Anne Ruthmann came to Oakland University as a transfer student planning to study business and marketing.  However, she quickly found her passion in more creative studies and graduated with a Bachelor of Music Education.

Today, Ruthmann works as a professional photographer of architecture and interiors, owns a small business and works as a consultant to other creative-minded professionals.  Ruthmann resides in the Big Apple with her husband, Alex, who will also be a speaker at the TEDx Oakland University conference.

 According to tedxoaklandunviersity.com, Ruthmann’s photos have been featured in Better Homes & Gardens, The Knot, Brides and have won awards from the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) and the Artistic Guild of WPJA. She also has been invited to speak to other photographers concerning creativity in business.

“My fellow students at OU were actually the catalyst for my shift from music to photography – they were my early clients and the encouragement that helped me recognize I had another talent valuable enough to offer others and pursue professionally,” said Ruthmann.

Ruthmann’s talk, titled “What Would You Attempt If You Knew You Could Not Fail,” will provide attendees with different ways to approach and overcome obstacles in order to follow their dreams and lead a creative life. 

Her talk will focus on the design aspect of TED – TED talks encompass technology, entertainment, and design.  Ruthmann enjoys the fact that TEDx events give attendees the opportunity to explore new possibilities and ways of thinking.

She is looking forward to being an attendee and speaker to uncover new ideas for her own future projects.  

“Sometimes all it takes is one spark of inspiration to help fuel a creative project or make a big decision,” said Ruthmann. “I think Marcel Proust (French novelist) said it best when he said, ‘The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.’”