Lauren Danuser

Our theme for July is MENTOR. It was chosen by our Glasgow chapter in Country/State and illustrated by Molly Hankinson, and is presented by Adobe.

No one is born with all the knowledge and skills they’ll need to thrive in life. That’s why kids go to school. But we shouldn’t stop learning once we graduate. We need to find new teachers.A mentor doesn’t have to be an expert or the top of their field. Just someone who’s been there and done that before. Someone to show you the way and offer a bit of advice and encouragement. Ideally, they’re willing to make introductions and mention your name when you’re not in the room.Being a mentor is considered a way of giving back. But mentors get just as much out of the relationship, if not more. Beyond the satisfaction of helping, mentors also learn from their mentees. From a fresh way of looking at established practices to tackling new problems with a beginner’s mind.So, ask for help. We all could use a guide as we climb. Find your mentors and be a mentor in return. Your plans for growth are more likely to succeed if they include lifting others up as you rise.

Our theme for June is PUNK. It was chosen by our Bologna chapter in Italy and illustrated by Cristina Portolano.

🎸The description for this month’s theme is written in the style of lyrics to a punk rock song. If you know a band that wants to put them to music, we’ll feature their cover song of our punk rock anthem on the CreativeMornings blog. 🎵

Does the system feel broken
Staring at our screens
Not hearing the screamsWake up wake up wake upWe’re not meant to go it alone
Find your people lift them up
Do what you can with what you gotWake up wake up wake upYour creativity can save you
What you gonna make
What you gonna changeWake up wake up wake up🎸🎵🧷

Our theme for May is REVIVAL. It was chosen by our Fort Worth chapter in Texas and illustrated by Mariell Guzman.

“Everything old is new again” sums up the revivals that bubble up throughout culture. Clothing styles, art movements, and all kinds of things come back into fashion decades after their original popularity waned. It’s a useful paradigm. Take something old, dust it off, and adapt it to suit the present moment.

But are there really no original ideas left? Has everything been done? Does it matter? New context adds new meaning. You can recycle whatever you want, just make it your own. Lots of things from the past are worth saving from obscurity.

What we need is a few more revivals.

A revival of empathy and understanding.

Kindness and caring.

A revival of handwritten notes and holding open doors for strangers.Let’s pursue hobbies and join clubs instead of optimizing and monetizing every hour.

Bring back boredom and curiosity.

It’s time for a revival of the golden rule.

It’s up to you to distill the best of the past and create a better future.

Our theme for April is “Crossroads”. It was chosen by our Wroclaw chapter in Poland and illustrated by Joanna Gniady.

We all reach turning points in life that change the course of our destiny. Should you continue straight? Or turn left? There’s no map that shows where the consequences lead.In folklore and mythology, crossroads represent a gateway between our mortal coil and the supernatural realm. An in-between place of transition, where anything can happen next.How do you decide which way to go? There’s no wrong choice. Only different journeys to where you’re meant to be.

Our theme for March is PARALLEL. It was chosen by our Kuala Lumpur chapter in Malaysiaand illustrated by OLI.

Like train tracks receding in the distance, our lives eventually hit the end of the line. Along the way, people tend to live parallel lives. Work. School. Eat. Sleep. Rinse and repeat. We exist side by side with strangers. Always keeping the same distance of anonymity between us.But unlike those tracks, our paths don’t run in straight lines. We can meet someone new at every turn. We may be living parallel lives. But we don’t have to go through them alone.

Our theme for February is LAYERS. It was chosen by our Lausanne chapter in Switzerland and illustrated by Catherine Olivia Pearson.

Simplicity provides clarity, but layers give our work a richer complexity and depth. Just like a collage is created by overlapping layers of found materials, we pile up experiences that form our beliefs and reactions. People have layers too.It is the layers that give life meaning. We must peel them away to discover our deeper truths.

Our theme for January is JOURNEY. It was chosen by our Muscat chapter in Oman and illustrated by Salim Al Salami. 

As we travel through life, everyone you meet is at a different point in their own unique journey. Some of us know where we’re going. While other paths are full of twists, turns, and obstacles thrown in our way. The trick is to embrace the detours and delays. Because there are no shortcuts on a journey of self-discovery or creative expression. 

Just please remember: you are not traveling alone.

Our theme for December is CYCLE. It was chosen by our Freiburg chapter in Germany and illustrated by Isabell Meister. 

Our world runs on cycles. There’s the frantic buzz of the 24-hour news cycle. The boom and bust of economic cycles. The changing seasons. Every plant, animal, and organism exists in a life cycle of birth, growth, reproduction, and death. Water flows through a cycle of evaporation into vapor to condensation in clouds to precipitation that falls as rain or snow. The menstrual cycle. The circadian rhythm of our sleep cycle. 

Cycles are circular and keep things moving. Which cycles are you living in tune with? And which ones are you fighting vainly against?

Our theme for November is THREAD. It was chosen by our Derby chapter in the United Kingdom, illustrated by Carla Dee, and is presented by our global partner Adobe.

Have you ever pulled on a loose thread in a sweater or sock? Things can unravel quickly. 

The creative process can feel like that. A nagging thought, an imperfect bit, or a big tangled mess. But maybe that thread is trying to tell you something. Follow it and see where it takes you.

Our theme for September is REFLECTION. It was chosen by our Oklahoma City chapter in Oklahoma and illustrated by Aditi Heins.

Just like an echo is a reflection of sound… and how a camera lens focuses reflected light to form a photograph… our subconscious reflects on our experiences to form our beliefs.

Reflection turns our traumas and triumphs into lessons. It’s how we can create a vision for a brighter future.