“I aim to be the dumbest guy in the room.” – Mike Bollinger

Mike Bollinger is a designer, entrepreneur, and world traveler. He’s the founder of the technology powerhouse Livefront, and co-founder of the technology resource hub TechdotMN. Mike has now also added educator and school co-founder to his list of hyphenates with Smart Factory, a school that offers classes to experienced designers and engineers who want to improve their web and mobile app design skills. We got the chance to chat with Mike about how Smart Factory works and why he’s investing his time into an education project.

Pollen: Why is building a nontraditional educational program such as Smart Factory important to you and an organization like Livefront?

Mike Bollinger: One of the things we talk about at Livefront is that we work really hard and focus on being leaders in our field and in the future of our field. The future part is really interesting to me because it implies that we always need to be learning. It implies this sense of curiosity of determination, or exploration. That’s really core to who I am. The students at Smart Factory share those same values. They’re self-motivated, determined, and curious explorers. That’s one of the reasons that this makes a lot of sense and is fun for all of us to work on, because it really aligns with that core fundamental sense of curiosity and exploration.

P: How does your work as a designer and entrepreneur inform the way you approach education?

MB: Because I’m a designer myself, anything I create starts from user experience. How do we create the best experience possible for our students — for our users?

One of the big things that you learn as an entrepreneur is that you have to throw something out there to see what works and what doesn’t. I think our starting point has been to work with mentees or students that have existing knowledge as programmers or designers and typically already have a career in that field, but want to expand their skills.

P: Is there an emphasis on one kind of teaching at Smart Factory, such as lecture or hands-on learning?

MB: We set up our classes with about 50 percent of each. We got some great feedback from our students. On the whole, everyone loves what we’re doing which is fun. What’s interesting is the feedback we got when we asked the question: “Is this the right balance of lecture versus hands-on?” One-third said, “Absolutely perfect.” Another third said, “You need way more lecture and way less hands-on.” The final third said, “You need way more hands-on and a lot less lecture.”

It’s funny, but almost frustrating as someone who is trying to be very intentional about education, because I just want to know the answer. I want to know how we can improve. But what I think we’ve learned is that as an educator you actually have to be opinionated about your pedagogy. I think you do everyone a service if you’re opinionated about it.

P: Are you approaching Smart Factory the way you would a mobile app for a client?

MB: I think there are a lot of parallels. Design, like a lot of things in life, is part art and part science. There’s data that can inform decisions, and that’s kind of the logical part. There’s the emotional design — the aesthetics and the allure. There’s the subjective piece of design that also matters a lot. Being an awesome interface designer in the software world means finding the perfect blend of those.

In the same way I think there’s a lot of yin and yang in the education world. You need to have a structure and opinion about how things should be done, but also keep an open mind and be flexible about not only what your class look like next semester, but what it looks like ten minutes from now.

P: How are Smart Factory teachers different than what you would find in typical educational environments?

MB: Part of the draw of Smart Factory classes is that we’re not educators. It’s the irony that we’re telling people to come learn from us because we’re not academics. Most of us haven’t been trained on how to teach. We just know that we have a lot of knowledge to share. We can learn a lot on the way, and our students can learn a lot on the way. The hypothesis is that for this subject matter — new technology, interface design, and the burgeoning mobile software world — that there’s a lot of ways to go about it, and that we’re early in discovering what the best way is to teach and learn.

P: Is how you do Smart Factory a reaction to how you learned how to do what you do?

MB: The way I learn is by just digging in, learning by example and through watching really smart people work around me. That was one of my personal motivations for how these classes are structured. When I was 15 years old I worked as an intern at a software company. I walked into the CEO’s office and he asked, “Do you know cold fusion?” I said, “No.” He said I had three days to figure it out because a client had an application they needed to complete. I just kind of stood there, and he told me I could do it.

So I went and figured it out. I was able to sit next to one of their senior guys to watch, learn, and just experiment. That pattern has repeated itself throughout my life, and I think it’s a great way that many people learn. Some need more structure, some need less, but it has certainly been effective in what I’ve done.

P: Are you creating future collaborators or competition?

MB: I don’t really believe in competition. If we’re doing incredible things and focusing on being the absolute best we can be then competition kind of takes care of itself. I don’t ever worry about creating more IOS programmers that might start a company that could someday compete with Livefront. That’s good for the market. It’s good for the community as a whole. We’ll focus on being great and they can focus on being great, and there will be plenty of work for everyone to go around.

I work from the assumption of abundance. You can see that with Livefront’s involvement in the community in general, with Smart Factory growing up future competition, and hopefully in the work I do with TECHdotMN.

Crack open the doors of Dan IIbarra and Zak Sally’s 12-week-long evening educational program, Schoolhaus, and inside you’ll find an eclectic group of illustrators, designers, and yes, even people who build electric guitars. But despite the range in age, occupation, and previous education of the students enrolled in this creative program, there is an underlying commonality that unites the group: A love and passion for making and creating work. Here, six students share a glimpse into their experience, artistic practice, and what they’ve learned in their time at Schoolhaus.

KELSEY OSEID >>Website/Instagram

Pollen: Place you feel most creative?

Kelsey Oseid: Outdoors. I usually take a walk in the late afternoon and come home full of energy and ideas.

P: It must be a little intimidating to create new work and take your ideas from inception to final product. How have you confronted this in your time at Schoolhaus?

KO: When Schoolhaus started, my creative process was in a bad place. I was way too quick to jump into “finals.” I didn’t feel comfortable spending a lot of time in the sketching and ideation stage. I tended to stick to an idea and refuse to let anything change or develop as I went along. I’m a control freak in general, and sketching can be scary. You really have to let go in order for it to work. It’s been great talking with my teachers and classmates about how to embrace the uncertainty of the creative process. We’ve talked a lot in class about those amazing discoveries you make through play — and how to make that playtime more exploratory. Schoolhaus has really been a turning point for me in terms of identity. I’m way more willing to call myself an artist.

P: You described your time at Schoolhaus as hugely enlightening. Can you share an example or two that illustrates this? In what way has it been most enlightening?

KO: There’s a weird pressure that comes from finding an illustrative style too early in your career or life, and I think that happened for me. But Schoolhaus has totally reshaped my thinking on this: I’m not done cookin’. There is no point in your creative career where you should stop making new discoveries and growing. I was having a hard time sketching. My style felt bland and I couldn’t get my brain and hands to let go of these drawing conventions I was used to. Certain classmates suggested I change up my sketching media. I tried a few new things, but nothing clicked. Then Zak came to class with this random project he had done with his kid where they drew in white china marker on black paper. And I was like:  that’s it.

KEVIN BERGQUIST >>Website/Instagram

Pollen: Place you feel most creative?

Kevin Bergquist: My best ideas come when I’m doing really boring things and I have to entertain myself. This last summer I worked at an ice rink and I thought of all my best ideas while I was driving the zamboni.

P: The inspiration behind your work seems deeply rooted in personal experience and narrative. What does storytelling add to your work and why is it important?

KB: About a year ago I started to realize that my life is interesting. Everyone’s life is interesting; it’s just a matter of noticing it. I enjoy the challenge of figuring out what makes things funny, curious, or exciting in my life and then trying to relate that feeling to my friends. Trying to tell interesting stories about my life sharpens my senses and makes me more acutely aware of the things that excite me. It also urges me to take chances and risks I wouldn’t normally take. I often find myself doing embarrassing things because I know that even if I feel uncomfortable about it at the time, I’ll always have a good story to tell someone later.

P: What’s your biggest takeaway moment from your experience at Schoolhaus?

KB: I was working on some things with my friend Megan from class.  She was really frustrated with this risograph print she had made a few nights earlier. It was an unfamiliar process and she was a bit overwhelmed. I convinced her to give it another shot, so she did a quick illustration and we headed over to Zak Sally’s studio to print it. He helped her get it just right on the risograph and it came out beautiful. It’s seriously one of my favorite pieces of art. I have one of the prints hanging on my wall at home. Seeing how happy it made her to overcome that frustration and make it work was the best moment I’ve had at Schoolhaus so far. I think that’s what this whole thing is all about.

MEGAN SWENSON >> Website/Instagram

Pollen: Must-have art supply?

Megan Swenson: Pilot G-2 0.38 black pens; lots and lots of colored, patterned, and textured paper.

P: Why did you choose to attend the program?

MS: Society managed to convince me that being an artist is not a job. So here I am, a debt-ridden psychology major with no job prospects (or real interests) in that field. My real interest is in sustainable living and helping people make conscious choices. Design clicked as a way to take all the ridiculous amounts of confusing, contradictory information about healthy living and condense it into a clear, comprehensible, and actionable piece of artwork. Schoolhaus was the perfect forum to learn if this was possible without having to commit to four years of school and more debt. It’s a community of like-minded people who push themselves to learn, choose to come to class, and choose to create. It’s what education should be like.  

P: Could you share an example of how another student’s work has inspired your own?

MS: Kelsey Oseid is a phenomenal illustrator. Our first assignment was to take a class member’s application (Have you seen them? They’re crazy awesome.) and create a response to it. Kelsey reviewed mine and started influencing my work from that moment on, whether she knew it or not. She has told me about artists and lent me books that have caused me to stay up for hours trying different techniques that they use. She’s given me words to describe my aesthetic because sometimes its hard to step back from your own work and understand it. She’s given me technical tools and advice, for example, never opened Photoshop before Schoolhaus. Most recently she even introduced me to pattern making.

JIM BLAHA

Pollen: Time of day you feel most creative?

Jim Blaha: Any time I am drinking coffee.

P: Why did you choose to attend the program?

JB: I never went to art school and I figured if I ever did, it would be a program that encouraged learning for the sake of learning — no grades or authority to please. This school is all about process and in the end that is all an artist really ever has to lean on.

P: How has working in this environment informed or changed your creative process?

JB: I am way more willing to go outside of my comfort zone. I am way less afraid to fail here because something great always seems to come out of it. Whether it’s a dialogue or a new way of working, just keep making stuff.

JACOB SWOGGER >>Website

Pollen: Time of day you feel most creative?

Jacob Swogger: The middle of the day when I am stuck in an office.

P: Why did you choose to attend the program?

JS: As someone who has wrestled with traditional learning his whole life, this is what I’ve always wanted out of an educational experience. An unexpected thing I’ve really enjoyed from this experience is that I’m not learning and working in isolation. A solid introvert, I love my “me” time so this is truly unexpected. I’m meeting people with many of the same struggles I’ve had and making myself vulnerable in a supportive group that wants me to be better.

P: What have you learned after working with such a collaborative, supportive group? How has it inspired and changed your own work?

JS: I think a place like this to be my weird creative self and talk with people that know what that means is inspiring in it’s own right. It makes producing the work easier in some way because I know that I’m in a community excited by art and the nuances of it. Schoolhaus has affirmed my perceptions of my ability, but shown me that I can be better and made me want to be better.

IAN BABINEAU >>Instagram

Pollen: Place you feel most creative?

Ian Babineau: In my living room when I’m alone, two drinks deep, and blasting music.

P: Why did you choose to attend the program?

IB: I’m planning a career change from engineering to graphic arts and design. I wanted to do more creative work and stop ignoring my “artistic me.” When I saw the application and read about the philosophy of the program I was immediately excited. Classical education had gotten me to a point where I was starting a career in a field I didn’t really like and felt I knew nothing about, so I was super down to try something new and experimental.

P: How has your time at Schoolhaus inspired that career change?

IB: I feel like I’m finally surrounded by people who see the world and life in the super passionate way that I do. I’ve never felt this comfortable speaking up when I have an idea about anything, whether it’s art related or not. It’s clear that I’ve found the right place. It’s like I didn’t know I wasn’t being myself until I was in an environment where I could be me, and I mean ME at all times. It’s so freeing. I have no doubt that the friendships and artistic relationships I’ve formed at Schoolhaus will extend much longer than the end of Schoolhaus.

Want to keep up with Schoolhaus happenings? Follow the group on Instagram to track what Dan IIbarra, Zak Sally, and their students are doing.

The start of your professional career doesn’t have to signal the end of learning. Dan Ibarra and Zak Sally, co-directors behind a new innovative education program, know this. The duo recently started Schoolhaus, a 12-week-long program for artists and makers who want to explore their creative practice. But they’re not the only ones eager to get people together to learn after the backpacks and books have turned to briefcases and work memos.

Whether you want to learn how to code, arrange a flower bouquet, or collaborate with other artists, opportunities abound for continued learning experience. But it doesn’t mean you have to pull up a chair in a college classroom and pay for years of tuition to get a degree. Here are a few ways to keep the wheels turning after your 9-to-5.

Minnesota

1. Smart Factory

Small classes for designers, engineers, and website owners ready to expand their skills and take control of their technical know-how in areas such as Ruby on Rails, mobile app design, and development for Android and iOS.

2. MCAD continuing education program and workshops

In addition to classes on Adobe Creative Suite, web design, and creative thinking, there’s a Figure Drawing Co-op for those interested in working from a live model.

3. Northern Clay Center

Classes cater to beginners and adults, and range from the more whimsical (piggy banks and holiday serving dishes) to the serious (functional hand-built pieces and a workshop with Claudia Alvarez).

4. Schoolhaus

This 12-week educational program co-directed by design tycoons Dan Ibarra and Zak Sally gives artists and makers the chance to explore their creative practice and collaborate with others in a supportive, nontraditional learning environment.

5. The Lab

Upcoming LABS will focus on everything from calligraphy and fall cocktails, to Instagram and holiday beauty.

6. Leonardo’s Basement

Get your hands dirty with classes in metalworking, woodworking, and electronics.

7. DemandQuest

Get a handle on your online marketing efforts (think LinkedIn, search engine optimization, Google Analytics, and more) at this hands-on learning institute.

North Dakota

8. Plains Art Museum

Get your art on with unique classes such as illustration boot camp, lapidary rock cutting, and comic drawing.

9. North Dakota Museum of Art

Study drawing and art history from artists trained in Finland, Peru, and Japan; or join the museum for Art Odyssey trips to art capitals in Iceland, Uruguay, and Texas.

South Dakota

10. Arts Education Institute

Add another skill to your artistic repertoire with classes in welded steel sculpture, spatial drawing, creative photography, and more.

11. Frogman’s Print & Paper Workshop

Learn from and network with some of the top printmakers in the nation at this annual workshop held the first two weeks of July at the University of South Dakota.

12. South Dakota School of Mines & Technology

Go to class but skip out on the pressure of having to complete assignments or take tests. This program lets you observe classes in computer science, robotics, and more at a fraction of the cost.

Online

13. Skillshare

There isn’t a creative class you could want that’s not on this website. A lettering class with Jessica Hische? Yes. Pattern design with Elizabeth Owen? Of course. Not to mention oh so much more.

14. Code Academy

A be-all and end-all resource for those looking to learn to code, or for those looking to pick up new skills.

15. ONLC Training Centers

Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Python, and Java? Yeah, this place has got it all and more. With locations in Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota, there’s no excuse not to learn that new skill or get your professional certification in products and platforms such as Microsoft or Adobe.