Photo by Cristina Fisher

We believe in giving a damn: join us as we commit to doing the work of antiracism

As CreativeMornings organizers, we believe everyone is creative. That's why we volunteer to organize events where everyone is welcome. We believe doing so can inspire change in our neighborhoods. We know a creative life requires bravery and action, honesty and hard work. It's why we open every event with our manifesto. It's also why we are committed to doing the work of educating ourselves, confronting our own biases, and making our events—and our city—more inclusive for all.

We’re starting with three offerings. Join us wherever you are on your personal path…

Still figuring out how you want to make an impact? Not sure where to begin? This workshop is for you:

Put Your Power Where Your Mind Is - An Antiracism Activation Workshop

This virtual workshop will activate those who are interested in mapping their own antiracism path through reflection and design thinking activities, culminating in a clear, personalized action plan. This workshop is being offered on two dates:

Friday, July 10, 8:00-10:30am. Register here.

Saturday, July 11, 9:00-11:30am. Register here.

Antiracism Discussion Series: Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us”

In this 5-week virtual discussion group, we’ll watch and discuss a mini-series that tells the story of the (now) “Exonerated Five,” the five seventh- and eight-graders wrongfully convicted of a rape in Central Park in 1989. Using the curriculum developed by DuVernay, we’ll explore how the systemic bias of the media and the criminal justice system led to their convictions.

The five sessions will be held from 7:00-9:00pm on each Thursday from July 16 to August 13. Register here.

Looking for guidance on how to be a better ally? This small group series is for you:

Aspiring Ally Development Workshop Series

This four-part, virtual workshop series is designed to help those who aspire to be allies for social justice learn, reflect, develop, and move toward action. The focus is on how we work toward justice from places of systemic privilege.

There are two options for this four-part series:

Tuesday mornings from 8:00-9:00am, starting July 14. Register here.

Wednesday mornings from 8:00-9:00am, starting July 15. Register here. 

June’s global theme INSECURE will be discussed by Leslie Wingo, the CEO of Sanders\Wingo, on Friday, June 26th. 

Say thanks to our partner this month: argodesign
And special thanks for the ongoing support of our beverage partner : Cuvée Coffee 

Like last month, we will be coming together virtually. Registered attendees will receive a zoom link via email. Registration opens at 11:00 on Monday. Details here. 

Please use the hashtags #CMinsecure & #CMATX to help all of us deal with our insecurities. 

A message from the volunteer organizers of CreativeMornings/Austin

We see you. 

We’re grappling with how we can help given all the heartache surrounding the protests in support of the antiracist movement.

Our global theme this month is “insecure” and we’re taking it as a wake up call to confront our own insecurities about race.

As a mostly white organizing team, we feel insecure about our privilege and everything we take for granted.
We feel insecure that we’re just virtue signaling—that we aren’t sure how to make a meaningful difference.
We feel insecure that we’ll say or do something oblivious or hurtful.
We feel insecure that we have biases we haven‘t recognized yet.

And we feel insecure that we haven’t done enough.

The overwhelming majority of our audience each month is white. Austin, the city we love, has a population that is about 48% white and its own history of racial inequality.

So, we want to help our community do the work. The work of educating ourselves and supporting the individuals who hear the call to take action.

But we feel insecure, because we don’t know exactly what that means yet. We’re trying to figure it out and we’d like to ask for your help. We’ll share more soon.

Our global community is wrestling with these issues too, you can read a note from our HQ that mirrors our thoughts along with some helpful resources here.

We may feel insecure, but we feel the love of this community even more.

With hope and respect,
Your CreativeMornings/Austin team

🧡 Ann, Alex, Ben, Bree, Brian, Kim, Lexi, Lori, Mallory, Page, Peggy, and Robynne

Our global theme for June is INSECURE. It was chosen by our Louisville chapter, illustrated by Rachael Sinclair, and is presented by WordPress.com.

Let’s keep showing up for each other. Confront your insecurities with the hashtag #CMinsecure & #CMATX.

Surprise! We have a bonus talk for you on the theme of NATURE with Andrea DeLong-Amaya & Angel Horne from The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. 

It’ll be a Texas-sized event presented with our chapters in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston & San Antonio! 

Registered attendees will receive a zoom link via email. Details here. 

May’s global theme NATURE will be discussed by Valerie Wolf, the founder of Davy Gray, on Friday, May 22nd.
Say thanks to our partner this month: argodesign
And special thanks for the ongoing support of our beverage partner : Cuvée Coffee
Like last month, we will be coming together virtually. Registered attendees will receive a zoom link via email. Registration opens at 11:00 on Monday. Details here.
Please use the hashtags #CMnature & #CMATX to help the conversation grow.

Our global theme for May is NATURE. It was chosen by our Salt Lake City chapter, illustrated by David Habben, and is presented by WordPress.com.

Share whatever feels natural with the hashtag #CMnature & #CMATX.

What can nature teach us about living with strength, vulnerability, and grace during these challenging times?

In the book Emergent Strategy. by Adrienne Maree Brown, Naima Penniman reflects on the decentralized strength of oak trees: “Amidst the whipping winds and surging water, the oak tree held its ground. How? Instead of digging its roots deep and solitary into the earth, the oak tree grows its roots wide and interlocks with other oak trees in the surrounding area.”

It’s natural to be feeling alone and scared when storms come our way. But nature, in all its forms and stages, shows us time and time again that resilience comes from adapting, collaborating, and leaning on the support systems around us. By moving away from the idea that we need to be strong on our own, we open up possibilities in our lives and build our collective resilience.

Whether it’s in person or from afar, find the networks you can interlock with and ground yourself in them. Lean on those branches of support and hold on tight. Surviving and thriving in hard times requires us to bind together even while apart.

Let’s go on a virtual field trip!  

We’ve got three #CMfieldtrips planned for you this Friday 4/24.

FACILITATING FUN (AND EFFECTIVE!) VIRTUAL MEETINGS
Join Ann Blocker, CMATX organizer and founder of Coddi Advisors, for an interactive workshop on running better virtual meetings. She’ll show us a range of tools including Liberating Structures and Mural. RSVP

GRIEF HAPPENS, SO LET’S TALK
Join Lisa Keefauver, founder of Reimagining Grief for an informational, inspirational, and experiential exploration about grief and loss, something 100% of us will experience in our lifetime. RSVP

FORGETFUL DRAWING WITH LIVE SKETCH ARTIST AMI PLASSE
Join Ami Plasse, founder of Gonzo Viz, for an interactive sketching workshop. You’ve seen him at work at CMATX talks, so come learn from the master. No drawing skills necessary! RSVP 

Want to host a Field Trip with CreativeMornings/Austin?

Apply here.

Want to be one of the first to find out about next month’s FieldTrips? 

You should subscribe to our newsletter. (Look for the “Austin Newsletter” signup button on the right hand side of the page.)

“HEY, WHAT A MINUTE, WHAT ARE FIELDTRIPS?”

#CMfieldtrips are a monthly series of small group discussions, tours, or workshops held to spread the creative magic happening around Austin. Space is limited to facilitate open conversation and new connections, so you must RSVP via our site to attend. Most of our FieldTrips are free, but we may ask for a suggested donation to cover materials for some of them.

(Each month, we give folks who were on the waitlist of our most recent talk a two-hour head start to register. And then they open up to the rest of our #CMATX community.)

We’ve got a Texas-sized surprise for you: a second talk this month!

We’re bringing together our chapters in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio on Friday, April 17th with James Victore speaking on this month’s global theme of PURPOSE. 

Like our previous two talks, we will be meeting virtually. Registered attendees will receive a link via email. Details here.

(If you’re new to Zoom, you’ll want to sign up for a free account ahead of time.) 

Please use the hashtags #CMpurpose & #CMATX to explore how we’re all reevaluating our purpose in these challenging times.

April’s global theme “PURPOSE” will be discussed by Haley Rushing on Friday, April 10th.

Say thanks to our partners this month: Wunderman Thompson and The Creative Executive. 

And cheers to our beverage partners: Cuvée Coffee.

Like last month, we will be coming together virtually. Registered attendees will receive a link via email. Details here. 

(If you’re new to Zoom, you’ll want to sign up for a free account ahead of time.)  

Please use the hashtags #CMpurpose & #CMATX to explore how we’re all reevaluating our purpose in these challenging times.