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.

Our House, in the Middle of Our Street

Discovering Creative Industries has been a channel for me to dig into different events, phenomena, cultural organisations and activities in Tartu. And it has all been very, very enjoyable! But now that my project in Tartu is more or less on its halfway, I realise that I still haven’t introduced you the people that I share my daily life with! And they truly are worth introducing! While waiting for our new premises to be finished, it can be that we’re all thronged on the same couch –and just enjoying it and each other.

this time it was empty, though

Some days are all about steps and running. Everybody comes and goes from one meeting to another as their calendars tell them to, but even when it’s busy it’s always very warm and friendly. The cheerful fuzz around you just makes you laugh. And we do try to get together at least once a week, have a lunch together and synchronize our calendars.

Raul, the director of the house, is always on the move. The best way to find him is to stay on watch on Kalevi street, there is a chance that you see a flash of him flying around with his bike or car. So if you call to the office, the person to answer the phone instead of Raul is usually Külli. She does magic with forms and blanks. Bring all the applications in the world that you need help with to her, she will instantly fix them!

Külli and Angela climbing a tree

Raul, almost on the move also when giving a speech

Juta is the business brain of the group. A great combination of high heels and a discovery voyager who digs the diamonds up from your ideas. And speaking of ideas, Ave is full of them. Let me know if anyone has ever heard her saying ”no idea!”! Instead of that everyone has heard her laugh. Angela represents the German point of view in the team –in order, in time and organised. And truly heartful! 

Proudly presenting Juta also!

 To spice it all up, there’s Eha, who keeps the rooms in order and cleans the mess we’ve made, and makes some good coffee. But so does Michael, the café owner. It’s good to have him in the house, an inspiring environment like this might help him become a really good blackboard decorator one day! Until that Bianca, the chef of the café has to look after him, and at the same time make sure that her delicious cookings are not burning. 

Surprised Michael and Angela

You can find all of us from Tartu Centre for Creative Industries on Kalevi street. With people like these, you really don’t necessarily have to go anywhere in order to find creativity or innovativeness. It sits right next to you. And me? The connection to Finland, a research maker and a happy blogger surrounded with the most amazing people in the world.

Night at the Museum

Imagining a tour around a museum at night really makes my imagination run wild. The statues are moving for sure, the eyes of the stuffed animals are following you, and older the building, greater the odds that there are ghosts in the night time, too. But no one gets to go to museums at night!

Tartu Museum of Zoology

Except that they do. May 14^th is the European Night of Museums. Around 3000 museums in 42 different countries open their doors for the public and also forget the entrance fees for Saturday night. In my eyes it is about a million times more exciting to enter a museum at night than it would be in daylight (although that is a nice way to spend time, too!). 

Estonian Literary Museum

The lucky thing is that I am in a city with a great selection of museums! “Öös on aardeid” is the Estonian theme this year –there are treasures in the night. A treasure hunt in a museum...could make you feel like Indiana Jones, couldn’t it? The open museums (all over Estonia) you can check here: http://www.muuseum.ee/et/kuum/muuseumioo/muuseumioo_2011. For Tartu I counted 18 museums being open on Saturday night, so in order to see even a half you have to run! Of course the ghosts that are there (I’m convinced) can make you run also.

Tartu Art Museum

I see also very creative thinking in this concept. This event attracts the local people, as it is often the tourists and other visitors who enter the museums. It can be easy to forget the sights around you, as they become a part of your daily surroundings, but maybe not nightly surroundings! So this Saturday evening: grab your torchlight, go out and sneak into a museum. And remember: there’s always someone inside the armour suit.

Time to B!

The old truth that a shared work is halved, and a shared joy is doubled, is put into action. The season of Teeme Ära is here! Estonians want to do some common good, contribute, spend time together and improve their surroundings at the same time. This has developed to be a concept of the Day of Civil Actions (http://www.teemeara.ee/en). My respect well deserved.

 This year the official Teeme Ära – bee day is May 7^th, but we took a false start already and cleaned the garden of Loomemajanduskeskus. It was a great fun and one effective charring! The input of the people resulted as a refreshed, clean park, and everybody got fresh air, red cheeks, shared laughter and lemonade (!!!) in return. Ideas and opinions were shared, maybe some found even new friends. We should remember to think that the effort we make for the community is not a sacrifice, something taken away from us, but something that we receive back multiplied.

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Bees are a natural –and useful- way to strengthen the feeling of belonging, to enhance the spirit of the community and to, well, as simple as it is, get things done! And think about it: in a country size of Estonia, last year on the Teeme Ära day there were more than a thousand bees! To me this tells also that the people have a will, maybe even a need to do things together, for the shared good and joy. This should be done even more!

 Or how do you feel about it? Enjoy grabbing the rake, pushing the wheelbarrow or serving soup outside? Teeme Ära also collects the stories and experiences people have had in bees, so approach them through the website if you feel like sharing yours. And approach bees! I find the whole concept very exciting and inspiring, but there’s still one thing that puzzles me. The straight translation of Teeme Ära is something like “let’s do it” or “just do it”, but in my opinion neither of those fully describes what’s going on in the bees here. There’s also the spirit to catch. And that’s something very Estonian, and impossible to translate. Only experiencing it opens the phrase for you.