Encouraging Creativity: Leveraging Events to Boost Creative Drive

Spring boarding off the idea that connection is necessary for creative drive, I want to open the field wider; encouraging creativity through events we host and attend such as conferences, local vendor fairs, online courses, and community connections. Some of these feel much more aligned to creative pursuits than others; many of these events can be tailored specifically to comfortable pathways of what we believe creativity to be - writing workshops, community center craft classes, book sales at your local library, vendor fairs speak for themselves. However, I want to encourage all of you to take a broader lens when defining how to make your event about creativity in its full form and how to look for creative encouragement even when it’s a work conference.

I want to share two events I attended within the last month that got me thinking about this concept of encouraging creativity through events. We are not solitary! Creatives require engagement and encouragement, and as I’ve said before, whether you think you are or not, you are a creative. It is in our nature and I want everyone to know that creativity is a mindset, it is a lifestyle, not only a hobby, a profession, a pursuit, an activity.   

Hamilton Fashion Week

This event is one near and dear to my heart because my sister in law and brother in law are the event founders and organizers for this annual fashion event that brings together local designers, models, and industry champions to showcase new lines each February in stylized locations around Hamilton to encourage the fashion community in their creativity and to encourage the local community to support and take interest in this art driven city. 

From the concepts to the buildings, the organization, and the designers, not to mention the models, photographers, and vendors that attend and showcase this event is all about encouraging creativity. It not only showcases, but celebrates this vibrant community, encouraging community engagement within itself and with the wider city, bringing awareness to creativity as an industry with intersection and value beyond the moment of creation. 

BioPed Conference

Another annual gathering that brings together pedorthists, techs, footcare nurses, chiropodists, and patient coordinators with the home office and field teams for this amazing franchise, the annual BioPed conference is one I attend for work. Each year it brings into focus core ideas to sustain and build our business as well as better serve and meet the needs of our clinical clients. This year in particular had the focus of powering up ourselves, to power up our business, and empower our clients to do more through caring for their feet and lower limb health with a consistent message of being creative in these pursuits. 

I love that this company encourages creativity within its very fabric of functioning. From dealing with client care, to crafting the orthotics, and creating opportunities for community engagement through events, fairs, and sponsorships, BioPed doesn’t try to use corporate to stifle each clinic and clinicians creativity. Instead, corporate head office empowers us to do more, own our communities, and power up our level of care by giving us the freedom to get curious and be creative in presenting our value to our communities. 

Aside from these two very specific events I have the privilege to attend annually, there are so many local initiatives, vendor fairs, artisan conferences and classes that give everyone opportunity and access to feel encouraged and empowered to engage with creativity. I want anyone who happens to read this and is a host of events, organizer, or speaker, to use their event, voice, and platform to encourage creativity at every opportunity. It is an untapped resource that can help to heal and empower our world today and in the future to do more.