Hi friends,
As 2025 comes to a close, we’ve been sitting with one big feeling: gratitude.
Thriving Creatively started as a simple idea. Create a space where creative people feel seen, supported, and equipped with tools to protect their well-being. This year, that idea turned into real rooms, real conversations, and real momentum.
What we built in 2025
We moved to Rochester, NY. New city. New routines. New community. Moving is stressful on its own, but it also gave us something we didn’t expect: a fresh start and a chance to build Thriving Creatively locally, face-to-face.
We partnered with AAF Buffalo and AAF Greater Rochester eater Rochester. These events were a reminder that creatives want more than tips and tactics. They want honesty. They want language for what they’re carrying. They want to know they’re not “weak” for feeling exhausted by work they love. Seeing a full room of creative professionals show up for a conversation about mental health was a quiet kind of powerful.
Big win of the year: AIGA Design Conference (Los Angeles). Presenting at a national conference was a dream, and honestly, it still doesn’t feel real. Beyond the stage, the best part was the people. AIGA Design put us in the same room with educators, leaders, and creatives who care about this topic deeply. That one week led to relationships and future collaborations that will shape 2026.
Behind the scenes, the real stuff
This year wasn’t just highlights. We felt the friction too.
We learned that many chapters and organizations want this message but don’t always have the budget. We learned how much time it takes to coordinate logistics, travel, materials, and follow-ups while still keeping our own energy intact. And we learned that building something meaningful means staying consistent even when it would be easier to pause.
But we also learned this: when you keep showing up with clarity and care, people feel it. That’s what opened doors.
Looking ahead to 2026
Q1 is already shaping up to be huge, and we’re excited for what’s next:
- Nazareth University
- AIGA New York
- AIGA Chicago
- AIGA Kansas City (KC Design Week)
We’re continuing to refine our sessions so they meet people where they are, whether that’s students preparing for the workforce, creative teams trying to prevent burnout, or leaders looking for healthier ways to support their people.
Thank you for being part of this
If you’ve attended a workshop, shared a post, sent a kind message, recommended us to a chapter, or simply followed along quietly, thank you. You’re helping normalize something creatives have needed for a long time: space to talk about mental health without shame, and tools that actually work in real life.
We’re ending the year feeling proud, a little tired, and very motivated.
Because thriving isn’t a vibe. It’s a practice.
Want Thriving Creatively at your next event?
If you’re planning a creative talk, workshop, retreat, or team session in 2026, we’d love to be considered. We work with chapters, universities, agencies, and in-house creative teams.
And we’re going to say this out loud because we mean it: we’d love to partner with brands who shape the creative world, including Adobe , Figma , Canva , LinkedIn and Grammarly.
If that’s you, or someone you know, let’s talk.
With gratitude,
Barney + Alisha
Thriving Creatively thrivingcreatively.com
