WHAT: The Brand of Self: The Entrepreneurial Journey with Bliss Lau and Jasmine Takanikos, public talk
WHEN: Nov. 7, 6-8 p.m.
WHERE: Honolulu Museum of Art Doris Duke Theatre, 901 Kinau St.
COST: Free
INFO: 532-8701, honolulumuseum.org (publishable)

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I—As part of programming for the exhibition Hawai‘i in Design, the Honolulu Museum of Art has partnered with the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism’s Creative Industries Division to present a workshop aimed at helping homegrown design talent take their ideas to the next level.

Bliss Lau, noted Hawai‘i-born, New York–based jewelery designer and mentor from Creative Lab Hawaii Fashion Immersive, is joined by her Parsons School of Design colleague and brand strategist Jasmine Takanikos to present a two-day intensive workshop that covers design thinking, brand strategy, and integrated marketing.

The workshop is targeted at working professionals who have an existing concept, business or brand in a creative industry. Participants seeking to deepen their goals, voice, and expression will explore their unique vision through this interactive, hands-on course. Includes light morning refreshments and lunch.

Participation is contingent on instructor approval. To apply, interested candidates must download and complete an application form available on the Honolulu Museum of Art website, and email it to Lau and Takanikos at: [email protected] and [email protected]. Application deadline (extended) is Nov 1.

Accepted applicants will receive an email notification and link to make payment.

The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism’s Creative Industries Division aims to support initiatives that expand the capacity and business opportunities of creative entrepreneurs. After seeing the homegrown talent on view in the exhibition Hawai‘i in Design, Creative Industries approached the museum about holding a workshop that would help the designers included in the show take their works to the next level by building their capacity to scale their work beyond their current markets. In the interest of access to a valuable resource like this workshop, DBEDT and HoMA decided to open up the workshop to the public.

Creative Industries, which had previously worked with Lau for its Creative Lab Immersive Program, selected Lau and Takanikos, to lead the workshop. The two met when Lau hired Takanikos to do the branding for her company and now teach Centering Your Brand together across the country.

THINKSPOT: PRESENTED BY HoMA and HAWAII PUBLIC RADIO
The Brand of Self: The Entrepreneurial Journey with Bliss Lau and Jasmine Takanikos
Nov 7, 6–8pm, Honolulu Museum of Art Doris Duke Theatre, free

For those not able to attend the workshop, they can still get the inside scoop on branding at this public talk. Bliss Lau and Jasmine Takanikos will share their stories of success as young entrepreneurs in highly competitive fields. Attendees will learn tips on how to find that edge over the competition to expand their creative business. This talk is part of Hawaii Public Radio‘s Think Spot discussion series, aimed at maximizing the outreach and impact of Hawai‘i’s artists, and exploring cultural and social issues in conjunction with HoMA’s exploration of the arts in Hawai‘i.

With the goal of expanding discussion of critical cultural issues across the state, HPR will record the session and make it available as a podcast.

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS

BLISS LAU
Bliss Lau’s visionary approach to jewelry design is intrinsically rooted in the concept of jewelry as a physical experience—inspired by sensuality and structure. Throughout the evolution of her work, Bliss has elegantly juxtaposed dichotomous relationships—bold and delicate, bound and free, organic and linear—and embraced the interplay between them to create both fluid and kinetic forms.

Raised in Honolulu and educated at Parsons School of Design, Lau is based in New York City where she frequently draws inspiration from such diverse sources as the bold writing of Anaïs Nin, the mathematically precise art of M.C. Escher and the elegant architecture of the Chrysler Building and Brooklyn Bridge.

Dedicated to supporting the next generation of designers, Bliss teaches workshops and classes throughout the world, including Centering Your Brand, a first-of-its-kind course at Parsons School of Design, created with co-teacher and brand strategist Jasmine Takanikos.

JASMINE TAKANIKOS
Jasmine Takanikos is the founder and CEO of Jasmine Takanikos Consulting Group, a firm providing integrated marketing, branding and business development strategies to consumer lifestyle companies throughout the world. Founded in 2007, JTCG has worked with established brands and small businesses in such areas as integrated marketing, strategic planning, business development, creative direction, media planning and buying, and digital strategy.

Takanikos is also the creator of Brand Human, a global workshop and lecture series centered around the importance of building lasting relationships with one’s core constituencies via social media. Through interactive analysis of social media, Takanikos aids in creating and cultivating online brand identities that synergistically align with clients’ offline objectives. This approach, which is integrated into many of Takanikos’ strategic campaigns, has become a sought-after tool and as a result, a Brand Human series has been created in partnership globally with Soho House.

Supporting her distinct business platform, Takanikos teaches Brand Strategy for Continuing Education at Parsons School of Design, and Brand Human at Pratt Institute.