6 Things You Need to Know about CreativeMornings Minneapolis
Does your creativity tank need to be topped off? For CreativeMornings/Minneapolis, it doesn't matter if you are an artist, an entrepreneur or a herbivorous butcher, the people behind the event series believe that everyone and anyone can wield a creative spear both in work and in life. Host Drew Gneiser gives us a taste of CreativeMornings in the video above and lays out six other essential facts to know about the series that is, at its core, "fueled by generosity."
1.) FREE
Yes, it's free, but registration is a must, and these events fill up quickly.
"It's a unique way to do an event. It can be a lot harder to do it for free, but we want to keep CreativeMornings really accessible to anyone to come who wants to come to be inspired and never let any of those barriers get in the way," Gneiser says.
2.) COFFEE AND BREAKFAST
Local coffee and food establishments partner with CreativeMornings/Minneapolis to provide the essential sustenance to drive those early morning conversations and get those synapses firing. As Gneiser points out, there is a lot of creativity in those industries and, by keeping it local, offering local food and beverages is a great way to celebrate what people are doing here.
3.) DIFFERENT LOCATION EACH MONTH
While it's always the third Friday of each month, CreativeMornings/Minneapolis partners with numerous local organizations around Saint Paul and Minneapolis such as Mia, Mixed Blood Theatre and the Science Museum of Minnesota to host the events. As Gneiser says, "Different venues have different energies, and it's great to bring in a couple hundred creative people into these spaces to feel filled up in different ways."
4.) VOLUNTEER RUN
Did you see all those green CreativeMornings/Minneapolis t-shirts in the video? From the check-in booth peeps and event photographers to the speakers and host Gneiser, himself, this event series is totally volunteer run.
5.) GLOBAL THEME
Each month, one of the nearly 200 chapters of CreativeMornings across the globe curates a theme, associated artwork and the content surrounding it. The theme is then celebrated around the world.
6.) NEW SPEAKER EACH MONTH
Aiming to inspire attendees with new ideas, CreativeMornings/Minneapolis invites speakers from the Twin Cities' creative and entrepreneurial communities to share their stories in concert with that month's theme, and the list is impressive: Brother Ali, Mary Jo Hoffman, Yia Vang, Sahra Noor, among others. When Twin Cities PBS visited CreativeMornings/Minneapolis, Bethany Iverson and Alex West Steinman, two of the co-founders of The Coven, a community and co-working space for women and non-binary folks, took the stage.
But if you missed an event, never fear. You can see each of the full talks online.
Special Thanks: Science Museum of Minnesota
Minnesota Music: Noah Hoehn, The Shiny Lights
Production Team: Matt Mead, Amy Melin, Brittany Shrimpton
This story is made possible by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
