TEDx different from any other type of conference that exists?

The content. The speakers bounce back and forth between left brain and right brain. We alternate between academics and geeks and entrepreneurs and artists and inspirational human stories. It’s not a business conference, but we highlight many cool business leaders. It’s not a tech conference, but we showcase loads of interesting and innovative technology. It’s not a social media conference, but you’ll find Twitter, YouTube and Flickr ablaze with content during TEDxDetroit. Hell, we’re not even sure it is a conference. When you leave TEDxDetroit, hopefully your boundaries of possibility have been stretched and the fire in your belly has been rekindled.

What are the top reasons why someone should attend TEDxDetroit?

TEDxDetroit brings together the “charged particles” to encourage collaboration, optimism and a sense of what’s possible. I think it will ignite your passion, fill your Rolodex with interesting people, stretch your smile and give you a swift kick in the entrepreneurial ass to get moving on that big project you’ve been sitting on for far too long.

Interested in attending? You have to request an invite (don’t worry, it’s not an arduous process). Space is limited for the event because one of the goal’s of TED is to gather attendees who are as interesting as the presenters. While some may complain that this is seclusive and unfair, I’m OK with it. As long as you make an effort, you will undoubtedly meet some very interesting people at this conference thanks to the selective attendance process.

The cost to attend is only $26 (which includes lunch), and all proceeds will support charities opening children’s minds to art and technology in Detroit. More than $16,000 has been raised in the past two years from TEDxDetroit.

Seriously…why would you NOT go?!

If you’ve attended TEDxDetroit or another TED event in the past, share in the comments what you enjoyed most about the conference and why it’s worth attending.

What’s the story behind mymentalspace? How did you come up with the idea, and how long have you been working on the launch plan?

The idea started when I was studying psychology and neuroscience at Albion College. At Albion, I received a great foundation to how the human brain works and common trends in human behavior.

I also noticed trends in the way classmates and friends would use websites like Facebook, sometimes to an addictive degree. After going to Walsh College to study information systems management, I realized how I could merge the psychological aspect of treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with the curriculum I was learning at Walsh.

It was a clash of the two educational disciplines — human behavior and how information systems work and learning how memory stored in a computer has some overlap to how we store memory as humans. Today, we have so much information at once. Where do we store it and how does that affect our mood?”

The Mentalspace Manager and mymentalspace.com aim to help people manage Internet behaviors that can sometimes be detrimental to their emotional well-being. The Mentalspace Manager is all about self-awareness. With Mentalspace Manager, users can set time limits for being online, block certain websites and report their daily moods to see how the Internet affects their emotions and mental state. We’re focused on helping people realize how the Internet affects their emotions.

As for our launch….we are going live this summer. We’ve been in development for two years. I have two amazing technical gurus and good friends, Paul and Chris, leading the development team. Paul and Chris are just as excited as I am to release all of our hard work from the last two years.

Most companies that revolve around the Internet or social media show the positive attributes of those worlds, but mymentalspace is meant for people who are experiencing negative effects of the Internet. Do you have any competitors in this space? If so, how does mymentalspace stand out?

There are companies that try to help monitor Internet usage. However, none of these companies are focused on managing emotions from Internet use. This is how mymentalspace stands out. Using “The Mentalspace Manager”, a plugin for your Web browser to manager Internet behaviors, we allow people to “self-monitor” their time online and block websites that may be harmful. Moreover, our experience when going to a blocked site is unique in itself. Let me explain…

Other applications that allow you to block sites do just that, they block them, so when you try and visit them, you see a blank page or a standard 404 “this page does not exist” message. The Mentalspace Manager displays positive quotes, images or videos when you attempt to access a blocked site. Using positive content, we aim to stop the impulse and make you aware of the negative effects that may result to your mental space when accessing a non-productive site like Facebook.

There are other companies and programs focused on Internet addiction. One such company is called reSTART. They have a 45 day in-patient program for online junkies. The program costs $15,000 and provides a technology free environment for the entire 45 days. Mymentalspace is not a clinical application per say. We want people to use our application to prevent Internet addiction by becoming more aware of the websites that impact their emotion and mood…..and if your emotion and mood are down, so is your mental health and overall mental space!

When you need to refuel or recharge your creativity, what do you do or where do you go?

Great question. I often find myself needing to recharge on a daily basis. Excuse the long-winded response as I explain how I know when to recharge. I was told by a good friend to imagine that I had 100 units of energy to spend a day. During the course of the day, the energy units get withdrawn from my mental space bank account. A nasty email from a manager or a harassing Facebook message may deduct 25 units. A long meeting, missed lunch, flat tire, or any of the millions of things that go wrong throughout your day can take away from you emotional bank account. The point is, I often find myself getting overdraft fee’s from my bank. When I’m in the red, I’m not able to be creative, which means I need to recharge.

Here are the three things I do to recharge:

1. Walks
2. Yoga/Meditate
3. Play the piano

Can you share details about the mymentalspace launch? How can people sign up to participate?

We will be launching our first release of the application in June. The Mentalspace Manager plugin will be available for Chrome and Firefox. Shortly after, we will finish development for other browsers and begin efforts toward a mobile application. If anyone has experience doing iPhone or Android development, please contact us at mark@mymentalspace.com.

Anyone and everyone is welcome to visit www.mymentalspace.com to watch our video and sign up for the beta group.

What is your advice for entrepreneurs who want to take a creative idea and develop it into a business?

Write your ideas down. In order for anything to manifest, you must put your thoughts to paper. I’d also suggest placing reminders of your vision around your environment. For example, my favorite author and soon to be mentor, Wayne Dyer, creates the cover of his book before the book is written. This helps him manifest each page knowing that the book is already real. Other ways you can accomplish this would be to pin your logo to your bathroom mirror, or print your one page business summary and stick it on your fridge. Write down your goals and read them every morning.

And remember mind rule #1: What you think about and focus on grows. Make sure to think your thoughts wisely and keep believing in yourself.

Previous Q & A features:

Hajj Flemings – Founder of Brand Camp University
Ryan Doyle – Founder of Live to Give
Cara Rosaen – Owner of Sweet Plum Vintage

This year, I am humbled to be part of one of two teams that will be representing the D on the road trip challenge. My teammates are Jacki Halas, Brian Ambrozy and Kyle Stuef. Our friends and competitors on the other team are Joe Minock, Bobby Mercader, Shauna Nicholson and Norm Witte.

The competitor inside of me is pumped for some healthy competition against our neighbors and nine other teams across the country. I’m also excited about attending SXSW for the first time and soaking up some serious knowledge from the pros that I can apply to my job and clients. But, I’m mostly looking forward to the camaraderie and creativity that will come along with this experience.

I don’t know everyone on the Detroit teams very well, so this is an opportunity to do what we preach about at Tweetea – strengthen relationships with the people you’ve connected with online by spending time together in person. I love social networks as much as any other self-proclaimed tech nerd, but nothing will ever trump a good old face-to-face conversation. And it’s going to be real hard to not become close when you’re spending days in a car with three other people!

We don’t have all the details yet, but Christopher Barger and the Chevy team are changing up the rules this year. Like last year, we’ll compete against the other teams in challenges that will test our creativity, social media skills, spontaneity, stamina and determination. The difference this year is that there will be more focus on creativity and making winning more about quality versus quantity (probably because we drove everyone nuts with all of our tweets and Facebook posts to support the Detroit team last year!). Also, the community has no say in the judging this year. No word on the judges yet, but Chris’ teases sound very intriguing!

So while the community can’t technically vote for us this year, we know you’ll be rooting on both teams all the way! We’ve already received many kind words of encouragement and support, and I know I speak for everyone when I say that means a lot.

When Chris first presented this opportunity to me, I slightly freaked out and wasn’t sure if I could do it. Not only do I have a zillion things going in addition to work, but there’s also this small thing called a wedding that I’m planning in August. I wasn’t sure if going on this road trip and attending SXSW was the most responsible thing to do.

But then I thought about it some more. Life is short. I learned this the hard way two years ago. This will be an adventure, and I’ll create some really fun memories, make new friends and learn more to help me become better at a job that I love. Sure, my email inboxes will be overflowing and I’ll have a ton of work to catch up on when I get back. But this isn’t your every day experience. I would kick myself pretty darn hard if I passed it up. So, I’m taking a deep breath and hoping I don’t keel over from exhaustion before my wedding!

To get rewards, we must take risks, right?

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With all that exists on the Internet for people to consume, it’s not easy to create content that spreads like wildfire and grabs people’s attention. But whether you’re a marketer or a small business owner, if the people you are trying to reach spend time online, then understanding how to create signal with content (Valeria Maltoni defines “signal” as the ability to convert traffic to a website) is really important.

So, how does one successfully create the type of online content that people want to share? What we discovered during this week’s Tweetea chat is there are some core reasons why people are motivated and inspired to spread content online.

We have the Detroit in Ruins photo gallery on the Guardian’s website to thank for this lively discussion. As of today, it has been tweeted 7,234 times and shared on Facebook more than 71,000 times. Those are mind-boggling numbers! Here’s the key question this example prompted:

What motivates people to share online content?

I was feverishly taking notes of my suggestions and those of the Tweetea participators this week because I didn’t want these great suggestions to only stay within the Twitter chat. So, here are 22 reasons why online content spreads:

• It helps people improve/become better at something.
• It’s community-oriented.
• It’s innovative and unique.
• It’s all about an emotion. Thoughtful, inspiring, sad, funny, etc. Evoke emotion through content and people will share it.
• It deals with unexpected experiences. Surprise the viewer/reader/listener.
• It’s inspiring.
• It’s current and relevant.
• It’s beautifully crafted.
• It’s something people have never seen/heard of before.
• There’s a compelling message, whether positive or negative.
• It tells a good story.
• The timing is right.
• It’s something impossible to contrive.
• The site is clean and simple to navigate, so it’s easy to share the content.
• The content or site it’s hosted on has strong SEO.
• It’s a component of a well executed marketing plan.
• It tugs at the heart strings and is heartwearming.
• There’s a newsworthy angle.
• There’s humor.
• The quality is great (poor audio turns people away from your content).
• It’s accessible via mobile devices (you can’t watch Vimeo videos on an iPhone).
• People with a large community spread it.

One piece of advice kept making it’s way back into the conversation – You can’t ever guarantee that content will go viral. And if it does, that content better be part of a bigger plan to help sustain interest in the product/service/company/person long after the shiny object syndrome dies down.

What are your thoughts on online content? What’s missing from this list?

** Shameless Tweetea plug – Join us every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. either in person or on Twitter using the #tweetea hashtag for more fun and interesting convos like the one that inspired this post!

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Everyone knows someone who gives uncondtionally because they care more about others than they do about themselves. These are people who never stop trying to make the world a better place. Whether they’re helping a handful of people or hundreds of thousands, their actions make a positive impact.

Some of these people get showered with thanks and gratitude for their hard work. Others are silent soldiers who do good but don’t get rewarded as much as their counterparts for any number of reasons. From saying “thank you” to nominating someone for a prestigious award, there are a variety of ways to put the spotlight on do-gooders. I recently learned about a really creative way to recognize people who shine.

It’s called the Yellow Envelope Project. It’s an initiative started by the House of Shine, which brings together people who are committed to being their best and to bringing out the best in others. The goal of the Yellow Envelope Project is to recognize everyday citizens who make a difference. Each week, people who participate in the initiative send letters of gratitude in a yellow envelope to the selected person of the week who will receive the letters. I really like how the person of the week’s story is included so you can clearly see why this person is deserving of recognition.

Pretty creative, right? If you’re any bit inquisitive, you’re probably wondering about the story behind this project. Claudia Beeny is one of three ladies who makes up the House of Shine team, and she answered a few questions for me about the Yellow Envelope Project:

When was the project started, and what inspired you to start it?
The Yellow Envelope Project is an outgrowth of my website, www.houseofshine.com. – a website dedicated to teaching and promoting principles of excellence. We thought that one way we could promote the principles of shine would be to catch everyday citizens in the act of being excellent – of brightening their corner of the world by going above and beyond.

Our focus is very clearly on everyday citizens who go out of their way to shine. They are the teachers, coaches, neighbors, postal workers and baristas who help keep our communities going. You will never see them on the front page of the paper or the Today Show. They might never win an award or receive a plaque, but they shine because every day they get up and find ways to pour themselves into the lives of others.

We were inspired to start the Yellow Envelope Project because we recognize that shining takes effort and that sometimes going above and beyond can leave you feeling tired. We were inspired to find a way we could help keep these people motivated. Our idea is, each week, to select a winner and to flood his or her mailbox with anonymous letters of gratitude. Letters that, of course, are mailed in yellow envelopes.

How many people have nominated someone for the Yellow Envelope Project since it started?
The project has existed for a year now, and during that time, more than 100 people have been nominated. Currently, we select one winner a week, and on Saturday mornings, post a mailing address for that week’s recipient at www.yellowenvelopeproject.com. Participants have one week to write their note and mail it before we meet again the following Saturday to recognize another person who shines.

Do you have a favorite story to share about a nominator or a recipient?
A few weeks ago, we flooded the mailbox of a woman who volunteers quite a bit of her time in the neonatal unit of her local hospital. It turns out she was out of town the week her mailbox was flooded with yellow envelopes. She was visiting her grandsons, both of whom received devastating medical diagnoses that week. When she returned home she was greeted with countless anonymous letters of gratitude from around the country. That felt good.

Last weekend we sent our first letter to a teenager. Her mother wrote in telling about how her daughter ate lunch with special needs children, despite the bullying and ridicule she received from other middle-schoolers. Encouraging her at such a young and impressionable age felt especially important.

Why is spreading happiness your passion?
I think promoting excellence is more of a passion for me than spreading happiness. In a world where so many people worry only about themselves and take pride in finding loopholes or in taking the path of least resistance, I am motivated to send a different message. I am committed to harnessing the energy of everyone who believes that settling for mediocrity is the surest way to beget more mediocrity and that individual acts of excellence can eventually add up.

I want people who shine to know that others notice. I want them to know we realize how much extra energy it takes to go the extra mile and that we respect their commitment to going above and beyond. I want people who shine to have letters – physical proof – that their time on earth matters and that small gestures in small communities really are appreciated. I want them to know they are a part of a larger movement – a growing group of people committed to powering the planet with shine.

Do you have any future plans for the Yellow Envelope Project or House of Shine that you’d like to share?
We wouldn’t shine if we didn’t have big plans for the Yellow Envelope Project and the House of Shine, would we?

In the immediate future we will develop a new Yellow Envelope Project website. The site will feature Yellow Envelope Project recipients, as well as introduce readers to other ways they can join our mission to Power the Planet with Shine. We are working on initiatives that introduce concepts of shine to elementary school kids, as well as providing workshops and trainings on the principles of shine. Naturally, another goal is that each week we would have hundreds of nominations rolling in from all over the country, spotlighting people who go above and beyond.

Our plan for the House of Shine is to establish the site as a resource for people who are committed to principles of excellence. Currently, we host a daily blog on our site, but we would also love to feature vendors, products and websites that shine, offer virtual workshops and someday make our message of shine every bit as recognized as “Life is Good.”

So, how can you get involved? You can mail a yellow envelope and letter of thanks to recipients, you can nominate a recipient or you can select your own recipient. Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, taking part in the Yellow Envelope Project is an awesome way to show thanks for someone who puts a smile on your face. I know who I’m nominating!

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It’s not easy to think of yourself as a brand, and I understand the notion of focusing on making an impact versus building a personal brand. Call it what you want, but we all want to be perceived in a certain way. Same thing goes for companies and brands.

The social Web adds a whole new element to the concept of personal branding. How do we stand out among the hundreds of millions of individuals, companies and brands vying for people’s attention online? How can we use the real time Web to continue pursuing our passions and achieving our professional and personal goals?

Brand Camp University is an interactive conference that aims to answer those and many other questions related to how social media has forever changed the way individuals and companies position themselves personally and professionally. Hajj Flemings founded the conference in 2008, and it will take place this year on October 8 at Lawrence Tech University.

If you haven’t had the chance to interact with Hajj, make it a priority to do so soon. His passion is infectious, and he knows a thing or two a whole lot about helping people and businesses remain relevant. I was beyond impressed at Brand Camp 2009. If you want a quick overview of what Brand Camp is all about and what you can expect to learn/experience, check out my post from last year.

Hajj was gracious enough to take some time out of his hectic schedule (he just became a daddy for the first time!) to participate in my Creative Q&A series. Read on to learn more about Hajj and Brand Camp:

What’s the story behind Brand Camp University? Why did you think it was important to create a conference that explores how social media has changed the way people and companies brand themselves?

As I began to research the personal branding industry, I realized there was no dominate conference in my field, and nothing like it existed in the Midwest. I said to myself, why wait for someone else to do it? The conference launched in 2008. Now, three years later, we are preparing for our third conference, which is on the verge of being sold out.

Anytime you put the power to make change in the hands of people, I believe that change is imminent. The biggest thing I believe is that companies won’t be able to attract the new worker in the digital age without understanding not only social media as we call it today, but also how the social Web is impacting their business.

Who is the most creative person you’ve ever met or interviewed and why?

The most creative person I have ever interviewed is Seth Godin. I think he is one of the top thinkers out there. He doesn’t think linearly. He looks at the world, marketing and business as a new ball of clay that can be molded into whatever you want. For example, there’s a recent post on Mashable where Seth talked about how he is giving up on traditional book publishing. It is going to be interesting to see how his thinking impacts the publishing industry and the way people curate content.

You have a degree in mechanical engineering. What motivated you to gravitate toward speaking and helping people reach their hidden potential?

Engineering is one of the greatest platforms to go to school for because it teaches you the foundation for success in any discipline – which is problem solving. It was just a matter of shifting my paradigm from solving problems that were related to products to helping people solve the problems that center around their potential.

Say you’re having an off day. What do you do to stay positive and upbeat?

I am always looking for creative ways to inspire myself. They might include going to a bookstore and looking at magazines or books that are outside of my industry. It might be going to a coffee shop and a different city and pulling out my iPad and doing research on things that interest me. Most of all, it is having work/life balance. My wife and new daughter, Kennedy Nicole, help get me focused on what is important. Remember: At the end of a person’s life, nobody ever says, “I wish I had worked more.”

If you had to pick THE most important piece of advice to share with people, what would it be?

The most important piece of advice is understand who you are. I believe most people live their lives beneath their value because they have accepted being average. College and universities don’t challenge people to be exceptional, and neither do many companies. Here’s why: Colleges and universities, regardless of what is inside of a person, channel students through their institutions, with no regard for how they are wired. Historically, you are conditioned to graduate and work a job until you retire.

Most companies don’t have a culture established that enables employees to be creative and helps them do their best work. There are so many rules and red tape. There is no way for a person to operate in their creative genius. Understanding how you are wired will position you to do what you love, even if it takes awhile to get there.

Tickets are still available for Brand Camp, but they’re going fast. Speakers include Help a Reporter Out Founder Peter Shankman and PR pro/new media consultant Sarah Evans.

If you’ve attended Brand Camp before, feel free to share what you’ve learned in the comments. Or, if you’re attending this year, share what you’re hoping to learn.

Disclosure: I’m assisting with parts of the conference planning process, but I was sold on the value of Brand Camp when I attended a year ago and had no involvement with the planning. So, believe me when I say this conference is well worth attending.

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After the July 4th holiday this past weekend, some of my followers on Twitter who returned to work tweeted about having a hard time getting back into the office routine, or feeling like their brains were mush and it was difficult to get back in their groove. This seems to frequently happen after a vacation (which is ironic, because vacations are supposed to refresh us, right?). It’s hard to kick start our brains and get our creative and motivated sides pumping again when we just come off a relaxing few days of no work. Lack of creativity also happens when we get burnt out or become too accustomed to one way of doing things. Sometimes we get so stuck in our routine that it’s hard to look at something with a fresh set of eyes.

Those tweets got me wondering about the different approaches people take when they get into a slump and need to re-energize and refocus. I asked my networks on Facebook and Twitter and got some pretty interesting answers. I hope you can take a few of these suggestions and try them the next time your creative side is being stubborn.

“Learn something about a subject you know nothing about. You’ll walk away smarter.” - Brandon Chesnutt, Identity Marketing & Public Relations

“Talk to someone who you know can inspire you. Choose someone outside of your field or industry…just a creative or thought-provoking person in general. 30 minutes will do the trick.” - Ben Smithee, Spych Research

“Eat the frog – do the thing you hate or dread doing most. Get it out of the way and you’ll open up space for more creative thought.” - Joni Hubred-Golden, Michigan Women’s Forum

“Meditate.” - David Murray, re:group

“Iced Americano from Biggby to refuel. Also, something that makes me laugh.” - Kelly LaVaute, Quicken Loans

“I like to mix it up with a delicate combo of TED presentations, creative works on Vimeo and snacks.” - Ryan Bateman, Compuware

“I spend time with my nieces and nephew. Kids have such great imaginations, it’s amazing what comes out of their mouths. Also, kids are a great reminder to Keep it Simple. That’s why a balloon or an empty box is more fun than an expensive toy.” - Rita Sitto, Stratacomm

“For me, it’s about doing something I haven’t before, like going to a new park or restaurant. Change of scenery/routine.” - Mark W. Smith, Detroit Free Press

“I usually grab my camera and go for a walk. Or I go to a craft store for inspiration for new projects.”- Sarah Withers, Gale

“I keep a file of things that I think are cool – ads, posters, invitations, brochures, articles, etc. Great for inspiration.” - Rachel Esterline, AGP & Associates

“I do something away from the computer, like photography, origami, or listening to a different genre of music.” - Jenni Murray, Creative Breakthroughs, Inc.

“I find taking a long lunchtime walk plugged into my iPod helps.” - Mike McClure, The Yaffe Group

“I recharge by watching hockey fights on YouTube.” – Eric Younan, Pulte Homes

“I read something completely outside my usual echo chamber on topics like neuroscience, history or good fiction.” - Mike Pilarz, Burson-Marsteller

Thanks to everyone who chimed in with suggestions.

For me, blogging helps because it’s writing (which is tied directly to my job), but my voice gets to shine through. I also like to look back through photos I’ve collected throughout the years. Going off what Ben Smithee said, it often helps to talk it out with a trusted friend. Sometimes just vocalizing the thoughts in your head helps you get rid of whatever is holding you back from producing amazing work.

What would you add? What do you do when you need to reignite your creativity?

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The very anticipated Startup Weekend Detroit will take place May 14 – 16 on the campus of Wayne State University. For those of you not familiar with Startup Weekend, it brings together a hodgepodge of creative and ambitious developers, Web and tech geeks, startup enthusiasts, marketing pros, business developers and jack-of-all-trades. Attendees are charged with building out a business idea in one weekend (essentially 54 hours). The concept of Startup Weekend centers on learning by creating. Quick decisions and non run-of-the-mill thinking are key to Startup Weekend. The goal at the end of the weekend is to be as close to possible as launching a business.

Sounds intense, right? It is, but there will be PLENTY of fun, humor and friendship at Startup Weekend Detroit. I attended last year, and it was definitely worth giving away an entire weekend. My group’s business idea never came to fruition, but I met some awesome people who have since become close compadres.

I decided to do things a bit differently this year. As a PR and social media pro, storytelling and content creating come second nature to me. Rather than participating in the business development, I will serve as Startup Weekend Detroit’s “official” content creator on behalf of my agency, Identity, which is a gold sponsor of the event. I plan to chronicle the happenings during the three days through blog posts, tweets, photos and video.

Here’s what I want to know: What type of content do YOU want? Whether you’re attending or planning to follow along at home, I want your feedback. Do you want blog posts throughout the day that detail the groups and where they’re at with their business plans? Do you want quick two or three minute interviews with attendees? Do you want tweets throughout the day that keep you updated on the groups’ progress? Do you want to know what’s working and what’s not working as the groups hash out their business ideas? Do you want photos of Henry Balanon roundhouse kicking a drink in someone’s face (true story, that HAS happened!)? Leave your suggestions in the comments.

And if you haven’t registered yet, click here to get a move on it.

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Live to Give Foundation (L2G) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is rebuilding the state of Michigan in a personal way. The organization’s goal is to make the charitable experience more personal by showing the path of  each donation from an initial fundraiser to the final recipient it actually benefits. I first learned about L2G about a year ago when I attended a charity Tweetup that raised money for the organization. I researched it a bit more and was immediately impressed by the founders’ creative vision toward running and raising awareness about a nonprofit.

I reached out to Ryan Doyle, founder and inspiration director, to learn a little more about L2G.

How did you and the other L2G team members come up with the idea for the company?

During my junior year at the University of Michigan, I was watching a 60 Minutes special in my apartment and it dissected American economic classes as they relate to giving to charity. To my surprise, the lower class gave the more charitable contributions as a percentage of their total paycheck, followed by the middle and upper classes respectively. I thought it was so honorable that the poorest group in our country was giving more of what they had than the richest. It forced me to look in the mirror and ask myself why I hadn’t given more considering the fortunate lifestyle I was blessed with. So, I opened a Word document, starting writing and I ended up starting my own nonprofit.

I love that L2G is all about making the charitable experience more personal by making donations come “full circle”. What tactics do you employ to show the path of donations so people know exactly how their money is benefiting someone?

Our number one tool for making our charitable experience “full circle” is through our exciting and emotional mini-movies that show the path of the donations from the initial fundraiser to the final recipient it actually benefits. The idea is to not just show the final destination two months after you donate, but rather to show every major step we take, therefore giving our donors three to five opportunities to “stop by” and see where we are in the process. We did this very well with our last partnership, The Bottomless Toy Chest.

More than that, we are always looking for ways to customize the experience for as many groups, demographics, ages and economic classes as we can. If we can offer opportunities for young people to engage at zero to no cost while also offering professionals and local companies a chance to contribute with relative minimal cost, all while offering options for everyone to personally get involved, then we believe we have done our job.

How do you find the families/individuals who need help?

Over the last six months, we have chosen to partner with other nonprofits, organizations and businesses that are doing amazing things in Michigan and spotlight their efforts, but in the “L2G way” (full circle). We wanted to keep the expertise in their hands, but connect our network and their network to the efforts. We are very intentional on choosing causes that provide sustainability, growth, empowerment and hope for the state of Michigan. As far as finding them, they find us, but we do wish very soon to open a nomination process that the community can vote on so that we can directly help the causes that YOU want us to help. Stay tuned!

Is there one person or family L2G helped who really sticks out in your mind?

Absolutely! Bruce Scharfenberg and his family were the perfect match for our first ever effort back in November of 2007. My partner Kevin and I wanted to make our first effort a special one that exemplified our passion and seriousness for L2G, so we drove 12 hours to the northern most point in Michigan (practically Copper Harbor) to hand this family a check for their medical bills. Bruce suffers from Primary Cardiac Amyloidosis, which effects one in every 8.5 million people, and he is the longest living survivor with the illness in the United States. It was not hard to see why—his spirit was through the roof and his perspective on life was so appreciative. We stayed with his family for one day and two nights, but he stopped to smell the roses the entire time. He will be a friend of ours for a lifetime.

I think every nonprofit should utilize social media to connect with volunteers/donors and raise awareness about its initiatives. How has social media benefited L2G?

Social media has been our number one outreach tool. It truly has been instrumental in growing our nonprofit out of run down apartments and parents’ basements; it has made local…global. Quite simply, it has allowed us to inform, engage and connect to our communities every single day. A big reason we chose to focus L2G on this idea of “full circle” is because of this social media/viral/technology boom that started with the release of Facebook back in 2004. These tools allow us so much more opportunity to personalize the charitable experience. With respects to larger impacts it has had, we have won several online contests that require community voting and we were able to compete with companies like Beaumont Hospital, Girl Scouts of America and The Salvation Army.  We also partnered with a PR wiz Brandon Chesnutt and his Detroit Twitter group (#Detroittu) to host their first ever Charitweetup to raise money. That is the true power of social media.

What is the most rewarding thing for you as a team member of L2G?

I am most rewarded by my team. I am humbled every day that people trust my vision and volunteer the little extra time they have while they finish college, go to graduate school and work full-time jobs. The best part about the team is that no one is here to build their resume or boost their portfolio. Every single team member genuinely wants to help people and grow their communities. My dream would still be a dream if I didn’t have this young group of social entrepreneurs making it reality with me. They are my Dream Team!

What do you have in the works for 2010? Any upcoming events, L2G tweetups, etc.?

We have started to put our next cause in motion as we have begun a partnership with an outstanding nonprofit run by young professionals that helps rebuild Detroit called Summer in the City. We plan on hosting a few fundraisers in Oakland County and Ann Arbor and using the money raised to paint, plant and clean up a large piece of Detroit. It is too soon for details, but expect our greatest successes to come this spring and early summer.

If you’d like to get in touch with Ryan to see how you can support L2G, or just to tell him how awesome he and his team are, e-mail him at ryan.doyle@livetogivefoundation.org.