Photo Credit: Catalina Kulczar
As any active ASJA volunteer knows, communicating with other members on a daily basis can quickly become the norm. In fact, just the other week I had three in-person meetings with ASJA writers in New York, including checking out a books podcast recording with scholarships committee chair Olga Lucia Torres, exploring ASJA student membership leads with task force member John Hanc, and sitting down for brunch with fellow board member and coffee aficionada Merlisa Lawrence Corbett.
These opportunities to be in community with a diverse range of writers are among my favorite benefits of ASJA membership. They’re also a big reason why I’m excited for the 2026 ASJA conference, “Freelancers’ Blueprint: Navigating a Shifting Landscape.” This year, we’re giving the power of social connection its due with April 22 keynote speaker Tina Roth Eisenberg, founder and CEO of the acclaimed breakfast lecture series CreativeMornings. Roth Eisenberg’s keynote will focus on tips for building community and sparking creativity through connection—in-demand soft skills needed for weathering the shifting media landscape.
Started 17 years ago, the CreativeMornings community-building juggernaut began as an effort to connect fellow creatives in an inclusive, accessible way that Roth Eisenberg felt was lacking when she moved to New York City. To address this, the Swiss-born designer and serial entrepreneur set about hosting free networking events, adopting a monthly Friday morning lecture series format that has grown to encompass CreativeMornings chapters in more than 250 cities in 70 countries. All are guided by the organization’s manifesto, which begins with the bold declaration: “Everyone is creative.”
Inspiring Optimism, One Gathering at a Time
Fueled by more than 1,000 volunteers as well as partnerships led by Adobe and the Harnisch Foundation, all CreativeMornings gatherings are free of charge for attendees. While each chapter adds its own flair, the signature lecture events all share a similar structure in that they are generally held once a month on a Friday morning with time for connection over free coffee and breakfast or pastries. Roth Eisenberg says many chapters incorporate ideas from each other, such as inviting local musicians to play prior to the main speaker or featuring 30-second pitches, where members of the audience come on stage to share brief proposals on everything from launching a business to landing a date. (We will have an Airmeet version of 30-second pitches at the April 22 keynote—stay tuned for details!)
Having been to CreativeMornings events in New York, which consistently fill up with hundreds of attendees and feature speakers such as bestselling authors Roxane Gay and Oliver Jeffers, I can attest that these gatherings attract creatives who are open to new experiences. The result is a welcoming, optimistic vibe that lends itself to the type of organic networking that genuinely feels flush with possibility, making these gatherings an especially rich resource for freelancers faced with tight networking budgets.
“It is a feeling, it really is,” Roth Eisenberg says. “The thing that makes me really happy is when I hear that, ‘I found a collaborator’ or ‘I started a project with someone.’ Because I really truly believe life is about the people you meet and what you make with them.”
On Giving Back and Building Communities
Those positive experiences are what keep people coming back to CreativeMornings, whether it’s in person or online. According to Roth Eisenberg, the latter is a development that grew out of attendees being inspired to ask how they can contribute. “It just comes in,” Roth Eisenberg says of CreativeMornings’ volunteer-led programming. “The community says, ‘I want to give back to this group. I want to teach something.’ “
For those who don’t live in a city with an active CreativeMornings chapter, the organization also offers free Virtual FieldTrips on topics such as graphic design basics and journaling for procrastinators. These online meetups last anywhere from 60 to 75 minutes with an optional 15-minute “After Party” for those who want to extend the social aspect. “It’s like learning meets connection,” says Roth Eisenberg, adding that some of the sessions have an accountability component where participants can apply what they’ve learned and ask questions in real time. Those can be found under CreativeMornings’ Adobe Level Up workshop series, which offers free professional development for creatives, including access to recordings.
In her keynote at the ASJA conference, Roth Eisenberg will offer tips for community-building ranging from the hyperlocal, such as starting a club or writing group in your neighborhood, to connecting globally through online communities and virtual meetups. A lot of the ideas will be directly applicable to ASJA members, celebrating the spirit of the clever writers’ retreat hack that was featured in a recent post by Leslie Lang. For example, Roth Eisenberg co-hosts Writeshop, a biweekly writers group in Brooklyn that draws an eclectic mix of journalists, novelists, poets, and nonfiction writers. It’s free to join and features a 90-minute format where everyone commits to showing up in person for connection, snacks, and quiet writing time, similar to ASJA’s popular twice-weekly co-working sessions launched by past president Emily Paulsen.
Keynote attendees will also learn how to get involved with CreativeMornings’ global Release Day. Scheduled for May 29, the event celebrates creative projects supported by a month of practical tips and accountability sessions. Participation is free and open to anyone, and will culminate in an online gallery for showcasing work, including short stories, nonfiction writing, drawings, videos, and more.
“It’s going to be a firework of creativity,” Roth Eisenberg says. “When you filter a community by people who show up on a Friday morning at 8:30, you just know these are committed humans.”
ASJA Vice President Gabrielle Gayagoy Gonzalez (she/her/siya) writes about equity, leadership, and career success for women and professionals of color. She was named to Diversity Woman Media’s Power 100 List and is a co-author of Racial Justice at Work: Practical Solutions for Systemic Change, which inspired both a companion podcast and the award-winning Racial Justice at Work Summit. Gonzalez is the founding principal of 3G Collaborative LLC, a boutique DEAI consultancy specializing in events, books, podcasts, documentaries, and other media. Her writing has appeared in Forbes, Self, Seventeen, Shape, Weight Watchers, and Women’s Health.
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Book Publishing, Networking, ASJA, Content Marketing, Journalism