Spotlight: Creative Director Chinie Hidalgo Diaz

My name is Chinie and my medium is writing. Recently, on my blog Fab After Forty and anywhere else I can get away with it, my writing has been illustrated by doodles. I only discovered I could draw two years ago, but since then, I think I may just have made up for all that lost time.  During the day I work as a Creative Director at Teleforce Asia, a direct marketing firm.

My love of learning is my life’s driving force. It really thrills my nerdy little heart that the wealth of information available on the Internet allows me to learn at least 10 new things a day. My goal every day is simple: to become a little smarter, wiser and more empathetic—therefore kinder—than I was the day before.

Because of this, I like to joke around that by the time I die, it’ll be because I’m too awesome to exist.

I also use Flipboard to jumpstart my creativity when I’m feeling low on mojo. My job as a Creative Director doesn’t really allow for mental block, so I need to actively find ways to get out of a funk.

Browsing through other people’s magazines and headlines and ideas on Flipboard always manages to spark an idea or two…or five.

In one word, Flipboard is a “springboard”—to new ideas, to limitless information and inspiration.

The first article I flipped was a feature I found in Flipboard Picks about the most amazing swimming pools in the world. It really wasn’t something I wanted to blog about, but it was just so beautiful to look at, I had to do something with it. And voilà! The Fab Lab was born.

Flipboard’s also great for curating and saving articles I want to keep (mostly recipes I want to try when I’m not on a diet—lol), show my friends and family, or blog about later when I have a little more time. My magazine—the Fab Lab—is meant to be a companion to my blog—Fab After Forty—and features (as the name suggests) all sorts of fabulous Flipboard finds.

 

The best article I read all week was “The Secret Benefits of a Curious Mind” by Adoree Durayappah on The Huffington Post. Aside from being a big nerd in general, I was an educator for eight years (I like to think I still am one) so anything about learning and how the brain works always fascinates me.

My biggest influences are the everyday heroes I read about or come in contact with on any given day. The teacher who gives her life to protect her students from a deranged gunman. The honest taxi driver who returns a bag of money he finds in his cab. A cousin who faces all sorts of crazy challenges working as a missionary in Africa. My sister, who juggles a chaotic life—with a full-time job and four little kids!—with humor and grace. I admire a number of well-known successful people, but I am more impressed by those who show us that you don’t need to be famous to be great.

For “ingredients for an awesome life,” check out Chinie’s Fab Lab: