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Our theme for February is NATIVE. It was chosen by our Honolulu chapter and illustrated by Jack Soren.

Where you are from shapes who you are. Where you call home influences your worldview. Understanding the traditions of your ancestors can help answer the question, “where do I belong?” Your connections to a place and the past should rightfully be a source of great pride.

The unique customs, art, and languages of native cultures make the tapestry of human civilization more vibrant. Yet many indigenous communities have faced marginalization, land dispossession, and cultural erasure. How much have we lost and what can be preserved?

By respecting and celebrating the traditions and achievements of native people everywhere, we can discover a deeper sense of connection and unity. What does our history have to teach us? What can we learn from each other?

Register for free and join us on Friday 16th February from 09.30am at Derby Museum and Art Gallery on The Strand.
Everyone is Creative and Everyone is Welcome.

Together we rise higher!

Have you registered for our free collab event with the Create Growth team?

Join us this Friday from 09.30am at the Silk Mill for a bumper CreativeMornings/Derby with a free breakfast.

Everyone is Creative. Everyone is Welcome.

Starting the New Year on a high we have the wonderful @ellenmaryo talking on this month’s global theme of Rise.

Ellen is a creative business coach, consultant and facilitator. Over the past 20 years, she has worked with hundreds of creatives, social entrepreneurs, cultural leaders and researchers to design and grow sustainable businesses that make an impact - creatively, socially and commercially. Ellen is passionate about the role that creativity can play in fostering a more entrepreneurial approach to leadership and change in business, and the importance of creativity in our everyday lives.

Ellen has designed and delivered innovation and enterprise programmes for British Council, Nesta, Warwick Ventures, University of the Arts London, Clore Leadership, Innovate UK, Creative United, Crafts Council and Frontline. She offers strategic consultancy to arts, heritage, creative and social enterprises and previous clients have included National Theatre Wales, Turner Contemporary, Arts Derbyshire, 64 Million Artists and many more.

Together with Gill Thewlis, she is Co-Creator and Director of Modfin, providing business and financial modelling support to purpose led businesses. And together with her partner Leon Davies, is Co-Foundered Wild Working, a startup platform for remote workers. She is Co-Chair of Powered by Can, a social enterprise that works with children, young people and young adults to make them feel powerful, valued and connected, and Co-Chair of Fifth Word who create and tour new plays by new writers.

Ellen collects contemporary craft, and has a love of electronic music, festivals and dancing outdoors. She is based in Derbyshire and works internationally.

Our theme for January is RISE. It was chosen by our Tampa Bay chapter and illustrated by Miss Crit.

The sun must set before it can rise. So, remember, every setback can be overcome. Each new challenge compels us to tap into our reservoirs of hope and determination. To live a fulfilling life, we must not wallow. We must rise.

The phoenix rising from the ashes is such a juicy metaphor. The mystical bird’s fiery demise symbolizes the destruction of old expectations — and how it’s always been done. Every creative act is a transformation. Each new project is a rebirth.

We rise from everything that came before. That’s why “rise up!” is a rally cry for the oppressed. But we should all be shouting, because our personal and collective empowerment are intricately linked. The rise of different voices creates a richer and more vibrant society. The goal is not reaching the top, it’s lifting each other up.

Together, we rise higher.

In the spirit of this month’s theme we are starting the year off in style we are collaborating with Create Growth for the D2 Hub Launch Event - Fuelling Creativity in Derby and Derbyshire

Join us for the unveiling of the Create Growth D2 Hub, a dynamic initiative proudly anchored within the East Midlands and part of the East Midlands Creative Consortium (EMC2).

Let your voice be heard.

Book now to be part of the conversation and lend your voice to the collective chorus of creatives shaping our region’s future.

Friday 19th January from 09.30am at The Silk Mill.

We’ve just the balm you need for December with this month’s CreativeMornings/Derby speaker Clare Francis-Slater.

Clare is an educator, she has worked mainly in primary schools, but also within many other educational settings including secondary schools, colleges and universities for over twenty years. She is now a freelancer.

She is an educational consultant and has founded her own consultancy organisation ‘Diversity Days Everyday’ which supports other organisations to be more inclusive and embed diversity. She has worked with many local schools, The University of Derby, DTSA (Developing Teachers Schools Academies), the NHS, Leeds City of Culture 2023 and The Arts Council on various projects, creating multi-media work, speaking at events and creating podcasts.

She is a writer and the author of ‘The Little Book of Balm for the Broken Soul’, which was published earlier this year. Clare started to write her ‘Little Book of Balm for the Broken Soul’ after having been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 and recovering. It was the kind of book she would have wanted to read to support her recovery and help her cope with the trauma she experienced. Clare Francis-Slater lives in Derbyshire where she grew up, with her family – her husband, two teenage children, a dog, two cats, and her chickens!

#CreativeCommunity #Derby #

Our global theme for December is PAIN. It was chosen by our Lviv chapter and illustrated by Marta Koshulinska.

Ouch! That hurts. Pain is a warning. And a lesson. It teaches us what we should avoid. And just how much we can bear.

There’s the pleasures of sadomasochism. The anguish of emotional trauma or physical abuse. The seemingly endless barrage of vitriol in the comments. The grief of losing a loved one. The immense destruction and psychological toll caused by so many geopolitical conflicts happening around the world.

Our Lviv chapter in Ukraine knows the pain of war. As they wrote when they chose this month’s theme, “Our collective pain is now close to unbearable. They say what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. We hope whoever said that is right.”

Muscles grow stronger after exercise tears the tiny fibers of muscle cells and the body repairs those damaged fibers. We know that physical wounds can heal with time and proper care. But we often ignore the fact that emotional pain can too.

If you need a little relief from whatever pain you’re carrying, talk to someone, make something, or help someone else in need.

Pain can point the way to growth.

Register now for our December event - a little earlier than usual on Friday 8th December from 09.30am at Derby Museums. We have the wonderful Clare Francis-Slater speaking and sharing her book The Little Book of Balm for the Broken Soul.

It’s your community and we love to help you share the good stuff with them.

The last few tickets are left for this Friday 17th from 09.30am @derbymuseums Museum and Art Gallery with Heather Stanford as this month’s guest speaker.

Not been before - we really are a friendly informal bunch.

Already a friend - share the fun and bring a friend.

Simply register now to secure your place.

Everyone is Creative is a principle that CreativeMornings is founded upon.

Finding creativity in a sector that’s not usually thought of as creative is this month’s must-catch speaker Heather Stanford.

Heather is a lawyer supporting the creative industries with a niche helping wedding suppliers with their contractual and compliance challenges. She loves working with creatives and their businesses, helping them to understand the challenges of the ‘not sexy’ and ‘not very easy to grasp’ parts of their business.

With a background in dispute resolution and contracts, she specialise in unpacking the complex, and making it more accessible to entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized enterprises. Basically, she does the legal and compliance work business owners and directors don’t have time (or desire!) to wrap their heads around. From GDPR to contracts to business audits, she helps them to protect their businesses, avoid disputes, and ultimately save them money.

Everyone is Welcome (also something we whole heartedly believe) on Friday 17th November from 09.30am at Derby Museum and Art Gallery. Simply sign up for free on the website.

#CreativeCommunity #Derby #CreativeMornings