#cmpdx

[creativemorningsportland]

#CMpunk

Our theme for June is PUNK.

🎸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 and social. 🎵

Does the system feel broken 

Staring at our screens

Not hearing the screams

Wake up wake up wake up

We’re not meant to go it alone 

Find your people lift them up

Do what you can with what you got

Wake up wake up wake up

Your creativity can save you

What you gonna make

What you gonna change

Wake up wake up wake up

🎸🎵🧷

This theme was chosen by our Bologna chapter in Italy and illustrated by Cristina Portolano.

[creativemorningspdx]

#CMRITUAL

Our theme for September is REFLECTION.

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.

Without reflection, there can be no personal growth. Learning from our past yields greater wisdom and happiness. But don’t let self-awareness turn into self-absorption. Take heed of the Greek myth of Narcissus, who fell in love with his own handsome reflection in a pool of water. 

Reflecting on difficult moments can be painful but also healing. When our Oklahoma City chapter selected this theme, they mentioned a reflecting pool at the site of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that was designed to help people reflect on how they were changed by that tragic event. 

Pondering the world around us and following our curiosity adds depth to our creative work. As William Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, the purpose of acting is “to hold as 'twere the mirror up to nature.” While George Bernard Shaw said, “you use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul.” (Although Bertolt Brecht countered, “Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.”)

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

The theme was chosen by our Oklahoma City chapter in Oklahoma and illustrated by Aditi Heins.

[chamsramble]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chamisa Kellogg • Illustrator (@studio.chamisa)

Been working on some little animations for CreativeMornings Portland. Here's a bike (a necessary item if we're describing Portland) 😊 . . . #animation #procreate #bike #portlandartist #portlandoregon #cmpdx #chamanimates #nightsky #photoshop #illustration (at Portland, Oregon) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9SZmuVB7Q3/?igshid=4tx79xjfrt8t

[pheezy]

#cmpdx

[kbbblog]

So many good take aways from the @jendelosreyes Creative Mornings talk this morning! This was one of many! #cmpdx (at Ford Building-Live, Work, Create)

[creativemorningsportland]

#CMrevival

Our theme for May is REVIVAL.

“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.

This theme was chosen by our Fort Worth chapter in Texas and illustrated by Mariell Guzman.

[creativemorningspdx]

AUGUST'S THEME IS CRITICAL

To be critical means to be like a sieve, dividing and separating. Our critical abilities allows us to discern the insubstantial from the made-to-last, the credible from the untrustworthy, the sincere from the ego-driven. We do so by gathering more information, seeking nuance, and locating something in its specific context.

Critical feedback is essential for our growth. Poet Adrienne Rich advises, “Responsibility to yourself means seeking out criticism, recognizing that the most affirming thing anyone can do for your is demand that you push yourself further.”

But being needlessly critical — especially of ourselves — can stifle the creative impulse. Few are as harsh as our own internal critic. How can we hone our perception, spotting what needs to evolve, without becoming ruthless? How can we remain astute while not losing sight of all that is inherently good and whole? It’s critical.

Our Calgary chapter chose this month’s exploration of Critical, Maedeh Mosaverzadeh illustrated the theme, and Mailchimp is presenting the theme.

[nhackett]

Portland/CreativeMornings - Aaron James Draplin

Aaron James Draplin (draplin.com) came to Creative Mornings in Portland in March 2012.  His talk is so inspirational, not just as an artist/creative/wanker-bullshit but also just as a person.  The way he lives his life is the way we all should.  

Save a bit, create a bit, love a lot and be a top bloke

[creativemorningsportland]

#CMcrossroads

Our theme for April is CROSSROADS.

We all reach turning points in life that change the course of our destiny. Should you break up or give your relationship another chance? Accept that job offer or strike out on your own? 

What’s the best way to go? Continue straight ahead? Or turn left? When you’re faced with a crucial decision, there’s no map that shows where the consequences lead. And sometimes, you only recognize a crossroads when you see it in the rearview mirror. 

No wonder that in folklore and mythology, crossroads represent a gateway between our mortal coil and the supernatural realm. An in-between place of transition, where worlds collide, and anything can happen next. 

Legend has it that the greatest blues guitarist in the world, Robert Johnson, met the devil at the crossroads of two dirt roads at midnight and struck a bargain to trade his everlasting soul for masterful skill. But there was no deal with the devil. In reality, he practiced like hell.

So, how do you decide which way to go next? Just pick what feels right. Because there’s no wrong choice. Only different journeys to where you’re meant to be.

This theme was chosen by our Wroclaw chapter in Poland, illustrated by Joanna Gniady, and is presented by Adobe.

[creativemorningsportland]

#CMlayers

Our theme for February is LAYERS.

Simplicity provides clarity, but layers give our work a richer complexity and depth. 

Musicians fuse melodies, harmonies, and rhythms to create more dynamic compositions. While other artists use a juxtaposition of colors, textures, images or materials for greater visual impact. The creative magic happens when those choices conjure different interpretations and emotions. 

Because people have layers too. Just like a collage is created by overlapping layers of found materials, we pile up experiences that form our beliefs and reactions. 

The cliché “beauty is only skin deep” means that a pleasant appearance does not guarantee a virtuous character. We are a mess of competing emotions and personality traits. So how we act to the outside world doesn’t always reflect how we feel inside. We make polite chit chat when it takes vulnerable conversations to form meaningful connections. 

Surface level pleasantries and superficial decoration have their place. But it is the layers that give life meaning. We must peel them away to discover our deeper truths.

LAYERS was chosen by our Lausanne chapter in Switzerland and illustrated by Catherine Olivia Pearson.

[opuscreative]

Coffee, donuts and urbanism. Thank you CreativeMornings for another wonderful speaker! #cmpdx (at Ziba Auditorium)