Watch Demetria's full talk!

For our most recent CreativeMornings Hudson Valley gathering, hosted at Headstone Gallery in Kingston, we gathered to explore the theme of Ember with artist, ceramist, and educator Demetria Chappo. 

A portal into her process

Because we couldn’t all physically fit inside her studio space, we began the morning by bringing the heart of that sanctuary to the gallery. CreativeMornings Hudson Valley Co-Host Michael O’Neal worked with Demetria to create a film that served as a portal into her world, stepping past the finished ceramics and into the atmosphere where these ideas are born. We saw the well-worn tools, the tactile beauty of raw clay, and the steady rhythm of her hands. It was a chance to witness her "quiet fire" in motion before she took the stage. [Watch the short film.]

“Thank you so much to the CreativeMornings team and Mo for this beautiful film. It was very special to see your artistic voice and see through your lens what I do… The people in our life, those creative relationships and our personal ones are really so often that ember for us. But sometimes it's more than that. And we also don't always have the access to that. So where does it come from? Within.”

Demetria continued by reflecting on another of the many ways this month’s theme connected with her.

“Fire is the necessary element to transform clay into ceramic. It goes through a state change. It crystallizes and hardens and it becomes a new thing."

She walked us through her outdoor smoke-firing process, a method of intentional surrender. By using organic materials like banana peels, seaweed, and seed pods, she creates a "collaboration with the fire."

"There’s a lot of intention built into my process, but it’s also all about that alchemy and the chance of what might happen.”

When it goes quiet

This intentional surrender requires the capacity to hold both the heat of intention and the stillness of the wait. This philosophy is most tested during what Demetria calls "the stickiness": those moments in a firing, and in life, where things go quiet and doubt begins to creep in.

"I always say the same thing... 'It’s too quiet. It’s all too quiet.' And so I’ll throw in more materials... trying to stoke it and make something happen. But sometimes I wait. It’s about acknowledging that when it’s that hot, I can't actually see what's happening. The fire is so hot that I don't know what's being transformed."

She reminded us that the quiet isn't a lack of progress; it is the peak of the transformation.

"It’s in that quiet that things are really stirring and that I don't see them taking place... it is those moments when I start to feel that little bit of doubt creeping in that nothing's happening, and reminding myself that it is okay, it's both. It’s the acknowledgement that it is about sitting in the stickiness, and it is allowing everything to take shape."

Every form informs the next

Beyond her own studio work, Demetria’s practice is deeply rooted in teaching. Her goal is to help others navigate the same "stickiness.” She passes along a philosophy that acts as a steadying hand for anyone stuck in the pressure of a "final" result:

"Every form informs the next, and every firing informs my next.”

Demetria noted that as adults, we often carry the pressure to be "good" that can suffocate a new idea before it has a chance to breathe. For her, teaching is a reciprocal fire; while she guides her students through the fundamental practices, seeing someone else’s spark reignites her own.

Tending your own fire

To move past the "adult brain," Demetria looks toward the most intuitive artists among us: children.

"What I love about teaching kids is they don't hold back. Everything that happens, they meant it, like it was supposed to happen. They take it as the next thing that drives them to a new place. If a piece wasn't supposed to have an arm, suddenly it becomes a whole new thing entirely."

She often hears adults claim, “I’m not creative.” Her response is a foundational pillar of her practice:

"I truly believe we're all creative, but how we apply it may be different. Maybe yours is spreadsheets and numbers... maybe yours is working through science. You’re just not practiced in the creative process of clay."

To bridge this gap, she follows a specific sequence: stirring up creative energy through play, building through fundamental practices, and finally moving into intention.

"Humankind changed when we started working with clay. We intuitively know how to use this material. It’s so interesting when you just give somebody the freedom to play like a child and to just touch it and squeeze it and mold it. We know how to shape it. Our head just gets in the way."

What reignites your spark?

To help find that internal fuel, Demetria invited us to identify our own spark phrases, the mantras we use to reinvigorate ourselves when our internal embers start to dim.

For Demetria, it was "Go outside."

"Go outside means really go outside... go see nature. But it also means go outside of myself... outside of the way I'm thinking, that maybe I've been too monotone in where my thought process has been."

She highlighted a few other "sparks" shared in the room:

Okay: “I love that, because it's so simple and it's so true. Sometimes we just need that moment of, like, it's okay. Okay, I got this. Or okay, I can do it. Or, okay, stop freaking out.”

Breathe: “Somebody else's was 'breathe.' Absolutely. Always. But we forget about it and we hold that breath when we're holding on and trying to think about so much.”

Demetria’s work reminds us that the creative life ebbs and flows in a continuous cycle, honoring both the moments of high combustion and the slow, vital periods of preparation that keep the fire alive: 

"I believe we constantly have so many embers within us... We have to remember that they're simmering. They’re just waiting for that right moment to burst into flame."

A collective gift

This morning was made possible by a community of remarkable partners and volunteers:

Headstone Gallery for opening your beautiful space to us.

Bread Alone Bakery for the delicious bagels.

Rana Faure for helping the magic of the morning live on through your photography. [Explore the full photo gallery.]

And to everyone who joined us, thank you for being part of this. We’re so glad you’re here.

Our next get-together is Friday, May 29. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Instagram, so you’ll be the first to know when tickets go live. 

We’ll see you next month!

There’s a seat for you 

If any of this makes you want to get involved—whether it’s volunteering, sponsoring coffee or breakfast snacks, hosting us in your space, playing music, capturing photos or video—please reach out (hv@creativemornings.com). We’re building this chapter piece by piece, hand in hand, and we’d love for you to join us. There's always more room at the table.

Watch Nyla's full talk here!

There are some questions that seem simple on the surface, but carry entire stories within them.

“Where are you from?”

At our second CreativeMornings Hudson Valley gathering, hosted at The Fuller Building in Kingston, NY, that question became the doorway into a deeper conversation about identity, belonging, and the spaces in between. This month’s global theme, Local, invited us to look beyond geography and consider something more personal. 

Not just where we are, but where we feel we belong. The places that shape us, the ones we come from, leave, choose, and carry with us.

It felt only fitting that this conversation would be guided by Nyla Hasan, Co-Founder and Creative Director of the øther, whose work lives so fully in that space.

Nyla began with a simple but powerful truth:

“Belonging is a fundamental human need, not a luxury, not a nicety.”

It's something we all search for. Something we all carry questions around, and it isn't always straightforward.

Belonging is layered. Personal. Complex.

The in-between

"The øther was born out of the feeling I've carried most of my life," Nyla shared, "this state of in-betweenness, of not quite finding my footing within my own cultural heritages."

Growing up between Pakistan and Connecticut: "In Pakistan, I wasn't Pakistani enough. And in Connecticut, I was too 'other' to be from here."

But instead of trying to resolve that tension, Nyla chose to explore it.

"That tension between then and now, between here and there, is not the problem we're solving. That is the whole point."

Sitting with all the parts of herself — her identities, her experiences, her story — she arrived at something that shifted everything:

"I'm not a collection of fragments that can be switched on and off depending on the room I'm in. I am a whole person. And those truths exist in me all at once."

It was a reminder that we don't have to edit ourselves to belong. That wholeness is not something we earn. It's something we recognize.

The search for a common thread

To better understand her own experience, Nyla began speaking with others who had also lived between cultures.

"I wanted to find a common thread, and I found it. Across every conversation, it came back to the same thing: belonging. We all want to be seen. We all want to be understood and to feel like we didn't have to leave pieces of ourselves at the door to just exist in a space."

That desire to be fully seen became a foundation for everything that followed.

"When I started asking those big questions about identity and belonging, I knew that I wanted to build something with meaning. It just couldn't be for the sake of building."

That intention led to the creation of the øther.

"It's been my creative channel for exploring identity and belonging through fashion and storytelling. Because what we inherit — our roots, our culture, the places we've lived, our lived experiences — all of those things live within us in how we show up in the world."

Style as expression

Nyla invited us to consider something we often move through without much thought:

“Personal style is how our inner world shows up in the world around us.”

And then, a question:

“When you got dressed this morning, who were you dressing for? Were you dressing for yourself? Were you dressing for the room? And if you were dressing for the room, whose comfort were you prioritizing?”

An invitation to notice.

From there, Nyla introduced the idea of code flexing: showing up exactly as you are, on your own terms.

“Code flexing isn’t about performing. It’s about choosing. Choosing which parts of your story to bring forward on your own terms in every space you enter.”

Then Nyla shared the story of a garment that has followed her throughout her life.

“The kurta wasn’t just a piece of clothing. It was the first time I dressed on my own terms. Not Pakistani enough for one place, too ‘other’ for another, but fully myself in the in-between.”

It became her common thread. A physical expression of identity, memory, and belonging.

“And I think that’s what style is, at its most honest. It’s not about trends or aesthetics. It’s about showing up as a whole person… the one that carries everything you’ve inherited, every place you’ve lived, and everything that you are.”

Nyla returned to this throughout: the idea that identity is not fixed.

“It’s morphing. Ebbing and flowing. Not a static thing, but something that’s constantly evolving and changing… because we are constantly evolving.”

And in that evolution, there is space for curiosity. For growth. For redefining what belonging means over time.

Carry it with you

The things we carry — our stories, our identities, our histories — are not something to hide or simplify. They are something to create from.

And maybe belonging isn’t about finding a place where we fit perfectly.

Maybe it’s about learning to show up more fully as we are, and creating spaces where others feel they can do the same.

A collective gift

Nyla, thank you. What you shared with us, so openly and generously, we won't forget it.

This gathering was made possible by a community of remarkable partners and volunteers who helped bring the morning to life.

Thank you to The Fuller Building for graciously hosting us in a space so deeply rooted in creativity and community here in Kingston.

And to Samosa Shack for the incredible spread, including a vibrant chaat-cuterie board with bite-sized potato pea samosas and Tikka Masala nachos. You could truly feel the heart and story behind every bite.

A special thank you to our photographers, Rana Faure and Jay Ballesteros, and our filmmaker, Kevin Bruckner from Bruck Studios, for documenting the morning with such care and intention.

Because of you, this gathering doesn’t end when the room empties. The stories, the energy, the small moments of connection, they get to live on and reach far beyond this space.

We’re so grateful for the way you help capture not just what happened, but what it felt like. Explore the full photo gallery and watch Nyla's full talk here!

And to everyone who joined us, thank you for being part of this. We’re so glad you’re here.

Our next gathering is Friday, April 24. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Instagram, so you’ll be the first to know when tickets go live! 

We’ll see you next month!

There's room at the table

If any of this makes you want to get involved, in volunteering, sponsoring coffee or breakfast snacks, hosting us in your space, playing music, capturing photos or video, please reach out (hv@creativemornings.com). We’re building this chapter hand in hand with the community, and there’s room at the table.

Watch Millana's full talk — breathwork included — here!

Every community has a first moment.

For CreativeMornings Hudson Valley, it happened on a bright February morning. A room full of mostly strangers gathered early, mugs in hand, open to the beautiful possibilities that unfold when people come together.

“You got up early, you showed up to a room full of people you mostly don’t know yet,” said CreativeMornings Hudson Valley co-host Michael O’Neal. “That’s not nothing. It’s kind of brave.”

That small act of bravery is exactly what CreativeMornings was created for.

CreativeMornings began in 2008 in New York City with a simple idea: creative people deserve a place to gather, share coffee, hear something meaningful, and remember they’re not alone. That idea has grown into a global community of 255 chapters across 70 countries. And on this February morning, the Hudson Valley became one more place where that idea lives.

Where every path begins

Each month, CreativeMornings chapters explore a global theme. This month’s was Camino—the Spanish word for way or path.
The creative path, as many in the room knew well, is rarely straight. Some days it’s clear and full of momentum. Other days it’s shaped by doubt, detours, and unanswered questions. What we make is deeply influenced by how we move through those moments.

For this first gathering, it felt right to begin at the very start of every path. The thing we carry with us always.

The breath.

While dreaming up this chapter, CreativeMornings Hudson Valley co-host Cubby Graham was reading Millana’s new book, It’s All Within You. He shared how it made him reflect on his own relationship with his breath.

“The creative process doesn’t start in our heads," Cubby shared, "the creative process begins in our body. Our breath is powerful and it grounds us. It brings us back into our bodies and when we create from that place, our creative work tends to be more honest, more true, and more meaningful.”

With attention on the breath, we moved into the heart of the morning.

“The breath is the path to presence”

Our guest speaker, Millana Snow, began by sharing something she once tried to hide: her own struggles with breathing. That lived experience — and the realization she wasn't alone in it — is what led her to found Integrative Breathwork and write It's All Within You. She invited us to consider the creative path not as something we think our way through, but something we feel our way into.

“I've had a lot of trauma around my breath. Over the years I realized I wasn't the only one,” she said. “And that’s actually why I started doing breathwork in the first place.”

Millana reframed breath not as a wellness trend or performance tool, but a creative and emotional threshold. “Breath can be the doorway to our biggest breakthroughs.”

“What we’re really talking about today, when we talk about Camino,” she said, “is the journey from the head to the heart. The breath is the path to deeper presence.”

“Each breath is like a footstep, walking deeper into yourself.”

“Our society asks us to perform constantly. But the body doesn't lie. When we drop into it, there's nothing to fight. We just let go. And that's where more energy and aliveness live.”

Then she invited us to stop talking about it and experience it. What followed was a 15-minute guided breathwork practice, shared collectively. Some people lay on the floor. Some stayed seated. Some felt clarity, warmth, emotion, or relief. Others felt anxiety or resistance that never fully softened. All of it was welcome.

“Nothing to judge,” Millana repeated. “Just be present with it.”

The shift does not come from forcing calm or resisting discomfort. It comes from presence and patience. From staying with what is real long enough for the body to feel safe.

In a culture that asks creatives to constantly perform, produce, and explain themselves, this felt quietly radical. No optimization. No takeaway list. Just breath, attention, and a room full of people willing to show up as they were.

Audience members later shared what surfaced:

“My head’s been foggy all week. I feel clearer now.”
“It felt like my body had been waiting for me.”
“Breathing together helped me go deeper than I could alone.”
“I was anxious the whole time—and that’s okay. I know the shift continues after we leave.”

Millana reminded us that this, too, is part of the practice.

Another audience member shared, “I try to do breathwork every day, but the collective breath is really powerful. Hearing the community breathing, it’s like, oh, I was holding back. Okay, let me go deeper. I’m hearing depth.” This is at the heart of CreativeMornings. When we are in community with one another, something special happens. 

Watch Millana's full talk — breathwork included — here! And if you want to keep going, she's offering a free seven-day challenge at millanasnow.com. Her book, It's All Within You, is available there too.

A collective gift

From the generosity of Neuland, who opened their beautiful space to us, to the locally-inspired treats from Blue Aster Bakery and the delicious coffee from Mudd Puddle Coffee Roasters, this gathering was supported by so many who believe in community. We’re especially grateful to our incredible volunteers, and to Rana Faure, whose photography captured the heart of the morning, and Keenan O'Meara and Michael O'Neal, who documented it on film—this first CreativeMornings Hudson Valley was truly a gift made possible by so many generous hands. 

Everything you see at CreativeMornings is volunteer-led. It’s a labor of love. And that love was tangible in the room.

As Cubby shared at the close, “For a moment, you all came together to slow down, reconnect with yourselves and with each other. That’s what CreativeMornings is about. More than coffee. It’s friends. It’s belonging.”

Carry it with you

If there’s something to remember from this first morning, it’s this: the creative journey doesn’t live only in studios, laptops, or finished work. It lives in bodies. In breath. In community. 

And sometimes, the most meaningful step forward is simply pausing long enough to notice you’re not walking alone.

If any of this makes you want to get involved, in volunteering, sponsoring coffee or breakfast, hosting us in your space, playing music, capturing photos or video, please reach out. We’re building this chapter hand in hand with the community, and there’s room at the table.

Our next gathering is Friday, March 27. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Instagram, so you’ll be the first to know when tickets go live! 

We’re so excited to finally say this out loud...

CreativeMornings is coming to the Hudson Valley!

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re an early adopter. Someone who is curious, creative, community-minded, or all of the above. And we just want to say how honored we are that you’re here at the very beginning with us.

Over the past few months, we’ve been dreaming, planning, meeting new friends, reconnecting with old ones, and asking ourselves a simple question: what would it look like to create a space where creatives in the Hudson Valley can gather, connect, and feel like they truly belong?

Why the Hudson Valley?

The Hudson Valley is alive with creative energy. Artists, makers, musicians, chefs, writers, photographers, designers, and entrepreneurs are everywhere. There’s a deep love of craft here, a generosity of spirit, and a real desire to show up for one another.

People here care. They share ideas. They collaborate. They support each other’s work. That sense of connection is what makes this place so special, and it’s exactly why CreativeMornings feels like such a natural fit.

CreativeMornings is built on a belief we love deeply: everyone is creative, and everyone is welcome. Once a month, on a Friday morning, communities all over the world gather for coffee, conversation, and a short talk by a local voice. We’re proud to now be part of that global gathering, which spans hundreds of cities across dozens of countries, while keeping our own Hudson Valley heart and flavor.

What we’re building

Our hope for CreativeMornings Hudson Valley is simple.

We want to create a gathering that feels warm, inspiring, and human. A place where you can start your morning with good coffee, hear a thoughtful talk, meet someone new, and leave feeling a little more connected than when you arrived.

We believe the best gatherings are built with people, not just for them. That means creating opportunities for folks to contribute, share their gifts, and help shape what this becomes together.

Want to be part of it?

If this sparks something in you, we’d love to hear from you.

If you’re interested in volunteering, sponsoring coffee or breakfast, hosting us in your space, playing music, capturing photos or video, please reach out. We’re building this chapter hand in hand with the community, and there’s room at the table.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Instagram, so you’ll be the first to know when registration opens for our very first gathering. Trust us, you won’t want to miss it.

We’re so glad you’re here and can’t wait to gather with you soon.

With gratitude and excitement,

CreativeMornings Hudson Valley ☕✨