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Nicole Velik. The Ideas Bodega

@theideasbodega

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Speaker on Creativity SXSW💡
Founder of The Ideas Bodega⚡️
Host of CreativeMornings @sydney_cm
Host of Creativity Unpacked the podcast

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I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be speaking at SXSW Sydney!

My talk is called The Power of Stupid Ideas - How to Unlock Creative Brilliance.

“I know this might sound stupid but…” This is how so many brilliant ideas throughout history have begun. The problem is, many potentially brilliant ideas are shut down before they can blossom because of our fear of judgment or a workplace culture that quickly dismisses anything unconventional as foolish. In this interactive keynote, you will learn practical tools and techniques to generate the kind of ‘stupid’ ideas that lead to brilliant ideas. Through inspiring anecdotes and insights we will uncover how some of the most creative companies world-wide are nurturing cultures of creative bravery.

Come along. It’s going to be fun and I’d love to see you there. I’ll be speaking at The International Convention Center - ICC at 1:30pm Wednesday 16th Oct.

#creativity #sxsw #sxswsydney taken in International Convention Centre Sydney - ICC Sydney by @theideasbodega

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2 years ago

I chose a fun title to lure them in “the power of stupid ideas” but what I wanted the @sxswsydney audience to leave with was one thing, creative bravery.

The talk was designed in three parts. Firstly how we as individuals can be creatively brave. How can we turn down the voice of fear and judgement and turn up the voice of possibility, playfulness and courage.

Secondly I gave the humble brainstorm a once over. Don’t stop brainstorming just start doing it right! Great facilitation and techniques will do wonders. The collision of different brains, experiences, disciplines and people will always give you better ideas!

Thirdly, I talked about leading for creativity in order to design workplace cultures that nurture and support brave, bold people and ideas.

This talk was absolutely one of the highlights of my year. I too had to turn down the fear and turn up the courage when creating and presenting it. I couldn’t have asked for a better audience. The participation, energy and creative ideas that were shared blew me away!

Thank you so much to everyone who came along. It means a lot. Sorry not sorry I made you watch a giraffe giving birth ;)

A huge thank you to the @sxswsydney SXSW conference organisers. Especially Holly and Fenella who believed I could rock a big stage.

Also to my friends who helped capture the event and who put paper and pens on 900 chairs in record time. @mazzle_razzle_dazzle_zazzle @benoitsuhr @stefanwhite_productions 🙏🙌

Thank you so much to the very talented @tamara.scheiwe @villain__studio for designing the rad postcards given to participants! 🙏❤️

Photos by Ben Suhr.
@benoitsuhr 📸 taken in International Convention Centre Sydney - ICC Sydney by @theideasbodega

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2 years ago

After a sold-out session at SXSW Sydney, “Think Like Bowie” is back by overwhelming demand. Wednesday 17th April. Hosted by @thecommons Chippendale.

Last year, to my absolute surprise, my SXSW Sydney talk, Think Like Bowie sold out with a long line of people down the street who couldn’t get in. Since then, I’ve been asked many times to put in on again. It’s finally happening and I’d love to see you there! Don’t miss out, grab your early-bird ticket now. Link in bio!

⚡️Experience an interactive breakfast session that will fire-up your creativity and arm you with a new tool-kit to generate extraordinary ideas. You’ll be able to take this tool-kit back to the office to solve your comms challenges, business challenges and innovation challenges!

✨ In this workshop we will look at techniques used by some brilliant creatives such as David Bowie, Eminem and even Salvador Dali.

⚡️We will then embark on a highly interactive workshop. I will show you how easy it is to come up with game-changing creative ideas by sharing techniques that I have used with clients such as The United Nations, Google, Nike, Coca-Cola, and LEGO.

Expect a fun, fast paced, interactive and exciting session where your creativity will be stretched to a new level.

Huge thanks to @thecommons for hosting this event! I can’t wait to see you there. Grab your early bird ticket now. Link in bio! by @theideasbodega

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3 years ago

This year I’m saying Yes to things that take me out of my comfort zone. This is one of those things…

I’m excited (and nervous) to announce I’ll be taking the @generation_women_aus stage to perform an original story on 26 August!

Join me at @theberesford when I tell a story on the theme “My Best Mistake: Stories of wrongs that went right”

Link to details in their bio. @generation_women_aus by @theideasbodega

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2 months ago

Thank you Nicole Velik @theideasbodega for an incredibly engaging and interactive “Embrace the Chaos - The Unexpected Path to Breakthrough Ideas” session at ARN Sydney this week 🩷 by @theideasbodega

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2 months ago

Last year, I got off social media for five months and something unexpected happened.

An idea I had been quietly carrying around finally had space to emerge and became impossible to ignore.

I’ve been running creativity workshops for 17 years in boardrooms and conference venues. The most creatively stimulating thing is often what’s outside the window, if there’s even windows!

The question I finally had time to answer was, “What would happen if I took the workshop to the streets?”

After much deliberating, The Ideas Camino was born. A walking, urban workshop for curious minds.

It’s a five part journey that has participants tune into the things we normally miss. It’s designed to ignite our curiosity, imagination and sense of wonder. It’s an experience in unlearning and sensing the world around you in a way you never have before.

But it’s also very outcome focused. Participants must come with a challenge, a creative brief or a desire to create something new. Here’s just a few of the incredible outcomes participants have had.

·     Cracked a creative brief they had been struggling with
·     A new business venture that two participants who were strangers have now created together
·     A new documentary film idea
·     Inspiration for the next country a consulate worker is moving to this month
·     A new creative side hustle
·     A new workshop idea
·     A new company culture initiative
·     A breakthrough idea on how to manage a project and team

I’ve run The Ideas Camino for @sydney_cm CreativeMornings, @sxswsydney and @metcash . Now I am running one for the public.

📅 It’s this Friday morning, July 3rd
📍 Meeting point, Chippendale.

Ticket sales go toward CreativeMornings Sydney, which is always a free event.

If you’d like to experience the magic and you’d like clarity on what to create in the second half of 2026, join me! Link to register in bio.

#creativity #ideas #creativewalks taken in Sydney, Australia by @theideasbodega

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4 months ago

IT’S BACK! 🙌
After many requests, The Ideas Camino returns next Friday July 3rd.

A walking workshop for curious minds, creative thinkers and people who do their best thinking on the move🚶‍♀️

Step away from your desk and into the streets for a guided creative experiment designed to spark fresh thinking, inspiration and meaningful conversation.

Bring a question, a challenge or an idea you’ve been sitting on. As we walk, you’ll be prompted to observe, reflect, notice the beauty in the everyday and connect with other curious humans to exchange insights, stories and ideas.

It’s part solo wander, part creative jam session, and it all happens on foot.
Perfect for creatives, founders, thinkers and anyone who wants to shake up their perspective and get out of their head and their office!

No slides. No desks. Just movement, ideas and the magic of the city. ✨

📅 Friday 3 July, 8:30am–10am
📍 Meeting at The Commons, Chippendale
🎟️ Tickets are limited. Link in bio @theideasbodega

100% OF TICKET SALES GO TOWARD CREATIVEMORNINGS SYDNEY ❤️ by @theideasbodega

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4 months ago

For me, the best keynotes are experiences.

I never just talk at an audience. I bring people in and make them part of it, getting entire rooms thinking differently, making unexpected connections and generating ideas from their seats.

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to speak to audiences around the world, and whether it’s a room of 20 people or thousands, it always becomes something bigger than just a presentation.

Here’s a little snapshot of that world.
A lot of energy, a lot of ideas, and a lot of creativity!

A huge thank you to everyone who has worked with me, hired me and supported me along the way. I hope you enjoy my new reel.

#speaker #keynotespeaker #creativityspeaker #creativity #ideas by @theideasbodega

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5 months ago

🔥After a massive session at @sxsw Sydney, “Embrace The Chaos - The Unexpected Path to Breakthrough Ideas” is back by overwhelming demand. Thursday 21st May. Hosted by The Commons Chippendale.

Last year at SXSW I was again catapulted onto the big stage with equal parts terror and thrillI and delivered an interactive keynote to a packed room. Since then, I’ve been asked many times to put in on again. It’s finally happening and I’d love to see you there! Come along and bring your team.

🎟️Grab your early-bird tickets here. Link in bio!

⚡️Workplaces are designed to eliminate chaos but it’s often the very thing that sparks the best creativity!⚡️

In this interactive breakfast session you will learn practical tools and techniques to embrace unpredictability, turn mistakes into marvels and why rule-breaking is a fast track to innovation. This session shows you how to work with chaos, not against it and why stepping outside of logic is often what leads to breakthrough ideas.

You’ll walk away with:

✅ Techniques to spark unconventional ideas

✅ Real-world inspiration from the most creatively brave companies world-wide

✅ Fresh approaches to your comms, business, and innovation challenges.

It’s fast-paced, fun, and highly interactive. Bring your team, bring your curiosity and get ready to embrace some chaos!

#creativity #sxswsydney #keynote #sydney #ideas by @theideasbodega

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6 months ago

I’m back at @canva, but this time wearing a slightly different hat as a speaker coach.

Next week is Canva Create in LA, which is pretty much the biggest day in the Canva calendar. It’s a 5,000 person event where they unveil new releases, showcase their latest tech, and bring it all together in a huge theatrical finale.

I was brought in to coach the speakers and help them feel comfortable on stage. Imagine doing your first big talk and it’s in front of 5,000 people.

I didn’t take that lightly.

Instead of focusing on posture, hand gestures, ums and all the usual cliché speaker tips, we spent more time on the inner work. I helped them find a version of themselves that actually feels good on stage. Not some overly polished version, but one that feels natural, confident, and worthy of being up there.

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being connected.

I’ve genuinely loved every minute of it.

To the speakers heading to LA for Canva Create, you know who you are. You’re going to be brilliant! ✨👏 taken in Canva by @theideasbodega

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6 months ago

Chaos has a terrible reputation, but it’s often where our most interesting ideas are born.

Our industry spends a huge amount of time trying to eliminate chaos. We build processes and systems to make sure everything is efficient and predictable.

The problem is creativity rarely behaves that way. The most interesting ideas I’ve seen are often the result of unpredictable circumstances and accidents. Those moments where something goes completely off plan!

I’ll be exploring this idea in my talk “Embrace the Chaos: The Unexpected Catalyst for Breakthrough Ideas” at Mumbrella 360 this year.

It’s a brilliant conference and I’m looking forward to being part of the lineup. @mumbrella_aus

⚡️Head to the Mumbrella website for tickets. taken in Carriageworks by @theideasbodega

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8 months ago

The last time I performed at the Sydney Opera House I was 12 years old in a school dance concert. I’m fairly sure there were sequins involved. 😉

So it was a full-circle moment to come back but this time “performing” my Creative Thinking Masterclass for the Strategic Engagement & Impact team of the Opera House!

This building holds many special memories for me. I’ve seen some of the most extraordinary performances of my life here. Getting to teach creativity in a space that has inspired me for years felt really special.

A huge thank you to Jess and Nat for inviting me to work with your team. An incredibly passionate and creative group!

And yes, having the Harbour Bridge casually sitting outside the window was quite the distraction!

#sydneyoperahouse #creativity #ideas #creativitytraining taken in Sydney Opera House by @theideasbodega

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8 months ago