Meeting at Italianni's

It's Iris Matabang's advanced birthday celebration held at Italianni's Robinson's Place
last Friday. It was also a good opportunity to meet and discuss the plans for this second
semester's edition of Ideas That Matter.

The three ladies (left to right), Iris, Nikki and Rio are all smiles.

The appetizer, seen in this photo, tasted really good that we forgot what it is named.

Iori Espiritu by Ikkei Abadies

An inspiration, model, humble and a one of a kind artist, Adarna House is surely proud of.

 A UST Advertising Fine Arts graduate Iori Espiritu one of Adarna House excellent illustrators visited UST College of Fine Arts and Design to have an inspirational talk about Children’s book illustration on selected Advertising arts students. It is to inspire the student artists on illustrating children’s story books. 

“We’ve got ADARNA” was the chosen title for the event. It was held in the UST Beato Angelico Bldg gallery. The Ideas That Matter team organized the said event, in which they invited Iori Espiritu to be the guest speaker. On the event itself, there were few information and background about illustrating children’s book. Also, we introduced Iori’s background profile and some of her inspiring artworks.  

Äng Mga Hayop sa Filipinas was her first Adarna book illustration. While looking at her artworks, I can see that she has the original visual style in creating the characters. It was an amazing moment when she just started telling stories about her experiences and gave us tips and pointers on how to be a good children’s book illustrator or an illustrator as well. She presented her proposal  book illustration in Adarna “When Zero Left Numberland” as an example. We also had a question and answer portion after her talk in which she answered those with her experiences as an artist. 

We also had some drawing activities led by Iori, which enhanced our minds in story illustration making and character sketch. I also helped her in facilitating the said activity like in the picture below. It was indeed fun and challenging. After the activity, she had a brief advice for us aspiring artist. She said that we should not just limit our imagination and learning. We as an artist should step out of the box and learn beyond the boundaries. Explore, Learn and Share. Be original, because being original is what makes you stand out. 

Iori Espiritu Back in CFAD

An alumni of UST-CFAD, Iori Espiritu gives a workshop to CFAD students! 

Here's what you need to know about Adarna Publishing House and Iori Espiritu!

ADARNA HOUSE

Education and the promotion of the Filipino language are the foremost commitments of Adarna House and we make sure we develop in Filipinos – old and young alike—a love of reading and learning. Our educational products and services for children, parents, teachers, and day care workers, go through an intensive, research-based development process that includes kid-testing and consultations with experts.
Our educational products consist of multilingual board books, storybooks, big books, and chapter books – all original publications that feature Filipino values, culture, history, and experiences – created only by the best Filipino writers and illustrators. We have reference books and manuals as well as materials to support teachers of reading and Filipino. We are proud of our Wikahon, the very first leveled tool for independent use by students to improve reading skills in Filipino.
Our educational services are meant to complement our products.  We work hard to offer enjoyable learning opportunities and memorable reading experiences as we strive to improve the quality of life of Filipino children by nurturing their love of learning and of country.
In working towards our corporate vision, Adarna House has entered various partnerships with both public and private organizations  who share our enthusiasm for children, our commitment to education, and our passion for reading.  Our primary partner and laboratory school is Raya School (raya.org.ph), which offers  progressive education for preschool and elementary levels.

Logo 
Our company is named after the Adarna bird, the mythical creature whose song could cure any affliction. Our logo— an image of this magical bird taking flight, its head turned to see where it came from—is the symbol of our dedication to the legacy of bringing the healing power of reading and learning to the children of our nation.  And just like the Adarna bird, we are bound to look to our roots to give us direction as we take wing.

Vision 
To be the best innovative provider of excellent educational products and services that will nurture the values, love of country, and multilingual literacy of the Filipino child in every home and school.  It will be every parent’s provider of choice to introduce reading and every teacher’s provider of choice to support learning.
Mission 
To provide educational products and services for Filipino children all over the world so that they develop a love for learning, for the Philippines, and for the Filipino language. 

IORI ESPIRITU

A graphic designer/ illustrator from Manila, Philippines. (Currently works at Adarna House)
Graduated with a degree in Fine Arts major in Advertising at the University of Santo Tomas, she is currently exploring the possibilities of clay and ceramics.
Iori is a member of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang InK), is an association of artists committed to the creation and promotion of illustrations for children. 

Iorie Back in Beato by Eulaivi Clutario

     

         Last August 30, 2013, Iori Espiritu, a UST-CFAD graduate came to Beato to give a creative workshop to us, Advertising students. I was expecting to meet a snooty woman, with all her accomplishments, to come in The Beato Angelico Gallery. And gladly, that was not the case. I met a very cheery lady who eagerly said hi to everyone she could greet. Young yet very accomplished, it was inspiring to meet someone from CFAD who found a place for herself in the very competitive world of the arts. 

           With so much diversity in the industry, I recall Iori talking about how important it is to find your own style of illustration. And as I looked at her blogs where her works are posted, you would really be able to see her personality through her work. Through this, I have also learned that as artists, we shouldn't be afraid of chanelling our artistry through one medium, on art form. Iorie has also delved in the possibilities of sculptures.

        

             Iori's visit to Beato surely made an impact on CFAD students who were part of this event. We've learned to find our own take on how we see the world and translate that as our voice in art form. We were given the opportunity to meet someone who was once in our position as CFAD students, and now we're more motivated to be the best at what we do and then someday, be part of an industry that inspires the world. 

SKIP YOWELL IN UST

With ITM's collaboration with Jansport Philippines, UST had the privilege of having The Skip Yowell!

Here's a little background about our favorite backpack and Skip Yowell!

JANSPORT

JanSport was founded in 1967 in Seattle, Washington, by three pioneers in the outdoor industry. Though the Company began by manufacturing and marketing world-class outdoor backpacks, today the product offering includes technical outdoor gear, daypacks, travel gear and collegiate decorated apparel, sold in sporting goods stores, college bookstores, department stores, and specialty and boutique retail locations throughout the world. The Brand has the spirit of fun and discovery, represented in the Brand tagline: Discover Freedom.

SKIP YOWELL

From a small-town in Kansas, Skip Yowell took a journey to Seattle. It led him to the top of the outdoor industry and around the world. Skip help build one of the most recognized brand names, JanSport, sponsoring climbing expeditions, outdoor programs and recreating in Bhutan, Kenya, Mt Everest and other far flung places.
In 1967, Skip Yowell, his cousin Murray Pletz, and Murray's wife Jan, founded JanSport with a determination to make the best and most dependable product on the market. Forty years later, Skip Yowell has a book He gives speeches and presentations that tell the story of the adventures, expeditions, and people.Skip's images, words and stories offer a behind-the-scenes look at his motivation and inspiration. 
As noted by Ed Viesturs, the first American to climb all fourteen 8,000 meter peaks, Author of No Shortcuts to the Top, "(Skip) stayed true to himself, maintained friendships, traveled the world and most importantly, preserved his passion for his job.... We can all learn something from Skip.

“WE GOT SKIP!” by Inna Macaspac

A great man has come to visit UST and gave an inspirational talk. He is no other than Skip Yowell, one of the co-founders of JanSport, and a global marketing communications expert.

Mr. Skip Yowell shows a smiling face to the guests.

Last August 29, 2013, 4-6pm, at the Beato Angelico AVR, Skip Yowell gave an inspirational talk at an event entitled “We Got Skip!” – one of the events under Ideas That Matter for the 1^st Semester of the Academic Year 2013-2014. The event was attended not only by CFAD students, but also some members of the UST Mountaineering Club, a mountaineering group from Mapua Institute of Technology and some bloggers. Skip talked about JanSport’s history, and how he was able to expand the brand into one of the most recognized brand names in outdoor equipment. His passion for hiking inspired him to make the brand, and was able to promote it during his hikes.

After the talk, three JanSport bags were raffled to among those who registered to the event.

Then the guests had the chance to ask questions to Skip regarding his experiences in expanding his brand. Some asked for some advice on how to become successful in their respective fields and interests.

Mr. Skip Yowell listens attentively to each of the guests’ questions and gives them satisfying and inspirational answers.

One guest asking Mr. Skip Yowell a question.

Finally, the chance of the guests to interact with this great man! The guests lined up to get to meet Mr. Skip Yowell up close and let him sign on their JanSport bags, posters and other merchandise.

Me with Mr. Skip Yowell!

I got my bag signed by him! YIPEE!  (My bag’s design made the signature hard to be found. It’s on the front pocket.) J

It was indeed an inspirational day for us. Skip Yowell inspired us to EXPLORE in order to achieve our goals.

“Go out and see the beautiful world we live in.” – Skip Yowell

“Skip totally rocks!” by Che Guzman

The JanSport event entitled, “We Got Skip: Skip Yowell’s Secrets to a Superb Weekend” was held last August 29, 2013 at the Beato Angelico AVR. Skip Yowell, the co-founder of JanSport gave an inspirational talk about how they have built JanSport, and it was indeed a rare opportunity for students to learn and interact with a Global Marketing Communications expert. Students from other colleges were there, as well as special guests and visitors.

Skip Yowell was truly one of the most admired hippies in the planet, so I must believe that UST is lucky enough to have him speak. During his talk, he shared some photos about his personal experience in mountaineering as well as the importance of going out and exploring the world.

“Think outside the box and learn to be different.” –Skip Yowell

Skip talks about his secrets to a superb weekend

For the second batch of the given JanSport backpacks, Skip signed them exclusively for the winners. Lucky winners indeed, a lot were aspiring to win of those backpacks! Aside from the JanSport backpacks, other prizes were given away such as Nalgene tumblers and Yurbuds earphones that the students surely loved.

Skip signs a JanSport backpack for one of the winners from the raffle

At the last part of the event, students and other attendees were given the chance to meet and greet Skip! He signed some of the students’ JanSport backpacks, posters, notebooks and anything that could be signed at. He even took photos with them and smiled humbly with every click of each camera. This is only one of the many reasons why Skip rocks!

CFAD students takes a photo with Skip during the Meet and Greet

I can say that the JanSport event really was a success. Everyone had fun, got acquainted with Skip and most importantly, had witnessed another learning experience from a pro. We all just have to remember that life is an adventure and the path is unknown. And with JanSport, we can travel the world anyway we want it.