#CreativeMornings

[creativemorningsvancouver]

For July’s global theme of ‘treasure’ we are honoured to host videographer, storyteller, urban planner and musician, Uytae Lee.

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Uytae Lee is the founder of ‘About Here’, a YouTube channel and creative studio dedicated to helping people understand their cities better. In addition to the channel, Uytae produces the CBC series ‘Stories About Here’.

Every month we like to ask our speakers a handful of probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:

How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career? For me, creativity is about organizing. Combining and rearranging ideas, words, paint, or whatever really into something that’s meaningful to you. In my work, this idea has given me the reassurance that I rarely (if ever) need to come up with something from scratch - I just don’t think the creative process works that way. I research, paraphrase, synthesize, reflect, and (more than anything) take inspiration from others to put something together that feels compelling for me. Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy? I find much of my creative inspiration from talking to people. There’s something about a live, unscripted conversation where you let your ideas collide freely that helps me get out of my head.

What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person? The creative process requires breaks. Your creativity often works behind the scenes, when you’re taking a walk, distracted, or even sleeping. When you’re feeling overwhelmed or stuck on a project, try stepping away from it for a day or two. When you come back to it, you’ll almost certainly find that your thoughts have refined and organized themselves into something much more coherent and easy to understand. I think it works this way because your memory is very selective for the things that feel most important to you. When you step away from a project, you’re letting your brain subconsciously throw out what didn’t really matter and hold on to what was most important. I wish I knew this when I was younger because it probably would have saved me from dozens of wildly unproductive all-nighters spent trying to hammer out a script while overwhelmed and sleep-deprived.

Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings? Tony and Taylor from Every Frame a Painting

What fact about you would surprise people? I was part of a ukulele group for several years.

What are you reading these days? Order without design by Alain Bertaut

What’s your one guilty creative indulgence? Cooking videos, they’re so relaxing!

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[creativemorningsottawa]

CreativeMornings Ottawa: May 2023

Jane Porter on acceptance and the importance of leading with love

Accepting reality is not always easy. From climate change to social injustice to the decline of democracy, the greatest challenges of our time can seem threatening, overwhelming, or just plain impossible to solve. 

On the CreativeMornings Ottawa stage at Arts Court, Jane Porter invited us to feel the magnitude of these challenges, and to lead with love and compassion. Doing so starts with connection: with ourselves, our communities, and the land we call home. 

Connection is something Jane has consciously cultivated throughout her life. This includes in her community work as co-founder of Impact Hub Ottawa and through convening stakeholders as a sustainability consultant. Today, as an integral facilitator and founder of Bridge Building Group, Jane brings people together to have tough conversations that spark meaningful change and heal divides. 

The journey to acceptance and understanding can be uncomfortable. In her talk, Jane used a photography metaphor to break down her approach:

Zoom out to see the big picture and break free from your existing echo chambers. 

Zoom in and reflect on who you really are and what motivates you. 

Reframe why you do what you do. For example, Jane realized she pursued a career in sustainability because it gave her a sense of connection with others and to the land.

Focus and realize that two things can be true at the same time, depending on who you’re asking and what they’ve chosen to lock their viewfinder on.

Find a tripod to support your passions and purpose. When you feel like you’re on shaky ground, dig deeper into learning and your relationships to find the support you need. 

Finally, Jane suggested it’s time we find a new lens. Western society is oriented around growth mindsets and economic success. There is much to learn from Indigenous worldviews that compel us to think of the next seven generations, and consider the well-being of all our relations, human and otherwise.

The challenges faced by the world are not going to solve themselves. To accept—and act— during this period of existential threats we must first ground ourselves by pausing, getting curious, and finding ways to respond thoughtfully and with compassion for ourselves, our communities, and the planet. 

Thank you to Jane for sharing her personal journey and for providing such food for thought on a Friday morning. You can learn more about Jane’s professional facilitation work on her website or on LinkedIn. Watch Jane’s full talk here.

[creativemorningsmontreal]

May ’s Theme is Acceptance.

Acceptance is the act of surrendering to our reality, without judgment or fear. There are many things in our lives that cause us discomfort or pain. We attempt to change or resist them, to no effect. So we wave a big stick, keeping them at bay like a wounded animal.

Acceptance is weaving into your story what once caused you pain — and still might, to this day. You welcome that creature into your home, tend to its wounds, and feed it out of your hand. Acceptance is knowing that this feral animal lives side by side with your tender house cat of a heart, always.

Embracing what cannot change can help you gather the energy to change what must. Accept these truths: you cannot make another person love or see you. You did not finish everything before the sun set on another day — and you didn’t need to. Every moment will pass, the blissful and the excruciating. It’s the hardest lesson, but one we need the most: the grace to let go. Our Lexington chapter chose this month’s exploration of Acceptance and Robert Beatty illustrated the theme. 

[creativemorningsdublin-blog]

January's theme is JOURNEY

Our theme for January is JOURNEY. It was chosen by our Muscat chapter in Oman and illustrated by Salim Al Salami. 

Let’s go! Let’s get out there and see what the world has waiting for us. 

By putting ourselves in a new environment or experience, we gain a different perspective. That sense of discovery sparks fresh inspiration. If your brain feels stuck, try moving your feet. 

So, let’s travel somewhere we’ve never been - down the street or across a far-off border!

Or we can take a metaphorical journey - unlocking personal growth, advancing on our career paths, or undergoing a spiritual awakening... or we can enjoy a journey into our imagination through a book, film, or other work of art.

As we travel through life, everyone we meet is at a different point in their own unique journey.

Some of us know where we’re going, some paths are full of twists, turns, and obstacles thrown in our way. The trick is to embrace the detours and delays, because there are no shortcuts on a journey of self-discovery or creative expression.

[creativemorningstrn]

SILVIA BONGIOVANNI on Journey

Silvia Bongiovanni nasce a Cuneo il 15 Gennaio del 1979. Psicologa sociale, collabora da sempre con Fabio Gianotti, filmaker, con il quale fonda Kosmoki nel 2007 (www.kosmoki.com).

Esperta di rigenerazione culturale in aree interne ha applicato le competenze e le teorie della psicologia sociale di Lewin e di Bion al lavoro di rigenerazione territoriale soprattutto in Valle Stura.

È ideatrice di progetti culturali come il Nuovi Mondi Festival (www.nuovimondifestival.it) e il Distretto culturale MontagnaFutura (www.montagnafutura.com).

[creativemorningsseattle]

Join us for January's CreativeMornings Seattle featuring Amy Redmond as she explores the theme of Journey. Amy will share her journey of a community “rising from the ashes.” When the COVID-19 lockdown removed access to the letterpress studio at the School of Visual Concepts, the community it built stepped forward to keep the presses running by creating Partners in Print: a non-profit arts organization that brings people together by using old printing presses to amplify new voices, share knowledge, and spark creativity.

Date: January 31st, 2025

Time: 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM PST

Location: Slalom Consulting, 255 S King St #1800, Seattle, WA 98104

[creativemorningsglasgow]

Please note our January 2025 event will be on THURSDAY, JANUARY 30th (not Friday this month). You can read more below about our speaker Fatima Uygun, a Glasgow-based community activist, artist, playwright, and cultural worker and snag your free ticket for the event here! See you there!

[creativemorningsfreiburg]

January's theme is JOURNEY. Unser Thema für Januar ist “JOURNEY” (Veranstaltungssprache ist Englisch & Deutsch).

As we travel through life, everyone you meet is at a different point in their own unique journey. Some of us know where we’re going. While other paths are full of twists, turns, and obstacles thrown in our way. The trick is to embrace the detours and delays. Because there are no shortcuts on a journey of self-discovery or creative expression. 

To explore this month's theme we invite members of our community to share their favorite book about a journey or perhaps share a book that sent them on a journey. Wir laden unserer Community ein, ihr Lieblingsbuch über eine (Lebens-)Reise oder ein Buch, das sie auf eine (Lebens-)Reise geschickt hat, mitzuteilen.

Join us on Friday, January 31st at 8am in the Carl-Schurz-Haus Bibliothek, Eisenbahnstr 62 in Freiburg and let's go on a journey with a book!

January's theme JOURNEY was chosen by the Creative Mornings Muscat chapter in Oman and its theme has been illustrated by Salim Al Salami.

[creativemorningschicago]

🎤 Next Speaker: Cara Sabin

Cara blends art and athletics with nearly 20 years as a professional dancer in Chicago and as a member of The Seldoms, performing nationally and internationally. She found strength training while cross-training for dance, with her first CrossFit experience sparking a new passion. Cara believes health is happiness and became a coach to share how community and movement transform lives. She is Defined Training’s Head Coach, General Manager, and co-founder of The Lunge Ladies, an all-female strength training collective.

📅 Friday, January 31st at 8:30-10am

📍 �� In-Person Only ⭐ at TBA

🎵 DJ Mike Caliber

🎟��� Registration Opens Friday, January 24th at 9am. Tickets go first come, first served. Limited!

👋 High fives and humble gratitude to our local sponsors: Big Shoulders Coffee | Busy Beaver Button Company | DJ Mike Caliber

💛 And a big shout out to our global partners: Adobe | The Harnisch Foundation

[creativemorningscharleston]

For this month’s theme of “Journey,” we’ll meet Kate Boyette, a creative visionary on a mission to redefine the historically cutthroat publishing industry. With the launch of her new feminist literary magazine, Revisionist, Kate is paving the way for a more equitable future for writers—one that values and fairly compensates the artists whose creativity fuels the industry’s success.

Kate Boyette started in N.Y.C. with independent film production, which led her to L.A. to work at Creative Artist Agency. Underwhelmed teaching celebrities how to drive their Priuses, she left CAA and enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu. Since then, her culinary pursuits and events took her from Texas to Park City, Utah, to eventually, Charleston, S.C. as the first editor-in-chief of the culinary publication, The Local Palate. She recently launched her boutique cookbook publishing company, Mise En Place Publishing, and earned her MFA in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, combining her two loves—cooking and storytelling.

[creativemorningsvancouver]

We are quite excited to host chef, restauranteur, 
author, and activist, Meeru Dhalwala, who will share her compelling story of creativity through the lens of June’s global theme ‘reverie’.

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Meeru moved from Washington, D.C. to Vancouver in February 1995 and has since been cooking and running the kitchens and menus at Vij’s and Rangoli restaurants. Vij’s has been hailed by the New York Times as “easily among the finest Indian restaurants in the world.” (Rangoli closed after 17 years in May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Meeru also wrote all three award-winning Vij’s cookbooks.

In 2021, Meeru created a small community business built from her learned ethics in the food industry: My Bambiri (baby) Foods. My Bambiri sources from BC organic farmers and sells on income-based pricing: three price options based on a family’s specific finances. She has also partnered with Food Stash Foundation to sell My Bambiri at their markets for low-income families who face many economic and social barriers. In October 2022, Meeru relaunched her annual international food fair called “Joy of Feeding” that is held at the UBC Farm Centre for Sustainable Food Systems.

Meeru holds a MSc in development studies from Bath University, UK, and brings her passion for humanity into her business and cooking practices. She is one of Vancouver’s most prominent promoters of women in business, climate change and sustainability, and healthy-elegant cooking. She proudly sits on the Board of Directors for the Green Party of Vancouver. For her professional and community work, Meeru has received honorary doctorates from both University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.

Every month we like to ask our speakers a handful of probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:

How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career? I imagine and then come up with ideas. Lots of ideas, of which most aren’t realistic, but contribute to the final ideas that I/we can execute. I love the process of ideas popping or slowly coming to form in my head. I love the crazy ideas that are impractical and the ideas that could make stories if I were a novelist. I say the word “IDEA!” in the Vij’s kitchen and staff stops whatever we’re doing, get excited and hear the “IDEA!” Half of them result in all of us just laughing b/c while even saying it, I realize it’s not practical or just sounds silly coming out. My kitchen staff doesn’t rely on me to run the daily kitchen—cooking, ordering, loading, prep, etc.—but they rely on me for my “IDEA!” And if I love my idea, I don’t let it go.

Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy? From running in my neighborhood—not any neighborhood or trail. Running is combination of my familiar surroundings and my body igniting me—my brain is dancing while my body is doing all the physical work. Whatever is on my mind—whether my family, trying to save some aspect of the environment, imagining being dead, imagining my comfort place on this earth, a work issue, coming up with recipes, etc.—it’s done with abandon while I’m running. Within 10 minutes, I lose myself in imagining, pondering…and daydreaming about my past in relation to today.

What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person? Find a solo activity during which you feel abandon and…yes, lose yourself in reverie! I run. All those times when I was crying or stressed about my home life or school life, if I had gone out running and released that stress energy, the weight would have lightened and so many windows would have opened. Doesn’t have to be a physical activity—it can be knitting or drawing.

Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings? George Eliot or Graca Machel. Intellectually attuned and gracefully passionate, brave women. Middlemarch is still relevant as a compelling storyline and observation on humanity’s social concoctions. Women and children’s rights activist Graca Machel was the First Lady of Mozambique at an important and crucial time. Her husband (the President) was assassinated via a plane crash. Later, she became the First Lady of South Africa, as wife of Nelson Mandela.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done? Fly to Vancouver from Washington D.C. to meet a guy I was talking on the phone with for a month (back in 1994) and, after spending 5 days with him, deciding to marry him asap. I left my hometown, friends and career in human rights and economic development to move to Vancouver. It resulted in a new and completed unexpected career, two beautiful children and 17 years of marriage. I don’t know how, but I grabbed the confidence in love before it escaped in the form of common sense.

If you could open a door and go anywhere, where would that be? My partner is a dry suit (meaning he dives in cold waters) scuba diver and travels to all waters of the world to dive, take photos. His “comfort place” in this world is the silence and being solo under water—complete opposite from mine. He lies there with his camera, watches and waits for creatures to swim, fully in zen mode. This level of silence and alone-ness intimidates and fascinates me. I would LOVE to turn myself into an invisible and weightless being, and be on his shoulder while he does this. I would not want to disturb his zen. For me, this would be like magically living in a dream.

What are you proudest of in your life? Giving motherhood my all, by which I don’t mean just love. The most important moment of my life so far is when I first looked down at my newborn and felt/saw the look in her wide eyes, settling on her mom’s face. I call this “Newborn Eyes”. Newborn Eyes are the energy of my personal life. I’m proud of fully and honestly engaging with my two daughters as humans and not as my extensions. I’m proud of calling them out on their shit and not worrying if they like me or not, or if they’ll rebel. I’m proud that I never stopped being me for the sake of being a mother.

If you could do anything now, what would you do? Have each human above the age of, say 6, in this world watch the animated documentary film “Flee” for its subject matter and b/c its engrossing storytelling. I want all of us watching at the exact same time so we are aware of sharing this experience together, as one. So, a bit of magic or super sci-fi high tech required here. Some of the bravest and most loving people in this world are “refugees” and “migrants”. These are labels for some, but for me they are my mom and dad.

What books made a difference in your life and why? The Employees by Olga Ravn. This book is potentially our real future with real humans co-existing with AI types of humans. It’s beautifully written. It’s a very short book and I read it twice in a row.

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[creativemorningsderby]

What a way to kick off 2025 - we've got the awesome Rob Dawes!

Rob Dawes is the Owner and Creative Director of Briight, a video and marketing agency focused on using video and visuals in brand-building, strategic marketing, and content creation. The three areas that catapult businesses to new heights.

With over a decade of experience and a client list that includes McDonald’s, HECK Foods, and Microsoft, Rob has a particular love for all things B2B, creating marketing content that builds strong connections and elevates brands in the corporate world. His approach combines sharp strategy with compelling visuals, helping businesses cut through and engage their audience with memorable marketing.

We'll be gathering, drinking coffee, chatting and listening on Friday 17th January from 09.30am at Derby Museum and Art Gallery.

[creativemorningsmontreal]

April’s Theme is Movement.

The body in motion is a thing of beauty. Our cells shake kinetic energy through the finely articulated instruments of muscle, ligament, and bone. We blink, we pulse, we dance. Some even pull off feats of human athleticism and daring, from which we can hardly look away.

Movement is a universal state of being. Even at rest, the matter we’re composed of is in motion — subatomic particles whir about at dizzying speeds, to create the sense of solidity. The things that appear still — the earth beneath us, the trunk of a tree above us, is but a trick of the eye. They move slowly but at a staggering scale.

When we move together, we can build social and collective movements. Like a murmuration of swallows, we can form sweeping visions of a world never seen before. Our collective energy directed like a mighty river flowing downstream, taking unexpected and winding turns to carve mountains.

Our Wellington chapter chose this month’s exploration of Movement, Hannah Webster illustrated the theme, and Mailchimp is presenting the theme.  

[cmbengaluru]

[creativemorningstucson]

Meet January's Speaker, Steve Nash. 🎉

Steve Nash has been President & CEO of Archaeology Southwest in Tucson since January, 2024. Prior to then he served as Director of Anthropology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (2006-2023) and Head of Collections in the Department of Anthropology at the Field Museum in his hometown of Chicago. Steve earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Anthropology at the University of Arizona and his B.A. at Grinnell College in Iowa.

As Steve likes to say, “the epic sweep of humanity is indeed mighty cool to behold.” Over the course of his career, he has done archaeological fieldwork on Neanderthal sites in southwestern France and in sites across the American Southwest, including tree-ring dating at Mesa Verde National Park.

He is a recognized world leader in the voluntary repatriation and return of ancestors and belongings that are housed in museums in the absence of informed consent, most notably to the Mijikenda people of coastal Kenya. He has published 10 books and dozens of peer-reviewed journal articles, as well as more than 60 “Curiosities” columns at the award-winning on-line anthropology magazine SAPIENS.org.

[creativemorningsportland]

#CMjourney

Our theme for January is JOURNEY.

Let’s go. Let’s get out there and see what the world has waiting for us. 

By putting ourselves in a new environment or experience, we gain a different perspective. That sense of discovery sparks fresh inspiration. If your brain feels stuck, try moving your feet. 

So, let’s travel somewhere we’ve never been. Either down the street or across a far-off border, there’s so many places to explore. Or we can take a metaphorical journey like unlocking personal growth in therapy, advancing on our career paths, or undergoing a spiritual awakening. Or we can enjoy a journey into imagination through a book, film, or other work of art.

As we travel through life, everyone you meet is at a different point in their own unique journey. Some of us know where we’re going. While other paths are full of twists, turns, and obstacles thrown in our way. The trick is to embrace the detours and delays. Because there are no shortcuts on a journey of self-discovery or creative expression. 

Just please remember: you are not traveling alone. 

The theme Journey was chosen by our Muscat chapter in Oman and illustrated by Salim Al Salami.