Our next event is sold out!

Our upcoming event with IP lawyer Sharon Givoni is now SOLD OUT!  Join the event waiting list by adding a comment to this post. You will be contacted by the email address you provide in the days leading up to the event if spaces become available.

Thanks to all who bought tickets - we look forward to seeing you there!

You're invited to our next event!

You're invited to our next event!

It's likely you've read stories of local designers facing copyright infringements of their work by other companies, and since the rise of blogs and image-sharing websites such as Pinterest, protecting your designs is now more important than ever.

Intellectual property lawyer Sharon Givoni has established a reputation for being an entertaining speaker and explaining the law in 'plain English'. At this special CWC event, she will discuss a range of IP-related topics and will answer your questions. Recommended for anyone who makes or designs their own products to sell, particularly if you display them online. More info & tickets here.

{Full Members can enter coupon code CWCFM at checkout to receive a discounted ticket. Read more about Full Membership and our current giveaway here!}

Join the CWC and win!

To kick off 2013, we're having a Membership Drive! Become a Full Member of the CWC (or renew/extend your current membership) and you'll go in the draw to WIN a $150 gift voucher from Polli or a $200 gift voucher from Elk Accessories, to spend on whatever you want!*

So why are we having a Membership Drive? Well, Full Members mean the CWC can continue to provide inspiring regular speaker/networking events in Melbourne and Sydney, blog original and helpful articles, bring you The Circle Database, and grow to include new initiatives, books and ways for you to learn and connect with the local creative community.

As a CWC Full Member you receive:

• Your own page on The Circle Database, complete with an image gallery of your work, biography and your contact details, which will be found when other people search for you under your chosen categories and a link to your page emailed regularly to our 1800+ email subscriber list
• Access to podcast interviews with inspiring creative women and recordings of past CWC events
• Discounted event tickets
• The ability to purchase tickets to events before Subscribers & Non-members
• Opportunities to be profiled/interviewed/promoted through our blog
• A membership card & stickers, sent to you in the post (snail mail, yay!)
• A warm glowy feeling knowing that you are entrenched in a supportive creative community!

So, join before 10pm on Friday 15 February to go in the Elk/Polli giveaway draw, and you could soon be adorned in some of the lovely products below...

From the latest Elk Accessories collection

From the latest Polli collection

Anyone, anywhere can join as a CWC Full Member and go in the running to win these prizes, but please read our terms and conditions for CWC Full Membership first, and the competition fine print below.

Next week, we'll interview the founders/directors of Polli, Tess Lloyd and Maja Rose, and follow that up with an interview with Elk Accessories founder Marnie Goding. I can't wait to read about the creative processes of these two successful local design businesses and learn about how they started.

*Fine print: To be entered into the Membership Drive giveaway you must join as a Full Member between 31/12/12 and 15/2/13 or renew/extend your membership before 15/2/13. Two winners will be drawn after 16/2/13 and notified by email. If you are a winner you will receive details about how to redeem the gift voucher/s from Polli/Elk but be aware you may need to pay shipping costs if purchasing from these retailers online, especially if you are from overseas. Obviously you can't redeem these vouchers for cash, but with so many nice products who would want to, right?

We're hiring! CWC Event coordination assistant

Position available: CWC event coordination assistant It's an exciting time of growth for the Creative Women’s Circle and we are looking for a motivated individual to assist with event management in 2013.

Working closely with CWC coordinator Tess McCabe, you will help manage the six events scheduled in Melbourne this year, which may take place on weekends or weeknights. Ideally you will have attended a CWC event in the past, have excellent email and communication skills, and a flexible approach.

Self-starters who runs their own business, freelancers, or anyone who is looking for a side-project in which to build their profile and network is encouraged to apply.

The position has the potential to evolve into a full event coordination role which would encompass speaker selection & event planning.

Required duties:

• Assist with set-up/pack-away at event space, including presentation equipment
• Organise and set-up event beverages/snacks on event day
• Prepare audience doorlist prior to event
• Other tasks as required e.g. taking photos at event, writing event-related blog posts, liaising with speakers, attending planning meetings in person or by phone

Essential attributes:

• Strong verbal & email communication skills
• Organised and efficient
• Confident with taking on a range of differing tasks and ‘thinking on your feet’
• Personable with a desire to meet and engage with new people
• Availability on event weekends/weeknights (events are planned 3-4 months in advance to allow for vacations)
• Takes direction and shows initiative
• Based in Melbourne, Australia

Desirable attributes:

• Prior event management/assistant experience
• Have attended a CWC event in the past
• Basic Photoshop skills and/or graphic design skills
• Familiarity with Wordpress, blog/website administration, social media platforms
• Familiarity with Powerpoint and Acrobat PDF
• Baking

This is a paid position of approximately 6 hours per event {edit 19/1/13 - this includes time at event and preparation before hand (no specific day/time)}. Fee will be flat rate and will be discussed during the interview process.

To apply:

Please send a friendly email to Tess via admin<at>creativewomenscircle.com.au, outlining your background, skills, abilities, and any prior event coordination experience.

Applications close Monday 28 January 2013 and successful candidates will be contacted for an informal interview shortly after.

Any queries can be directed to Tess at the above email address. Thanks!

Season's greetings!

It's been another wonderful year for the CWC. Amongst other things, we:

• sold out of our book (then released the digital versions!)
• invited you to get more from the community by becoming a Full Member
• enriched the website with The Circle Database, a bevvy of wonderful blog posts from our fabulous contributors
• added many event Podcasts and interviews
• and of course held half-a-dozen events (including one in Sydney!).

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for reading, listening, joining, attending and supporting the CWC in 2012, and look forward to bringing you more inspiring women's stories in the year to come.

tess

Conversations with Creative Women: Digital versions now available + giveaway!

Today I'm excited to announce that our sold-out paperback book, Conversations with Creative Women, is now available as a digital download for your iPad, Kindle or computer!

Yes, over at our shop you can choose a PDF (for reading on your computer), an ePub file (for iPads & iPhones and other readers such as those listed here), or a mobi file, which is commonly read on the Amazon Kindle (and other popular eBook readers and smartphones).

The files are only available from our shop, and come with simple instructions on how to load the file onto your iPad, iPhone or Kindle*.

To celebrate the eBook's release, we are hosting a giveaway! One lucky Conversations eBook customer will win a Cristina Re 'Christmas Gift Packaging' set comprising wrapping paper, gift cards and decorative accessories to the value of RRP $150. Cristina is of course one of the amazing women interviewed in the book, and has generously offered this prize which is perfectly timed for the Christmas season. Thanks, Cristina!

An example of some of the fine, elegant paper products that make up Cristina Re's paper packaging range. View more here.

To be in the running to win, simply purchase any digital version of Conversations with Creative Women from our shop before 3pm this Friday 14th December 2012. The winner will be picked at random and will receive your gift pack in the mail next week. Please note the prize will only be sent to an address within Australia. UPDATE 15/12/12: A winner has been randomly selected :)

And check back on the blog tomorrow as we interview Cristina about what she's been up to since Conversations was released.

*Please note, at this stage we are only supplying loading instructions for these three devices. If you're unsure if your eReader supports ePub or Mobi files, opt for the PDF!

Scenes From Sydney: CWC Sydney Event

By Jaclyn Carlson In late October, Sydney finally got our first CWC event (yeah!) and I’m here this month to tell you that it was a huge success and I personally can’t wait to see what 2013 has in store.

Held in an eclectic new community center in Redfern, a room full of like-minded Sydney gals gathered to hand knit and listen to textile super star, Julie Patterson of Cloth Fabic.  Julie shared her background, business advice and candid thoughts on running your own business. If you’ve ever heard Julie speak, you’ll agree she is a natural born story teller and I couldn’t think of a better person to kick off Sydney’s first CWC event.  A big thank you to Tess for organising such a great afternoon for us local girls and if you haven’t yet signed up for the Sydney event newsletter – run, don’t walk, and get your name on the list.  You won’t want to miss the next one!

A recording of this event is now up the Podcasts page for Full Members to enjoy when signed in. Find out about becoming a Full Member of the CWC here!

Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Jaclyn Carlson is the author behind the Sydney-based blog, Little Paper Trees. When not documenting her expat adventures, she can be found working for one of Australia’s top design & homewares trade shows. Passionate and prone to wasting hours on Pinterest, she has years of experience in marketing, advertising and PR and aims to put Sydney’s creative women in the spotlight with her monthly column.