A Delicious Thing

It doesn't always take companies and enterprises to come up with creative ideas and concepts. In the end it takes only us, ordinary people, our daily lives and a piece of active state of mind to find something creative. So what's the thing that we put our minds into on a daily basis? Not a day goes by without thinking about it? Hmmmm.... (oh yes, it is my absolute favourite: fooooood!)

Creativeness is often found in the kitchens, and actually I think that no matter how many people would you make cook the same food with the same recipe, you would still come up with cookings that taste different, feel different, look different. As they say, it's not only the ingredients, but also how you treat them, what kind of feelings do you put into your cookings -and the creativeness you use while cooking!

What made me write about this is an event that has to do with food, cooking and creativity: the Restaurant Day. It's a concept where anyone, anywhere can establish a pop-up restaurant for one day. How fascinating! Imagine it: cook the food you do the best, or bake your favorite cake and make some coffee -and become a restaurant owner for one day! (Being a customer and going around different pop-up restaurants wouldn't be that bad either...) What's nice about all this that in addition to encouraging people towards creativity it is also about activism, with a very very positive vibe!

The next Restaurant Day will be August 21^st. Let your imagination run wild, get creative in the kitchen -with friends, even better- and be an active part of the society! I'd be interested to know if you somehow participated the restaurant day, so in case you did, leave your comments here! Head isu- Enjoy your meal!

Just can’t get enough!

Did you participate in the celebration last week? I did! I enjoyed it! It was just as I expected, and even more. You could make an endless list of all the amazing things and events there were in the city. I saw dozens of dance performances, a great hanseatic market, a parade full of celebration, medieval wedding and a lot more. A perfect summer weekend where you could feel where culture, art and different cultures sharing joy with each other can lead you to. Unforgettable!

the Europeade parade

Well. Europeade fascination can take you to making plans for a trip to Italy next summer already, as the city of Padova hosts the festival next year. But that’s way too far away! One needs to festival! And Tartu continues to festival.

It's a sircus out there!

When it turns to August there are again great events to wait for. Between the 8^th – 13^th of August the city will be filled with love, love, love as Tartuff, the love film festival makes movie lovers gather to Tartu and turns the town hall square into a big cinema hall.

The Emajõgi River, an essential part of Tartu, also has its own festival, and this one will be on 19^th-20^th of August. Of course this festive city celebrates its river also! In case you feel like checking the upcoming festivals and events in Tartu, you can do it here. I’m counting the days to the next one!

Everybody let's dance!

Can You Festival?

I know each and every one of us has their wardrobes full of medieval clothes that just wait to be worn. Well, the time of the year has come! Next week, beginning from 20^th July, Tartu will be filled with folk music and medieval fair, as the folk music festival Europeade and the 16^th Tartu Hanseatic Days will fill the town with culture, music, dance and experiences that I myself expect to be great! To me this city seems to be a perfect surrounding for such events.

Latvian dancers in Europeade opening

Again I would recommend you to activity: go to workshops while you can, dance and sing where you can, taste what you can! Don’t stay as a by passer, go get your share of all the fun that has been prepared! Keep the dress code in mind but don’t let anything slow your joy down! Besides, in my experience the Estonians get very easily carried away with dancing and singing, so just follow their great example!

Medieval atmosphere

It’s delightfully audience-friendly also price-wise. The rumour has it that for example the Europeade concerts are very affordable, the full ticket price being 3€ but actually going down to 1€ if you are wearing that medieval costume! Go get thatt from your closet now, see you next week!

There's dance everywhere!

Let's Play!

Now that we have reached already July, I feel like introducing something summerish. How about some summer theatre?  Seeing a play in a park, in a forest –well, outside in a fresh air anyway- is even a tradition to many, and I think it might be easier for also to not-so-heavy-users-of-culture to attend a summer theatre than to step in to a museum or a gallery for example.

waiting for a play to begin...

 I just went to see a Moliére play by theatre Vanemuine. The Imaginary Invalid suited well also in Estonian frames and was an enjoyable experience in many ways. The play took place in the park of the song festival museum in a very beautiful and natural surrounding –which allowed also surprises, like a cat fight under the auditorium in the middle of the play, to happen.  At some point there were so many unexpected things happening in addition to the story itself that no one from the audience or the crew on the stage could stop laughing. Luckily laughter suites well in to a comedy!

the set

In addition to Vanemuine summer theatre you could choose also for example Emajõe Suveteater in Tartu. I myself am already eagerly waiting for them to play Dracula in the ruins of the old minster in Toomemäe park. The place is perfect for a story as creepy as that! Dracula you get to see in August.

Just remember that the nature is also prepared to participate the play –have an umbrella or a jacket with you, or just enjoy the refreshment served by the experience with all of your senses!

Go Parking!

It’s the nature calling I guess that makes all the people want to spend all their time outside in the summertime (well, some of us in the winter time as well, but that’s another story!). In a city as green as Tartu you can really let your imagination fly and spend your time in very creative ways in the several parks of the city.

The botanical gardens, for example, take you to a whole another world, entering the park feels like stepping into a fairytale book. You can spend hours just discovering exotic plants, daydreaming in the pavilion or having a picnic by the pond. There are guided tours in the park, and the creative thing there is (well, isn’t a garden about creating anyway) is the virtual tour you can take in the garden in case if it happens to rain for example!

Raadi Park is a part of the National Museum of Estonia. That is the place to go for a bit more cultural or historical picnic; with or without a guide. The park is designed by the well-known Prussian garden architect, Peter Joseph Lenne, so it is also something to please the eye of those interested in architecture. You could get inspired!

 

Remember when I wrote about the secret garden? I happen to know there’s one in Tartu a bit hidden. It will be open and active in the future, but so far it’s only the bravest little boys who dare to go steal the apples from the trees of the garden who know this park exists.  Anyway the ones with eagle eyes might notice that there’s something going on around Kalevi Street. There’s a park waiting for you.

Yours sincerely recommends that you take something: a blanket, a book, a bottle of wine, a magnifying glass, playing cards, good company or just your time and go parking. See you on the grass!

Riverside Recycling

There’s something to catch your attention every Saturday in Tartu for the whole summer. You want to spend your time outside and enjoy the sun. See the city and the citizens, no matter if you’re a local or a tourist. Now this has become possible on Tartu Emajõe Kirbuturg. It’s a flea market on the riverside that will be arranged through the whole summer in Tartu city center.

It’s free for anyone to participate. You just need a blanket or a table to put your things on, and a will to sell! So why not go through your corners, collect the things you don’t need or use anymore and appear on the grass –everybody’s there! This I can tell based on last Saturday when the flea market was on for the first time. It was sunny, it was crowded and it was just enjoyable! And you could find and buy anything from jewellery to books, from home made wine to car spare parts (and a man playing an accordion with a sign “accordion for sale”) and a lot more.

There’s music all around the area, and loads of people not only buying and selling but also just meeting friends, updating news, gossiping, laughing, just being with people. The atmosphere is very relaxed and absolutely lovely. It’s a creative way to get people outside, to meet each other and to recycle not only items but also experiences and joy –without any restrictive expenses, fees or forms. 

And if you were to wonder if the weather should be good, if there are people moving or if the accordion is still for sale, you can also follow the flea market through a web cam every Saturday. But more than that I truly recommend experiencing the atmosphere on the spot. And yes, there’s sun in there, no matter the weather!

The Best of the Best

The most successful and best companies in Tartu in the year 2010 were rewarded yesterday, 26.05.2011. In addition to financial success and measures such as volume of exports or investments other qualities were also noticed, for example customer- or children friendliness. It was encouraging to see the support and the recognition the city was giving to its businesses, already for the 13^th time, and also despite the times that have been financially rough for many companies. That’s when incentives like these are especially needed!

there they are: the best!

Tartu Centre for Creative Industries was also proudly applauding to one of the companies of the house: Mikser Disain was awarded, too! Being given such an award is a good reference for any company, and it is remarkable that it’s not only the big enterprises with huge cash flows that are rewarded –other types of businesses getting awards tells about wider value base. Creativeness and socially responsible business is also acknowledged. 

Mikser Disain awarded

The lucky viewpoint here is that the competition is outside our house. There are entrepreneurs in our house that operate on the same field and thus basically compete of the same customers but that competition is very friendly and supporting, and business developing –creative that is! In the end every party benefits: the entrepreneurs have a sharper focus in their business and the customers are better served.  

So what will the current year bring? What kind of success stories? Let’s keep our eyes open and keep in mind the good news we hear about any company. It might be the best.

P.S.  All the awarded companies you can find from here.