Our theme for October is SOFT. It was chosen by the Victoria chapter in British Columbia, Canada and illustrated by Leah McInnis.

The world feels hard in so many ways. Couldn’t we all use more softness?

Soft is gentle, empathic, and vulnerable. But being soft is not a weakness. It is a sign of deeper strength. Having the courage to walk through life without armor. A willingness to listen before speaking. Welcoming whatever comes with open palms. Pulling someone close for a hug.

What if our work was softer? What would we make with a little tenderness? Art that truly resonates. Innovations that heal instead of harm. Communities that hold one another instead of tearing other people down.

Soft can be a quiet form of resistance. Practice subtlety, trust, and intimacy in a world that celebrates loud braggadocio, knee-jerk reactions, and blunt force.

Let’s snuggle up and let down our guard. Soft can be our salvation.

Join us on October 24th as our speaker, Angie Enger, explores this theme.Wildly Creative Wellness will also be providing art journaling pages so we can express our own Softness. Reserve your free spot here.

✨ September Wrap-Up

Thrilled to share the September video + photos with you. Here’s just a smattering of the Blossoming we had collectively last month.

Huge thanks to Brightside Media Productions & Entwined Studio for capturing the video + photos, respectively. And to Vinni Taneja, our fab speaker. We appreciate you!

🌸 Announcing the September theme

Our theme for September is BLOSSOM. It was chosen by our Pereira chapter in Colombia, illustrated by Edwin Morales, and is presented by Adobe.  

Every blossom is an act of becoming. The quiet force of roots pushing through the dark, the slow unfurling of a bud, a sudden burst of color. But plants don’t blossom on command. Each flower requires the right amount of sunlight, water, and nourishment across the cycle of the seasons. 

It’s the same for creativity. Our next idea lies dormant, while we fertilize our mind. With attention, protection, and space to play, our work becomes what it is meant to be. Petal by petal, the passion inside us bursts into a glorious bouquet.

But remember that flowers don’t bloom purely for their own sake. They share their fragrance, attract pollinators, and serve the larger ecosystem. Your creativity needs to pollinate as well. So, share your gift. Spread more ideas, more beauty, and more courage. 

To truly blossom, you must take the risk of opening up. This is your season. You deserve to be seen. Offer your abundance of color to the world! 

Ask yourself, “what within me is ready to blossom?” “What can I nurture to help others do the same?” And then join us on Friday to explore this theme together.

Ohmygosh, our photos are ready! And the video is ready!

Go relive the magic of our inaugural event…I know I am!

CreativeMornings Montclair

Rasheed J. Daniel | Rasheed J. Daniel on “Nomad” | CreativeMornings/MTC

🚀 It's tomorrow!

Tomorrow’s the big day — CreativeMornings Montclair’s very first event! We can’t wait to see our community come together at Lackawanna Station. Here’s what’s happening:

Agenda
🕤 9:30 — Doors open! Check in, grab bagels + coffee, color our big community map (the theme is Nomad after all), and stop by the Collaboration Station.
🔊 10:00 — Talk begins with our inaugural speaker, Rasheed J. Daniel
❓ 10:30 — Q&A kicks off
🎤 10:45 — Talk wraps
👋 11:00 — Event ends, but feel free to stick around at Lackawanna! Bring your laptop, hop on our free wifi, and keep the creative energy flowing for as long as you’d like.

Helpful info
🚗 Parking: 1 Lackawanna Plaza or 227 Bloomfield Ave. Be sure to pay via the HONK app or QR codes in the lot.
♿ Accessibility: Lackawanna Station is fully ADA accessible — no stairs required.
☕️ Breakfast: Coffee, bagels, and coffee cake provided by Harper’s Café & Walnut St Bagels & Co (and included in your free ticket).

✨ Haven’t RSVPed yet? Tickets are free, but space is limited — grab yours here.

❌ Already have a ticket but can’t make it? Please release it so someone else can join. First, make sure you’re logged in to your CreativeMornings account. Then, head to this page and click the big red “Release your ticket” button at the top.

We’re so excited to make history with this very first CreativeMornings in NJ. See you tomorrow morning!

☕️ + 🥯 + 🥮 for our 1st event!

We are thrilled to share that in addition to coffee from Harper’s Cafe, we’ll be serving bagels + coffee cake from Walnut Street Bagels & Co! Thank you both for your sponsorship - it’s so appreciated (and so delicious)!

And yes - everything is still FREE. So make sure you come hungry to our first event on 8/22 because we got you!

Have you grabbed your ticket yet?

🎟️ Tickets are LIVE for our inaugural event!

I know, I know, we initially weren’t going to release them until the week of the event…but we’re too excited and didn’t want to wait that long! Also, I’m too much of a Type A planner to leave it so close to the event date. 🤓

Register in 1 click for $0 right here.

And tell a friend or 10, will ya? Sharing that link above and/or this Instagram post would be so helpful & appreciated!

Can’t wait to see you there!

👋 Seeking sponsors + volunteers

CreativeMornings runs on volunteers, and we’re still looking for:
🤟 a sign language interpreter
💻 a graphic designer
📱 a social media marketer
🪧 an event decorator
☀️ day of volunteers
🤩 future speakers, videographers &/or photographers (we’re all set for the first one!)

CreativeMornings is rooted in non-transactional generosity, so while we can’t pay, we will give our volunteers all the linkbacks and shoutouts we can! You can join us for just one event or raise your hand to be more long-term - totally up to you and your bandwidth. 💓

We’re also looking for sponsors so we can buy fun stuff to enhance our meetings as well as pay for the coffee + breakfast we’ll provide each month. Donations always welcome, too! 🤑

If you want to get involved, please email montclair@creativemornings.com. All the thanks in advance!

Save the dates! 🗓️

Mark your calendars because we have the dates & times for our CreativeMornings meetings for the rest of 2025, all taking place from 9:30-11am at Lackawanna Station:

• Friday 8/22 ⬅️ Theme: “Nomad”
• Friday 9/26
• Friday 10/24
• Friday 11/21
• Friday 12/19

An FYI that we plan to schedule our meetings the last Friday morning of each month except when holidays conflict, like they do during the holiday season.

Stay tuned for the details + monthly themes + registration links closer to each event!

We’ve got our mic, New Jersey! 🎤

We’re so thrilled to write our intro post for the first CreativeMornings chapter in New Jersey! That’s right: the Garden State is finally on the global creative map, and it’s starting right here in Montclair.

Why? Because this town is bursting at the seams with creative talent. We’ve got award-winning actors and bestselling authors, artists and musicians, multi-hyphenates and side-hustlers, all living on the same tree-lined streets. We’re the home of the Montclair Film Festival, the Montclair Literary Festival, Montclair Jazz Festival, Montclair Theater Festival, Montclair Art Museum…I can go on.

What we don’t have? A consistent, centralized, radically welcoming space to bring all these creative humans together. So… I did what any good community-builder would do: I applied for a chapter. Because Montclair (and northern NJ!) isn’t just ready - it’s hungry for this space.And counting on NJ Transit to get us to the NYC meetings by 8am each month? Fuggedaboutit.

🤔 So, what is CreativeMornings?

Local speakers. Coffee. Inspiration. New friends. Think TED Talk, but chill. Every month. Totally free.

CreativeMornings exists in 250+ cities in 70 countries, and we’re so proud to be one of them. You can learn more about CreativeMornings right here.

👋 Who’s the host & where will we meet?

Hi! I’m Michelle Ward (she/her) - the host of CreativeMornings/Montclair and your friendly neighborhood creative cheerleader. I started out in musical theater and then became a business coach for fellow creatives. For the last 15+ years, I’ve helped hundreds of my clients launch and grow businesses they love - and even found my way back to the stage after a decade away, making a point to belt it out in a community theater musical at least once a year.

Now I’m the Co-Founder and General Manager of RecRoom, a big, bright coworking and community space that’ll open here in Montclair this fall. It’ll be our chapter’s home base, but until then, we’ll be meeting in The Big Room at Lackawanna Station. Surrounded by murals from world-renowned and local artists, it’s the perfect place to meet cool people, hear a great talk, and remember you’re not in this alone.

That’s what we’re here for: a space to gather, share stories + wisdom + tips, get inspired, and feel less alone in the creative grind. Also? Caffeine.

🙋🏽 Wanna get involved?

📬 Sign up for updates in your inbox
🧡 Follow us on Instagram
👩🏻‍💻 Create a profile (or update your current one!) with Montclair as your Home Chapter
✉️ Interested in sponsoring, speaking, or volunteering? Email us at montclair@creativemornings.com