If you are a creative person and need some inspiration, if you are a morning person or if you just want to start the day in a productive and positive way, Creative Mornings is the right place for you!
The concept started in 2008, when Tina Roth Eisenberg wanted to do something to spark the interest in the creative community from New York. It was very simple: a delicious breakfast, coffee and an interesting but short lecture on one Friday morning every month. Since then, Creative Mornings has spread in 208 cities all over the world, where it has created not only an inspiring environment for creative people, but also a place where they can meet, socialize and find people to work with.
Cluj-Napoca also joined the creative community with the help of Ștefania Robu, and the support from the local sponspors (ClujHub, Fabrica de Pensule, ClujLife, The Little Greenery, Food Waste Combat, Nod Verde) and Creative Mornings Cluj celebrated it’s 2 year anniversary on Friday, December 13th. Every time, the event takes place on a Friday, between 8:30 and 10:00, and it creates a possibility for people from different type of environments to get together, bonded by common interests. A different local or national speaker is invited every month to give a short lecture on a global theme that is chosen by a different city every time. There is also a Q&A session at the end, for people to express their curiosity or connect to the speaker.
Their main goal is to create an active community that is interested in learning new things, meeting new people and starting their day with positivity and productivity. Creative Mornings express their objectives and goals in a “manifesto”: We are all creative. A life in which there is creativity requires courage and action, honesty and effort. We are here to support you, to enjoy it with you and to encourage you to do what you like. We believe in community and the power that it can have. We believe it is important to care. We believe in the face-to-face connection, in learning from each other, in hugs and supporting others. We bring together the people who are guided by passion and motivation, confident that they can inspire others and change cities all over the world. Everyone is welcome!
Because none of this would have been happening in Cluj-Napoca without the help and commitment of Ștefania Robu, the local coordinator, we asked her a few questions to find out more:
Why did you want to get involved in the idea of Creative Mornings Cluj?
Basically, the story starts 4 years ago, when I got into the Cluj Hub team, and they knew about this concept that was already present in so many countries around the world, and I did some research and I simply fell in love with the idea, with the format, with the values of the community, and as I was doing the application, because it is quite a complex application process in order to obtain the license per city, I realized that this city needs a challenge and a new format of an event, especially a morning event, I never encountered that here before, and beyond that, an event that reconnects and offers a new context of inspiration for people from the creative community.
How is the process of opening up a new location?
First you get in touch with a wonderful, wonderful team from the headquarters in New York, and they send you a couple of question, like a questionnaire, where they are trying to understand you and understand the community you are coming from and why do you want to do this, why do you think the community needs a concept like this, so basically they care more not to do the event for the sake of it, but to do an event that has an impact on the local community. And afterwards, the most challenging part is that you have to do a professional video, very short (1-2 minutes), in which you have to introduce yourself and your city, and then an interview with them.
How do you think the Creative Mornings project is helping the community in Cluj?
First of all, I think it’s changing a lot the perception that we have about mornings in general. I must admit, I was not a morning person in general, but you discover a new part of the day, a new world, and also to break the preconception that creative people are only night owls. People can be creative in the mornings also! And besides that, as I mentioned before, just offering this context of people who share the same values, who are creative in their own way, because it is a very wide concept, to offer them a chance to connect or maybe do projects together and just get inspired by one of the speakers that I bring every month.
How did you see the project evolve from it’s first anniversary?
Something that could be quantified, is that we started to have a lot of “SOLD OUT” events, and sold out is more about the idea, because this is a free event. So I have noticed that more and more people want to come, the number of attendees raised considerably, and also the fact that I managed this year to bring spectacular speakers, especially the legendary Irina Margareta Nistor, who fell in love with the idea and the concept, it is overwhelming.
Do you want to share a message with the creative community?
Try to be a morning person! Not only, but in general I would say be curious, be open, be courageous and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
During the isolation period, even if the gatherings are not allowed anymore, the creative community still meets for a Virtual Morning Coffee every Friday morning, with one of the previous speakers of the event. All the details can be found on their Facebook page Creative Mornings Cluj.
Foto: Creative Mornings Cluj
Written by: Chirvase Maria
