CreativeMornings Dallas: A Morning That Reminded Me Why trust Matters
I had the opportunity to photograph a CreativeMornings Dallas event hosted at LERMA, an award winning advertising firm, in downtown Dallas. If you've never heard of CreativeMornings, it's a free monthly breakfast lecture series that brings together creative people from all backgrounds. Designers, photographers, writers, entrepreneurs, marketers, artists, and curious humans gather over coffee and breakfast to hear an inspiring talk centered around a global theme. Every event is run by volunteers and built on one simple idea: everyone is creative.
That is a belief I’ve had for a long time and something that I try to share often.
CreativeMornings has a manifesto, and every time I hear it, I get a little emotional. It goes like this:
Everyone is creative.
A creative life requires bravery and action, honesty and hard work. We are here to support you, celebrate with you, and encourage you to make the things you love.
We believe in the power of community. We believe in giving a damn. We believe in face-to-face connections, in learning from others, in hugs and high fives.
We bring together people who are driven by passion and purpose, confident that they will inspire one another, and inspire change in neighborhoods and cities around the world.
Everyone is welcome.
I don't know about you, but that feels like something the world needs a little more of right now.
That’s kinda my inspo for starting The Cool Art Club. that message hits me right in the heart. Creativity has never felt like something reserved for artists with fancy studios or perfect portfolios. It's in the parent figuring out a better way to connect with their kids. It's in the entrepreneur building a business. It's in the teacher coming up with a lesson plan, the volunteer, the neighbor, the person brave enough to make something simply because they feel called to. Creativity is a muscle, and we all would benefit time in the art-making gym.
So, when I was asked if I could volunteer my time and skills to document this event, it wasn’t even a question.
The morning's speaker was Pedro Lerma, founder and CEO of LERMA, whose talk centered around the theme of Trust. Pedro Lerma challenged us to think about how trust is built in a world where AI, algorithms bubbles, and endless streams of information make it harder than ever to know what, or who, to believe.
The lesson I took home, is that Trust isn't something you manufacture with the perfect marketing strategy or product. It’s the relationships you build with your client/vendors/employees throughout the process.
That idea resonated deeply with me as a business owner. There is a lot of trust that goes into someone hiring me. That trust starts way before the photoshoot. It starts on my website and social media. Thankfully, I hired MBH CREATIVE to help me show up and show out what I value and who I claim to be. From there, it’s in my communication, how I show up for my client throughout the process, the energy I bring into the session, the photos I deliver, and finally how I continue showing up for them long after they've received their gallery.
I walked away with a full memory card, a full stomach (did I mention the free breakfast!), and an even fuller heart.
It reminded me that event photography isn't just about documenting the people and the space. It's about preserving the feeling of being there. The energy. The conversations. The idea that remind us we came together, shared, and connected.
That's what CreativeMornings is all about. If you are interested in attending a CreativeMorning in Dallas, check out the website for upcoming dates! Hope to see you there!
