Our theme for May is VIBRANT. 

When was the last time you experienced something that made you feel more alive? 

Heard a melody pulsing with a beat that made your body move. Taken in the view of a lush landscape or sparkling city skyline bursting with light and shadows. Locked eyes with a striking stranger. Poured yourself into prose that crackles off the page with electricity. Lost track of time in a conversation punctuated by spirited laughter. Stopped in your tracks in front of a canvas in a museum or a mural on the street with colors so bold and bright it popped from the paint straight into your synapses. 

It might not happen every day. But you can live a life full of energy and enthusiasm. You can strive to bring brightness into every interaction. 

Because our world is full of all kinds of vibrant masterpieces. And you are one of them.

We'll be in Derby Museum and Art Gallery from 09.30am on Friday 17th May.

Wow! Time flies when you're having fun.

🎈 Join us tomorrow for CreativeMornings/Derby's 5th birthday 🎈

This is a celebration of YOU our amazing community!

In the last five years, we've:

🎂 Welcomed over 60 marvellous local speakers

🎂 Grown a community of over 600 creative people

🎂 Shared a brew with nearly 2000 attendees

🎂 Made friends across the globe

🎂 Hosted events in 14 locations across the city and county

🎂 Shared our local stories across an international platform

🎂 Had a jolly good time celebrating being creative in Derby

Register now for your slice of cake, on the CreativeMornings/Derby website.

Doors open at Derby Museum and Art Gallery on Friday 19th April from 09.30am

#CreativeMornings #Derby #CreativeCommunity

Check out April's CreativeMornings/Derby speaker Dr. Gemma Marmalade. She'll be taking us from lemon and herb 🍋 to extra hot as she explores this month's theme of Spicy 🌶 Dr Gemma Marmalade is a British artist and academic in the transformative potential of creative performativity. Gemma is a senior academic and leader in photography at the University of Derby, UK, and Cultural Contributor to the Creative Industries in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. With extensive experience in Higher Education and research, inter- and trans-disciplinary practices, management, curatorship, and writing within the arts globally, Gemma is a powerhouse of cultural contribution and social change-making. Think you can take the heat? Then join us on Friday 19th April from 09.30am at Derby Museum and Art Gallery. Sign up now >>

Our theme for April is SPICY. It was chosen by our Tucson chapter and illustrated by Sophie McTear.

Oh yeah, that’s hot! 

When you’re cooking, spices add flavor, depth, and complexity to an otherwise plain culinary dish. Spicy foods interact with receptors in our mouth and can trigger sensations of heat and even pain. Can you handle it? Being open to trying new and bold tastes is a good lesson for bringing daring and originality into all of our creative endeavors. As they say, “variety is the spice of life.” 

Spicy can also be exciting and suggestive. A spicy comment or joke is provocative or controversial. Such “spicy takes” often challenge conventional beliefs and ignite strong, passionate reactions from people. 

So, how can you make your work and approach to life spicier?  Let’s bring the heat!

We've another corker for you this month at CreativeMornings/Derby - Tom Andrews speaking on the global theme of Perspective and sprinkled I'm sure with some interesting insights from his time and research in policing.

Tom is a lecturer in policing at the University of Derby, teaching new police officers on the Police Constable Degree Apprentice (PCDA) programme. He has been lecturing for three years, before which he was a uniformed police sergeant working on emergency response in Nottingham for thirteen years.

During this time he researched and co-authored a history of women in policing within that force. He is the editor of the annual Journal of the Police History Society since 2020 and has published three books: The Greatest Policeman? A Biography of Capt. Athelstan Popkess CBE, OStJ: Chief Constable of Nottingham City Police 1930 – 1959; The Sharpe End: Murder, Violence and Knife Crime on Nottingham’s Thin Blue Line; and Women in Policing: A History Through Personal Stories. He has also published articles in various academic journals.

#CivicEngagement#Derby#CreativeMornings

Our theme for March is PERSPECTIVE. It was chosen by our Fargo chapter and illustrated by Fred Gaye Wremeo. 

Every creative act is an attempt to share a unique perspective on some slice of the world. What you see — and how you see it — shapes your beliefs. So, what’s your point of view? And how are you putting it into your work? What was the last piece of music, writing, illustration, or film that opened a new window on the world for you? 

One of the most impactful artistic innovations was linear perspective; widely credited to Fillipo Brunelleschi in the early 15th century. This breakthrough enabled artists to create the illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat canvas, paving the way for the ornate art and architecture of the Renaissance. Today, it feels like we are at another precipice with AI generated images and video. We don’t know how this rapidly emerging artistic tech will shape our perspectives. The machine is already capable of evoking real emotions. But only we can understand those feelings. 

Because seeing someone else’s point of view is uniquely human. Considering another perspective fosters empathy. And we all desperately need more empathy. Remember, looking at a problem from multiple angles generates more possible solutions. So, change your perspective and you can change your world.

Ohh it's nearly FriYAH and another CreativeMornings/Derby!

Join us for the best free Friday morning in Derby. We'll be at Derby Museum and Art Gallery from 09.30am.

Everyone is Creative and Everyone is Welcome.

We've not one but two brilliant speakers for this month's CreativeMornings/Derby.

Trevor Todd is a self-employed, finance professional and program manager. He works primarily with the NHS. Born and raised in Derby… a child of one of the pioneers who travelled to England from Jamaica after the Second World War to bolster the rebuild of Great Britain.

Trevor is also the Managing Director of DACCI – Derby African-Caribbean Community Initiative. A new CIC was established to cultivate the togetherness and build the resilience necessary to uphold a strong sense of community. He also sits on the board of Baby People Limited and The Jamie Simpson Trust.

A passionate advocate of communities being better together… he is looking forward to discussing and exploring what it means to be a native from a Caribbean perspective.

Ndukwe Onuoha is an advertising copywriter, Creative Director, and Spoken Word Poet. Throughout his career, he has created memorable ads for brands in Nigeria and West Africa, across a wide variety of sectors. His works focus on crafting messages that resonate with the cultural and lived experiences of his target audience, whomever they may be.

Last year he was endorsed by Arts Council England for his work in poetry and has since moved to the UK with his family.

When he’s not creating advertising or doing the Derby spoken word rounds, he’s working on his short film that’s inspired by Nigerian mythology and philosophical thoughts.

Ndukwe is a copywriter by day and a poet by design, and you can listen to his second Spoken Word album, Nwa Chukwu, on your favorite music platform.

Have you signed up yet? Connect with your creative community and register now for free.

Friday 16th February from 09.30am at Derby Museum and Art Gallery.

This month at CreativeMornings/Derby we'll be looking at place, the past, pride in our history and where we fit into the world as we tackle the global theme of Native. Everyone is Creative. Everyone is Welcome! Register now for free.

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 blam 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.