April's global theme is 'ember', and our special guest speaker will be media producer, entrepreneur, performer, and multidisciplinary creative director Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin who turns niche ideas into global cultural moments.



As a founding executive, Jessica blends creative leadership, sharp business strategy, and hands-on media production skills to build standout projects that have been proven successes with world-class clients and partners including Disney, Netflix, and the Food Network. Most recently she produced and hosted the broadcast TV miniseries Fun City, and created the global online brand Pies Are Awesome. Jessica's videos have been viewed over 100 million times online, and her work has been featured in hundreds of shows and publications around the world including the TODAY show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, Forbes, People, and Ripley’s Believe it or Not! "I like making things, and making things happen." — JLC-

Speaker Interview

Each month we ask our presenters some probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:

1. How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career?
   Starting off with the big questions! I know that “creativity” means something very different to different people, but to me it boils down to a different way of seeing/knowing, and recognizing the hidden patterns and connections in things. My most creative moments have happened when I saw a way that two seemingly very different things could potentially connect - like pies and pop culture, or fun and strategy, or pinecones and stairwells. Our brains are essentially pattern-seeking machines and the more unique things/concepts/experiences/skills we fill it with, the better we are able to find those patterns and connections that can lead to innovation and creative growth.
   
   
2. Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy?
   I don’t do well with routine. My brain needs a challenge, novelty, complexity to operate at peak capacity, so I am always on the hunt for something new to learn. My favourite way of topping up the creative battery tank (batteries have tanks, right?) is to switch gears from whatever field I’m working in and spend some time in a new realm. If I’m sculpting and get blocked, I’ll spend some time learning about flavour profiles. If I’m finding recipe development is getting dull, I’ll pick up my guitar and learn a new song. If I’m burnt out on TV producing, I’ll go on a mushroom hunt in the forest. (I don’t eat the mushrooms of course. Mushrooms are gross.)
   
   
3. What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person?
   I suppose I did “know” this as a young person, but I certainly did not internalize it: Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Cliche, but true. It took me a long time to fully understand what is actually involved in pulling off big creative ideas, and to develop the corresponding vetting techniques that helped me understand which of the zillion ideas on the table actually has the potential to go the distance.
   
   
4. Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings?
   Douglas Adams or Kurt Vonnegut. I would love to hear their thoughts on the current state of society and political discourse. Though I’d probably find the “folksy Boomer racism” a bit of an intellectual hurdle at first.
   
   
5. What myths about creativity would you like to set straight?
   Gosh, okay. Some controversial stuff coming up here:
   1) Collaboration and compromise are not always good for creativity—they can lead to group-think mediocrity. I love working with other people on many aspects of what I do. But sometimes what’s needed is a single spark from a single brain to set off the magic.
   2) Not everyone and every creative pursuit is destined for success if you “just keep trying.” I find many self help books and gurus disingenuous in this regard. They ignore the role privilege plays in so many success stories. Are there steps that you can take that will give you a better shot? For sure. But not everyone is starting with the same set of arrows in their quiver. That’s why it’s good to “pay it forward” and help out other deserving creatives when you can!
   3)“Luck” is a critical component in many creative success stories. You increase your chances of being in the right place at the right time if you work hard, cultivate skills, are well connected, and have access to resources, absolutely. But somewhere along the lines most creative success stories include a serendipitous moment, a chance encounter, a meaningful coincidence that sets the ball in motion. So stay humble. There truly is no such thing as the wholly “self-made man/woman”.
   4) “Extrinsic motivation” is not a dirty word (dirty phrase?) For dopamine chasers like me, a bit of extrinsic motivation - like the pressure of a deadline or impending public showing - is super helpful in crushing the procrastination bug. Neurotypical people don’t always realize that some people need that extra push to take care of business - even to complete tasks that are actually enjoyable to the neurospicy creatives!.
   
   
6. What keeps you awake at night?
   I have OCD (the real kind, not the influencer kind), so… everything? But I find my zen in remembering that the world has been a dumpster fire before (look up the year 536) and humans are really great at adpating to new normals. And one day the earth will fall into the sun. I do what I can to add to the good and lessen the bad and enjoy the moments. Moments are all we get.
   
   
7. What was the best advice you were ever given?
   About ten or 15 years ago, someone said to me “You’re always so concerned about whether people like you or hate you. The reality is, most people don’t think about you at all.” Man, that stuck with me. It wasn’t framed as advice, but nothing said to me since has had as profound an impact on my outlook. On your best day, on your worst day, the momentary blip of attention you get from the crowd is not going to last in their minds, so don’t carry the pride or the shame. Focus on the relationships that really matter in your life - the people you actually know and love, not the parasocial silliness we’ve grown accustomed to.
   
   
8. What fact about you would surprise people?
   Hm, lessee… I sold vacuum cleaners door to door in university. I used to teach actors how to sword fight and was an epee fencer a billion years ago. I only own one pair of pants, and they were bought as an April Fools joke. I own 15 guitars, and yes, I need all of them (different tones!)*
   
   
9. What music are you listening to these days?
   Everything. But especially Iron Maiden because I’m currently working on The Trooper.
   
   
10. What are you reading these days?
    LEGO instruction booklets.
    
    
11. If you could open a door and go anywhere, where would that be?
    Is the door reusable? Can I get back after? If yes, then I’d go back in time. My fave thing to do is to meet interesting and creative new people, so I feel like that would afford me some pretty groovy opportunities… But wait, are we assuming a Fixed Timeline universe, or like a Many Worlds Theory thing here? I’d hate to find out I’m my own grandmother or something… I’m probably overthinking the whole question..
    
    
12. If you could do anything now, what would you do?
    I would love to host and produce a TV show that helps people have more creative and joyful life experiences. Or be a shape-shifting mermaid cyborg with laser eyes. That’d be pretty cool too.

Musical Guest

🎵This event will kick off with a live musical performance by accomplished guitarist and composer Ehab Guitarrista🎶

A lifelong student of Classical Guitar, Ehab has studied flamenco with Grammy-winning maestro Antonio Rey and jazz in Vancouver, developing a style that weaves flamenco with jazz, Latin, and classical influences. A seasoned performer, musical director, and educator, he has appeared at major festivals and venues across Canada, including sold-out solo concerts and international flamenco festivals.

Presenting Partner

The Tyee is an independent, online news magazine from B.C. founded in 2003, devoted to fact-driven stories, reporting and analysis that informs and enlivens our democratic conversation. Tyee’s reporting has changed laws, started movements and garnered numerous awards. While some journalism gives the last word to power, they give the last word to ordinary folks.

How to Register for this Event

Join us on April 10th from 8:15-10am at the Vancouver Art Gallery by registering here.

At each CMVan event, the 30-second pitch segment gives audience members a chance to step on stage and spotlight upcoming local creative events happening around the city.

We send out a more detailed newsletter with the below events to our mailing list once a month. Subscribe to receive the next one.

For now, you can click on the below links to learn more about each of these creative events. 

1. Inspire Health: Supportive Cancer Care (donate)
2. field & onto studio (propose an exhibition or join studio rental waitlist)
3. Creative Forces Feature: Jenn Farrell (Tyee series)
4. Donate/Volunteer/Become a CMVan Support Partner (email us at vancouver@creativemornings.com)
5. Exhibition at Wil Aballe (March 6-April 4)
6. Level Up! Season 2: Series by Adobe (starts March 10)
7. Facilitation Lab Vancouver: Liberating Structures (March 16)
8. An Intimate Evening of Music with Miss Emily at Gallary @ Artech (March 19)
9. Likemind Vancouver: Coffee & Conversation (March 20)
10. Spring Social for Commercial Creatives, Marketers, & Strategists (March 26)
11. Highlights from the Collection: Vancouver Art Gallery (opens March 27)
12. Something Good Retreats: One Day Pocket Retreat (March 29)
13. First Saturday: Visit artists where they work (April 4)
14. Raising the Bar: Scene Study with Ben Immanuel (April 26-May 31)
15. Infedels Jazz Presents: The Music of Miles Davis and Gil Evans (May 3)

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The next CMVan event is happening on April 10th
and will feature media producer, entrepreneur, performer, and multidisciplinary creative director Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin. Get your ticket here.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Speaking of incredible women… meet Jenn! A creative force, a critically acclaimed fiction author, a former national bodybuilder and visionary founder of Witness the Fitness (WTF).

Do you dread going to the gym? The WTF team has you covered - they call it “the gym for people who hate the gym. Launched in 2020, WTF is a women and LGBT!2S(IA)+ centered gym designed intentionally as a safe space for all to feel good in their bodies.

“We want people to come as they are, and we’ll meet you there, even if you’ve never done any exercise in your life.” Jenn says. And WTF  proves this through every detail: the welcoming atmosphere, community-first programs, and the heart behind it all, the caring and expert staff.:

Read the full interview with Jenn: https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2026/03/06/Jenn-Farrell-Creative-Force/

You won’t want to miss this one!

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Creative Forces is a Tyee + CreativeMornings/Vancouver series that spotlights people in the community who are using their creativity as a force for good. Nominate someone here.

The postcard of our March 2026 speaker Ben Immanuel was illustrated by 4th year student from IDEA Program at Capilano University, Anna Burtseva.

The text is from our interview with Immanuel, and reads: "I can't define creativity, but I can say that it has defined me. I am what I create, for better or worse."

All audience members will receive their own copy of this limited edition postcard, printed by Mitchell Press Ltd, at our March 6th event. Get your ticket.

Our theme for March is LOCAL (pronounced lo·cal). In Portuguese it means “place or being a resident or native to a particular area.” It was chosen by our Santos chapter in Brazil and illustrated by Simone Matias.

Our Santos chapter had this to say about the significance of this month’s theme: “We are proud to be from Santos. The feeling of loving the city but sometimes moving away. The benefits of belonging somewhere.”

Each month, a different CreativeMornings chapter chooses a theme for all global CM talks taking place in cities around the world. This year, many of our monthly themes will be in that chapter’s local language.

The hope is that this will give each theme a richer meaning and foster deeper connections to other communities and cultures.

Here's some resources to inspire your own reflections on this month's theme:

1. March Themed Playlist: Local
   Different regions have strong connections to distinct musical genres. Listen this collection of songs about different places in our playlist for March’s theme LOCAL curated by our community around the world.

The global theme in March is 'local', and our presenter will be actor, writer, director, and teacher Ben Immanuel.

Immanuel has over 100 screen credits and more than a dozen awards, including the 2013 UBCP/ACTRA John Juliani Award for Outstanding Achievement. He’s starred in films that have screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, and Berlin International Film Festival, and directed award-winning, theatrically released features Down River and Moving Malcolm, plus the recent Are We Done Now?. His television work includes directing Robson Arms for CTV and developing original series for Canadian networks. Since 2002, he’s been the founder and director of Haven Acting Studio, where working pros and up-and-comers train in rigorous, no-shortcuts craft.

Speaker Interview

Each month we ask our presenters some probing questions to give us a deeper glimpse into their life and relationship with creativity:

1. How do you define creativity and apply it in your life and career?
   I can’t define creativity, but I can say that it has defined me. In life and career, I am what I create, for better or worse.
   
   
2. Where do you find your best creative inspiration or energy?
   The deeper the wound, the more I need to create something and the better the result will be. When I have attempted to create purely to entertain or make a buck, I have failed quite miserably.
   
   
3. What’s one piece of creative advice or a tip you wish you’d known as a young person?
   Learn the difference between being able to take constructive criticism and allowing someone to dump their personal baggage on you in the name of art.
   
   
4. Who (living or dead) would you most enjoy hearing speak at CreativeMornings?
   Too many to choose from, but whoever it would be, I would want the speaker to be disarmingly honest, openly vulnerable, and genuinely grateful for the opportunity to engage with the audience. And they have to be funny! Perhaps (on a good day) Richard Pryor would fit this description.
   
   
5. What keeps you awake at night?
   I am kept awake at night by work I have not done, trauma I have not processed, things I cannot control, and food I have not digested.
   
   
6. What are you proudest of in your life?
   Haven Acting Studio, the home base that I founded and have kept thriving for over 2 decades, is my most on-going, meaningful contribution to my community and in turn, society as a whole. I am also proud to be doing the on-going work to break certain cycles of behaviour in order to become a more aware and less reactive person.
   
   
7. What was the best advice you were ever given?
   I can’t say what’s the best advice, because I have been blessed with so many great teachers in my life, but when I was a competitive amateur boxer, I was beaten by the same opponent in three consecutive bouts, each time worse that the last. After the third defeat, I walked across the ring, my nose broken, and asked his coach, “What’s your secret?” He looked me square in the eye and said, “No secret, son. Hard work.”
   
   
8. What has been one of your biggest Aha! moments in life?
   Perhaps it sounds cliché or corny, but when I learned to truly love and validate my “inner child” and stopped expecting other people to do that for me, everything changed for the better.

Musical Guest

🎵Our live musical performance will feature James Danderfer, an award‑winning Vancouver‑based saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.🎶

Danderfer is an acclaimed composer, performer, recording artist, and the Artistic Director of the Vancouver Jazz Orchestra. His recordings highlight a distinctive voice rooted in the jazz tradition, including his most recent album, If Not Now, featuring NYC heavyweights Miki Yamanaka and Steve Davis. James also teaches music and improvisation at VSO School of Music, VCC, and Capilano University.

How to Register for this Event

Join us on March 6th from 8:15-10am at the Vancouver Art Gallery by registering here.

Meet the fourth feature in the Tyee's Creative Forces series: Hossein Martin Fazeli.

Hossein Martin Fazeli has worked as a filmmaker for 26 years, during which time he has also authored six books of poetry in Persian, his native language. He’s now at work on his seventh.

Born in Shiraz, Iran, Fazeli has lived most of his adult life in Canada. “Iran still occupies a very large space in my heart,” he said. “My relationship with Iran is layered and complex — and perhaps why three of my films focus on it. I care deeply about my roots.”

Don’t miss the full interview at: 
https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2026/02/06/Hossein-Martin-Fazeli-Creative-Force/

At each CMVan event, the 30-second pitch segment gives audience members a chance to step on stage and spotlight upcoming local creative events happening around the city.

We send out a more detailed newsletter with the below events to our mailing list once a month. Subscribe to receive the next one.

1. That Green Ideal: Emily Carr and the Idea of Nature (Opening Feb 6th)
2. First Saturday: Visit artist's where they work (Feb 7)
3. Painting Workshops: Acrylic & Pastels (multiple dates) 
4. Lego: Serious Play Workshops (Feb 9) & Facilitator Certification (Feb 20-21)
5. RGD Brand Trivia Night (Feb 11)
6. Black Gold Stepper House Party (Feb 28)
7. Fire & Flower workshops (Mar 16 & 23)
8. Likemind Vancouver, Coffee & Conversation (Feb 20)
9. Creative Forces Feature: Hossein Martin Fazeli (Tyee series) 

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The next CMVan event is happening on March 6th
and will feature actor, writer, director, and teacher Ben Immanuel. Get your ticket here.

Our theme for February is CAMINO (pronounced: Kah-Mee-Noh). It was chosen by our Oviedo chapter in Asturias, Spain and illustrated by Marta Vila. Camino is a Spanish word meaning “path” or “way.”

Each month, a different CreativeMornings chapter chooses a theme for all global CM talks taking place in cities around the world. This year, many of our monthly themes will be in that chapter’s local language.

The hope is that this will give each theme a richer meaning and foster deeper connections to other communities and cultures.

Here's some resources to inspire your own reflections on this month's theme:

1. February Themed Playlist 
   Let your ears take a journey listening to this lpaylist of songs related to CAMINO, selected by our community around the world. Listen. 
   
   
2. Connect + Reflect: A CM Mixer
   This free, online mixer is designed to bring the global CM community together around our monthly themes. RSVP for the event on Feb 26th from 1:30-2:30 PT to discuss this month's theme. Join the FieldTrip.

The postcard of our February 2026 speaker Krystle Dos Santos was illustrated by 4th year student from IDEA Program at Capilano University, Alisa Nguyen.

The text is from our interview with Dos Santos, and reads: “The more vulnerable and personal you make your art, the more authentic, relatable, and meaningful it will be."

All audience members will receive their own copy of this limited edition postcard, printed by Mitchell Press Ltd, at our Febru 6th event. Get your ticket.