Audio By Carbonatix
Phoenix is brimming with creativity. And every other year, we put the spotlight on 100 of the city’s creative forces. Leading up to the release of this year’s Best of Phoenix issue, we’re profiling 100 more. Welcome to the 2014 edition of 100 Creatives. Up today: 14. Rebekah Cancino.
Rebekah Cancino strikes a decisive balance between talk and action.
The Phoenix designer spends her days working as director of content strategy at Sitewire, helping “people tell brand stories, design human-centered digital experiences, and make the web a better place.” Every day is a little different, she says. “I could be offsite facilitating a design thinking workshop with clients, at my desk working on strategy, or brainstorming with my awesome co-workers to think up new ways to solve a crunchy problem.”
See also: Damon Dering of Phoenix’s Nearly Naked Theatre: 100 Creatives
During her off-hours, she’s always on the hunt for new ways to collaborate with creative Valley dwellers.
“Right now I’m on the communications committee for Phoenix Design Week (that’s coming up on October 16th), co-organizing Phoenix Content Strategy meetups, and working with the Afffari Project to launch a new website for New City Church (who does a lot of amazing things to serve the urban core of downtown Phoenix),” Cancino says of her current out-of-office happenings.
Speaking of Phoenix Design Week, Cancino is on the roster of this year’s speakers. It just so happens that giving talks is one of the creative’s favorite outlets.
“I’m working on a few talks right now that I’m super stoked about! Speaking at conferences has been such a great way for me to refine my ideas and process,” Cancino says. “Up next are Method+Madness Conference here in Phoenix this October, ASU GDSA‘s fall event, and Giant Conference in Charleston next June.”
She’s definitely one to watch.
I came to Phoenix in the summer of 2007 with my beagle, Pomar Jackson, and an insatiable desire to learn new things, discover my passion, and make things that matter.
There are many ways to express creativity. It all comes down to knowing what sort of problems you like to solve and what medium you like to solve them in.
While I’m not an artist by trade, I believe there is an art to using your natural curiosity and imagination to solve problems you see and make the world a better place. I do this with content strategy and user experience design. And I do it because I love crafting meaningful experiences that make peoples’ lives easier and inspire moments of delight.
I’m most productive when I’m working on a big challenging project that inspires me and scares me a bit all at the same time. It’s that balance between fear and excitement that lets me know I’m on the right track and gives me energy to go above and beyond.
If I can collaborate on a project like that with smart people who are also madly in love with what they do — even better. That’s when my productivity level really switches into overdrive.
My inspiration wall is full of urban design books. Lines of poetry. Unexpectedly beautiful data visualizations (think Edward Tufte). Gold trinkets that shine and reflect the sun. Inspiring words that are beautifully hand-lettered. Plenty of vibrant colors.
I’ve learned the most from my parents. Growing up as the homeschooled child of an artist mother and a geographer father, I learned early on that the best things in life are a combination of different, and sometimes seemingly contrasting, elements and ideas. I guess that’s why I’ve always been fascinated by the interconnected nature of experiences we create and the interactions they inspire.
Good work should always give more than it takes.
The Phoenix creative scene could use more people who understand the magic of collaboration, who are up to things and are hell bent on making big ideas happen.
As Phoenicians, we are lucky to live in a town where there is still so much space to create new things. We have a supportive design community and brilliant minds who work hard to bring rad ideas to life. Co+Hoots, Phoenix Design Week, and PHX Renews are just a few things that come to mind. I’d love to see even more of that kind of stuff going on.
See the 2014 edition of 100 Creatives:
100. Bill Dambrova
99. Niki Blaker
98. Jeff Slim
97. Beth May
96. Doug Bell
95. Daniel Langhans
94. Nanibaa Beck
93. Nicole Royse
92. Ib Andersen
91. Casandra Hernandez
90. Chris Reed
89. Shelby Maticic
88. Olivia Timmons
87. Courtney Price
86. Travis Mills
85. Catrina Kahler
84. Angel Castro
83. Cole Reed
82. Lisa Albinger
81. Larry Madrigal
80. Julieta Felix
79. Lauren Strohacker
78. Levi Christiansen
77. Thomas Porter
76. Carrie Leigh Hobson
75. Cody Carpenter
74. Jon Jenkins
73. Aurelie Flores
72. Michelle Ponce
71. Devin Fleenor
70. Noelle Martinez
69. Bucky Miller
68. Liliana Gomez
67. Jake Friedman
66. Clarita Lulić
65. Randy Murray
64. Mo Neuharth
63. Jeremy Hamman
62. La Muñeca
61. Kevin Goldman
60. Emily Costello
59. Kerstin Dale
58. Vara Ayanna
57. Nathaniel Lewis
56. Ruben Gonzales
55. Lisa Poje
54. Bobby Zokaites
53. Frances Smith Cohen
52. Julie Rada
51. David Miller
50. Xanthia Walker
49. Kyllan Maney
48. Cary Truelick
47. Constance McBride
46. James D. Porter
45. Allyson Boggess
44. Abigail Lynch
43. Ashley Cooper
42. Jaclyn Roessel
41. Brandon Boetto
40. Melissa Dunmore
39. Gavin Sisson
38. Rossitza Todorova
37. Monica Robles
36. Josh Kirby
35. Jesse Perry
34. Yai Cecream
33. Nathan Blackwell
32. Carley Conder
31. Ben Willis
30. Nicole Michieli
29. Brian Cresson
28. Tyson Krank
27. Mikey Estes
26. Anwar Newton
25. Sarah “Saza” Dimmick
24. Tato Caraveo
23. Jorge Torres
22. Laura Spalding Best
21. Shawnte Orion
20. Mike Olbinski
19. Christina You-Sun Park
18. Jon Arvizu
17. Anya Melkozernova
16. J.B. Snyder
15. Damon Dering
