Release Day with Chicago Creatives

Did you miss Jenna Blazevich’s talk last month at Second City? Don’t worry! We’ve captured some of our favorite thoughts and moments that compelled our delightful community to get instagram and twitter involved. Take a peek at some of the #CMTakeaways and keep the conversation going! Go forth and explore!

Thanks @Chicago_CM & @Vichcraft for the inspiration & postcard! #dontlosetouch“ #CMTakeaways #creativemornings pic.twitter.com/sqF9UCKIN3

— Damen Jackson (@DamenJackson) January 29, 2016

I tend to put off personal projects because I worry they won’t be perfect. It doesn’t matter if they’re perfect, do it & share! #cmtakeaways

— Christie Walsh (@walshrarebit) January 29, 2016

"You’re not going to be commissioned to make your dream project.” - @Vichcraft #CMTakeaways pic.twitter.com/zyjwJ8eC1X

— ChiDM (@ChiDM) January 29, 2016

When @Vichcraft questioned whether there was room for her, she figured out her own aesthetic & what the community was lacking. #CMTakeaways

— Jen Marquez (@jenmakesstuff) January 29, 2016

Start with yourself, grow to your friends, then mentors, then a community like @Chicago_CM. Scary? Yes. Worth it? Totally. #cmtakeaways

— Lauren Ignited (@LaurenIgnited) January 29, 2016

My favorite day of the month is Creative Mornings! Thanks again @chicago_cm and Ms. amazing Jenna @vichcraft “Find what is missing in the creative industry and fill that void” I’m truly inspired, per usual. #cmtakeaways #CreativeMornings #vichcraft #keepartalive #enjoyart #design

A photo posted by janiejavier (@janiejavier) on Jan 29, 2016 at 12:25pm PST

Ended up with some physical #cmtakeaways this morning. Thanks @chicago_cm and @vichcraft !

A photo posted by jdkuzma (@jdkuzma) on Jan 29, 2016 at 11:01am PST

Jenna did a live demonstration on stage and I won it on a raffle! 😃🙌🏻 #winning #shareyourwork @vichcraft @Chicago_CM #CMTakeaways

A photo posted by Silvana Favaretto (@sil_favaretto) on Jan 29, 2016 at 8:49am PST

That’s a whole lot of people meeting each other. #cmtakeaways #creativemornings #secondcity

A photo posted by Stephanie V. Strauss (@straussphotography) on Jan 29, 2016 at 6:54am PST

Next up: Tim Seeley, one of those “slash” people…a writer-slash-artist, chimes in on our Ethics series . He and 4 others founded Four Star Studios when they decided they were tired of working from home and rented an office together just to get out of the house. It didn’t take long for them to realize they had significant art, writing, design and programming talent gathered under one roof. You can find Tim in Chicago, where he is never far from his 80s action figure collection. Luckily, we have Tim for a whole two hours on Friday, Feb. 26. Ditch your morning meetings and join us at Onion Productions! Whataya say?

Triple high five!

Elijah

Did you miss all of the magic that happened when Jen Serafini, Anthony Roberts and Mary Fons took the stage last month? Don’t fret! We’ve collected some of our favorite #CMTakeaways from our ever growing community of creatives that attend the final Creative Mornings of 2015. Go forth and explore some of the thoughts that were captured (and then watch this super awesome video)!

Throw balloons in the air like you just don’t care 🎈 last CreativeMornings of the year!! Thanks to @chicago_cm for an awesome year of talks, coffee, and getting the creative community together #CreativeMornings #Chicago #cmtakeaways

A photo posted by @rebeccaussai on Dec 18, 2015 at 8:20am PST

W E L C O M E | Creative Mornings Chicago My #cmtakeaways from another awesome @chicago_cm. @jenserafini “Share your success & say thank you” @AntTheWriter “Don’t ask dumb A.S.S. questions” @yomaryfons “Quilts: Because you can’t wrap a baby in an iPad” #chicago #igerschicago #chigram #vscocam #design #creativemornings

A photo posted by Trevor (@trevor_m_wills) on Dec 18, 2015 at 9:27am PST

Early morning start at @chicago_cm today. Always fun to meet other creatives, and exhilarating to see just how many people are all around you forging their own path and using their creative talents. Not alone. #cmtakeaways

A photo posted by Bryce Patingre (@bpatingre) on Dec 18, 2015 at 11:33am PST

*wip* Q&A inked first pass #100daycreativechallenge 17/100

A photo posted by Eddy Mumbles Design Co. (@eddymumbles) on Dec 21, 2015 at 7:48pm PST

Shoutout to @jenserafini @antthewriter and @yomaryfons for killin’ it at @Chicago_CM today! #cmtakeaways pic.twitter.com/soliZQc1xz

— Mike Hudson (@hudsoncreatesco)

December 19, 2015

#cmtakeaways I am totally inspired to make a quilt now. Thanks @Chicago_CM and @YoMaryFons!

— Christie Walsh (@walshrarebit)

December 18, 2015

@Chicago_cm #cmtakeaways Collaborate @JenSerafini, Open questions @AntTheWriter, Can’t wrap a baby in an iPad @YoMaryFons

— deirdre boland (@d_boland)

December 18, 2015

@Chicago_CM @JenSerafini share success, say thank you. Nice tips, Jen! #cmtakeaways

— Hilary Marsh (@hilarymarsh)

December 18, 2015

Next up: Letterer, designer and calligrapher, Jenna Blazevich takes the stage to chime in on our Language series. She currently works under the moniker, Vichcraft at Some Office in Bucktown. Join us at Second City or follow the conversation using the hashtag #CMTakeaways. This is a morning of creativity you definitely won’t want to miss. See you bright and early tomorrow morning!

Double high five + happy Spring (I mean Winter)!

@elijaa_

Did you miss all of the magic that happened when Jen Serafini, Anthony Roberts and Mary Fons took the stage last month? Don’t fret! We’ve collected some of our favorite #CMTakeaways from our ever growing community of creatives that attend the final Creative Mornings of 2015. Go forth and explore some of the thoughts that were captured (and then watch this super awesome video)!

Throw balloons in the air like you just don’t care 🎈 last CreativeMornings of the year!! Thanks to @chicago_cm for an awesome year of talks, coffee, and getting the creative community together #CreativeMornings #Chicago #cmtakeaways

A photo posted by @rebeccaussai on Dec 18, 2015 at 8:20am PST

W E L C O M E | Creative Mornings Chicago My #cmtakeaways from another awesome @chicago_cm. @jenserafini “Share your success & say thank you” @AntTheWriter “Don’t ask dumb A.S.S. questions” @yomaryfons “Quilts: Because you can’t wrap a baby in an iPad” #chicago #igerschicago #chigram #vscocam #design #creativemornings

A photo posted by Trevor (@trevor_m_wills) on Dec 18, 2015 at 9:27am PST

Early morning start at @chicago_cm today. Always fun to meet other creatives, and exhilarating to see just how many people are all around you forging their own path and using their creative talents. Not alone. #cmtakeaways

A photo posted by Bryce Patingre (@bpatingre) on Dec 18, 2015 at 11:33am PST

*wip* Q&A inked first pass #100daycreativechallenge 17/100

A photo posted by Eddy Mumbles Design Co. (@eddymumbles) on Dec 21, 2015 at 7:48pm PST

Shoutout to @jenserafini @antthewriter and @yomaryfons for killin’ it at @Chicago_CM today! #cmtakeaways pic.twitter.com/soliZQc1xz

— Mike Hudson (@hudsoncreatesco)

December 19, 2015

#cmtakeaways I am totally inspired to make a quilt now. Thanks @Chicago_CM and @YoMaryFons!

— Christie Walsh (@walshrarebit)

December 18, 2015

@Chicago_cm #cmtakeaways Collaborate @JenSerafini, Open questions @AntTheWriter, Can’t wrap a baby in an iPad @YoMaryFons

— deirdre boland (@d_boland)

December 18, 2015

@Chicago_CM @JenSerafini share success, say thank you. Nice tips, Jen! #cmtakeaways

— Hilary Marsh (@hilarymarsh)

December 18, 2015

Next up: Letterer, designer and calligrapher, Jenna Blazevich takes the stage to chime in on our Language series. She currently works under the moniker, Vichcraft at Some Office in Bucktown. Join us at Second City or follow the conversation using the hashtag #CMTakeaways. This is a morning of creativity you definitely won’t want to miss. See you bright and early tomorrow morning!

Double high five + happy Spring (I mean Winter)!

@elijaa_

We’re jumping into 2016 with the theme of Language. It’s a topic of personal interest to me, and one I see moving into the forefront of our cultural consciousness. Designer and letterer extraordinaire, Jenna Blazevich, will be sharing her thoughts with us. In the past year, Jenna’s been building a reputation around Chicago as not only a wildly talented artist, but as a person who puts her values into words. She balances client work with self-initiated projects through her studio Vichcraft and you may recognize her stunning lettering from Typeforce, the Renegade Craft Fair, or a patch on your best friend’s jacket.

What drives your desire to create?
The things that have driven my desire to create have certainly been different throughout my life, but the sense of urgency that I’ve felt about executing any of my ideas has been a constant the entire time. Before I began studying design in school, I was designing and crafting little art pieces for my family and friends, both because that was/is my love language, and because it was a consistent outlet for learning how to work with all of the different mediums that I was interested in. As time passed, I became lucky enough to be commissioned to make pieces inspired by my portfolio of those personal projects, and I also sharpened my design skills by working at a few different agencies. Instead of keeping my design life at a 9-to-5 and my post-work artistic endeavors separate, I convinced myself that I could launch a studio that combined them in a marketable and sustainable way. So far, so good!How does Chicago influence you or your work?
Chicago is a truly fascinating city to live in, and even more so for a young creative person. There is no shortage of visual inspiration (architecture, signage, parks, museums, people), and the design community is incredibly talented, humble, hard-working and inclusive. I’m very fortunate to get to run my business out of a co-working space that has introduced me to so many people and projects and communities, and the symbiotic way that we are all able to create there is sort of reflective of how Chicago is as a whole. In this city, there is opportunity, excitement, despair, injustice, accomplishment, failure, connection, disconnection. It’s all happening, and it all affects how and what I create. What is your dream creative project?
There isn’t a specific one that pops into my head immediately, but it would probably include collaborating with creative ladies that I admire on a large-scale installation project that was made using some insanely intricate/repetitive technique, and was inspired by a topic motivated by social consciousness and also possibly had a little bit of a sense of humor? Haha. Is this possible? Maybe one day.How do you see the relationship between your work and your personal/political values impacting one another?
My personal/political views have already been impacting my work for years, and they seem to more and more with each project. When I first started practicing lettering, I was choosing phrases that were pretty unobjectionable. Sweet and delicate phrases seem like an appropriate match with calligraphy, but I quickly grew frustrated with how predictable that felt. The more skilled I became with my tools, the more inspired I felt to use my lettering pieces as opportunities to beautify phrases that represent taking a stance on something. It feels not only important but also the most genuine for me to create work that’s inspired by what I’m passionate about in my personal life. How does this month’s theme—language—speak to you?
At first, I was really intimidated to speak on the topic of language, because I’m not a talented writer by any means. But the more I reflected on it, the more I began to understand that language is what links my entire design career together. The fake band posters I made in high school were based on lyrics pulled from a song, and my years spent in fashion school included screen printing band names and artwork on my assignments. My first design job introduced me to the concept of lettering being one’s specialty, and handwritten mail was what kept me in touch with all of my coworkers, family, friends, and mentors in the years that followed. As a person who doesn’t aim to overspecialize in any one craft, it satisfies me that one of the consistent themes throughout my entire portfolio is letters. Artwork made of words is infinitely applicable to different mediums, issues, spaces, etc., and it is extremely exciting for me to wonder what I’ll get to apply words to in the future.

This Q+A is a swan song for me as I step back from manning the Creative Mornings blog, but I’ll be sure to see you at Jenna’s talk on January 29th at Second City. Registration opens next Monday at 11am. 

Girls to the front!
Rusty

Looking Back at 2015

This year has been really great for us. CreativeMornings started out 2015 with 104 chapters and we now have 130 chapters all over the world. We're happy to say Chicago was #5—our chapter was established in 2011 and this month we celebrated our 49th event!

Though we've been doing these events for 4+ years, we encountered many firsts in 2015. For speakers, we had our first fashion designer, architect, museum director, comedian, instrument maker, chef, mosaic artist, performance artist, street artist, journalist and quilter! We also introduced "30 Second Pitches", where 2 members from the audience come up to share something that will have a positive effect on them or our community. And finally, we had our first Partner, Braintree, who sponsored every event in 2015 (and will continue throughout 2016)!

We learned to see the beautiful in the ugly, empathize with our clients, and how taking action could change your life, among other things. Watch the video above to take a look back at some great moments in 2015. Special thanks to all the speakers, volunteers, and sponsors who made this year possible, and to you for giving our events purpose and being an integral part of our community.

We look forward to keeping this good thing going in 2016!

Photos by: Chris Gallevo, Chris Mendoza and Stephanie Strauss
Video by: Ben Derico, Alejandro Moore, Anica Wu, Emily Kosciuk, and Chris Mendoza

Audience Takes the Stage!
Friday, December 18th
8:30am – 10am
@Braintree

Registration opens Monday, December 14th at 11am

We’re ending 2015 strong with 3 talented creatives from our community—Jen Serafini, Anthony Roberts and Mary Fons! This trio was chosen by our team as the winners of the ‘Audience Takes the Stage’ submissions and together they bring a diverse mix of talents—from asking the right questions to quilting to making creative connections—they’ll each give an 8 minute talk on things that make you go hmmm. Come for the free breakfast, stay to get inspired and leave happy (with some awesome giveaways in hand!) It’s an event you won’t want to miss.

Call for Submissions:
Audience Takes the Stage!
Friday, December 18th
8:30am – 10am

Our audience is full of talented makers, thinkers and doers… and since December’s theme is “Time”, it’s your time to show us what you’re made of. We’re on the hunt for 3 speakers from our audience to each give an 8-minute presentation on anything related to creativity.

Think you want to do it? Don’t be shy! We want to hear from you. Know of someone in the creative industry who would be great for this? Pass this on and peer pressure them into it.  

Submission Details:
Nominate yourself by submitting the following information to chicago@creativemornings.com no later than Sunday, November 29th:

• Your name
• Your occupation
• A blurb about you (a bio works well!)
• Applicable links
• 1-2 minute talk-to-the-webcam video about who you are and what you’d like to speak about. (please don’t share your video as an attachment to your email — instead, share a link to your video or send it through wetransfer.com)

Submissions start…NOW! The deadline to submit is Sunday, November 29th. We will notify the chosen few on December 1st, and the event will take place on December 18th from 8:30AM - 10AM.

Let’s do this!

November’s theme is ‘Work’ and we’re turning the camera on BRAIN KILLER™—aka Brian Keller—the super talented filmmaker and visual artist. Drawing inspiration from science fiction, Japanese horror, 50’s monster movies, 80’s skate culture and fashion, his work on screen is just as notable as his art on the streets. 

Q+A time!

What drives your desire to create?
The drive and desire to create is just there. It’s always there. My brain only works this way, it’s not really something I consciously think about. It’s instinct, it’s just what I do.

How does Chicago influence you or your work?
I’m a native here so it’s kind of a double edged sword, it inspires me and repels me at the same time. I’ve seen the city change and the people change, from one day to the next it can be different how I feel about my city. Chicago is a creative city, buts it’s also a hard city and that in itself can be inspiring, the contrast of light and dark is ever present. Both of those energies can be seen in my work. I walk the line of disturbing and whimsical and I’m always fighting an internal battle of what my work is. Do I hate it, do I love it? It just depends on the day.

What are you most proud of, professionally or otherwise?
There isn’t one thing I’m particularly proud of, it’s rare that I look at my work and say YES!!! For me it can always be better and going back to what drives me, the need to make things better is a huge driving force. All that said, the fact that I do this for a living makes me proud, the fact that I feel like I haven’t had a real job most of my adult life makes me proud…and of course my children make me proud and that pushes me to be better everyday.

What is your dream creative project?
Recently I’ve been focusing mainly on the art side, after the past year at Onion Labs I feel like I needed a break from production life. But I think my dream project would be to adapt and direct a live action version of a childhood book I have. It’s called Monsters, Ghoulies and Creepy Creatures. I checked it out from the library when I was in kindergarten and I never brought it back. To this day it’s my prized possession. It’s this great collection of weird, beautiful and creepy short stories and poems by Lee Bennett Hopkins. It would be incredible to see it become a reality, design the creatures, direct the scenes and just breathe life into it.  

How does this month’s theme – work – mean to you?
It’s pretty spot on, this whole summer and autum have been jam packed, all leading up to Art Basel in Miami to cap off the year. November has been the busiest month so far. This whole month you’ll hear from me…no I can’t do that, I have to work, no sorry I can’t make it, I work…where am I? I’m at work! This month is all work for me.

Registration opens next Monday for Brian’s talk on November 20th at the brand new ArcLight Cinemas in Lincoln Park.

Shock is commonly defined as a sudden upsetting or surprising experience. Shock forces us to question our perspectives and confront new information. And that’s exactly what Rashalya Marie Brown evoked in the entire CreativeMornings last Friday. Her talk detailed the innerworkings of her creative process and explored the many themes that her work examines, all while reminding us that the “personal” always is – and will always be – “political.” In addition to fueling our creative palettes for the day, Rashayla engaged in a highly interactive Q&A that led us all into a deeper conversation about authenticity, reality and cultural expectations. Keep a look out for the video in the following weeks. Til then, explore some of the shocking #CMTakeaways below!

My notes from Rashayla’s talk at @Chicago_CM #cmtakeaways https://t.co/M7HcZigctp

— Brian Montana (@brianmontanaweb) October 16, 2015

Rashayla Marie Brown @SelahVibe killed it today. I want to be that badass when I grow up. #CMtakeaways #PossibilityModels 💕

— Rusty (@rustyccook) October 16, 2015

@creativemorning today’s Chicago session was *amazing.* Rashayla is a force of nature. #CMtakeaways

— Brianna Smitko (@briannasmitko) October 16, 2015

‘Authenticity is a false notion.’ - Rashayla Marie Brown #CMTakeaways #quotes

— Evan La Ruffa (@EvanLaRuffa) October 16, 2015

What you see is a reflection of you, not a reflection of me. L💗ved this mornings #chicago_cm talk with @rmbstudios! It made me rethink my personal landscape…

A photo posted by Nancy Flemm (@pixiesporcupines) on Oct 16, 2015 at 8:00am PDT

Gosh! I have so many feelings about today’s @chicago_cm! And not only because the speaker was a dear friend and collaborator of mine but because their experience and candor exemplified the notions that we all go through as makers, designers and thinkers. I’m so grateful to be able to sit next to people who are actively concerned with reframing narratives and challenging the systems we have learned to be untrue and invalid. Thank you, @rmbstudios for being a beacon of light and vulnerability. Thank you @swissmiss for creating a platform that allows people to speak freely about their creative pursuits. And most importantly, thank you to the Chicago #creativemornings community that asked some incredibly relevant and challenging questions this morning. Pure magic ✨

A photo posted by Miss Demeanor (@elijaa_) on Oct 16, 2015 at 3:17pm PDT

R/GA group at Creative Mornings today w/ Rashayla Marie Brown - You are accountable to the people who your work affects. You have to be ready to have a face to face conversation with them - #cmtakeaways also CM always has the best 🍩

A photo posted by Bridget (@bridgethapner) on Oct 16, 2015 at 3:47pm PDT

“Your assumptions about me say more about you than they do anything about who I am.” Inspiring morning with @rmbstudios and @chicago_cm #cmtakeaways

A photo posted by KatieCragwall (@katiecragwall) on Oct 16, 2015 at 7:55am PDT

The hustle continues @jamestgreen_ #cmtakeaways

A photo posted by @rustyccook on Oct 16, 2015 at 10:29am PDT

Next up: visual artist BRAIN KILLER (aka Brian Keller) chimes in on our Work series on Friday, November 20th. Come for the free coffee and breakfast but stay for Brian’s talk towards his solid grassroots and guerilla foundation. Tickets available Monday, November 16th at 8am. Mark your calendars! This is definitely a morning of creativity you won’t want to miss! See ya soon!

Have a powerful month!

@elijaa_

If this image caught your eye on the cover of the Reader a few weeks back then you’re already familiar with the work of Rashayla Marie Brown, this month’s speaker. Rashayla’s prolific creative practice isn’t bound by theme or medium. She engages installation, storytelling, video projection, lecture, dance, and audience interaction—sometimes all in one performance—to explore themes of race, sexuality, spirituality, culture, and subjectivity. If that’s not impressive enough, she also writes, curates, and fosters community as SAIC’s Director of Student Affairs for Inclusion and Diversity. 

Q+A time!

What drives your desire to create?
The desire to be free. To be anything. Artists can be whatever they want.

How does Chicago influence you or your work?
The sense of collaboration and community and the numerous opportunities to show work keep me on my toes. I can never say I’m bored or alone.

What are you most proud of, professionally or otherwise?
The fact that I have consistently stayed an artist no matter what obstacles come my way. Also, that I have a solid reputation as one of the hardest-working emerging artists and Renaissance people out there. No one can take my work ethic from me.

What is your dream creative project?
To direct a film or TV show with a mixture of pop culture and academic figures and artists. I want it to be bigger than Lena Dunham when it comes to feminism in the public sphere and bring an element of satire to contemporary feminist scholarship.

What is the relationship between this month’s theme—shock—and your work?
I don’t really seek to shock people necessarily. I like the word provocative better. I make work that makes people think about their position in society, and if they are shocked by the strong emotions this brings, then I hope they are driven to process that and take ownership for their own experience.

Rashayla will be repping CreativeMornings next Friday, October 16th during Chicago Ideas Week. If you look to CreativeMornings for your monthly dose of inspiration, Rashayla will surely deliver some fresh perspectives.

I’m already pumped for Friday! Hope you are too!
Rusty