Member & Partner Stories

Partnering with Creative Collective as co-organizers of the Salem Arts Festival was exactly the boost this important community event needed to take things to the next level.

The Creative Collective staff was able to bring on more sponsors and community partners than we had ever had, and make them all feel engaged in the event in a way I had never been able to do on my own. Thanks to the collective and its extensive network of business members promotional reach increased drastically thanks to both the use of their social media channels and their careful attention to improving our existing channels.

Last years festival had record-breaking numbers of attendees, of participating gallery artists, of art sold, of street fair vendors involved, and of performers paid – in fact, we were able to increase our operating income by over 50%.

I joined Creative Collective because they thought it would be a great idea to bring people in the arts and industry in one place and to bounce ideas off each other. It’s a great resource for so much more. When the pandemic hit I was trying to come up with content and Creative Collective was fantastic helping me with that. Creative Collective was a great way to make things happen that weren’t happening through the pandemic.

As a business, we see so much value in our membership for the Creative Collective everything from kind of daily marketing and social media to partnering up on big events throughout the years that we have been members.

One of the beautiful things about our membership Creative Collective is that we are able to connect with artists and musicians and all sorts of creatives to make our historic site even more inclusive and relevant here in 2021. Creative Collective was a big help for us during the pandemic and in 2020 and especially kind of in those early days of the pandemic when nobody really knew what was going to happen and all of us were so new with the technological changes. Creative Collective and especially John Andrews swooped right in and helped us to create kind of an online program. We did a happy birthday celebration with Miss Emmerton, who is portrayed by Irene Axelrod, who’s a great friend here at the house of Seven Gables.

Creative Collective has been integral to our growth and has put us in contact with grants that helped us not only survive but thrive during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the course of the past year, we have been able to lean on the team at the Collective and our fellow members to create new partnerships and create a very steady stream of referrals. In addition to the connections, the team is always making recommendations and keeping us aware of opportunities, trainings, and resources to help us sustain and scale.

Becoming a member of the Creative Collective is one of the most nourishing things I’ve ever done for Cynthia August Images Photography. In just one year of being a Collective member I’ve received more connections, support and inspiration for my business than I have had in ten years of membership in other organizations. I attribute that to the way the CC gets to know their members and works tirelessly to ‘connect-the-dots’ for them, making opportunities for growth on a daily basis. Thanks to the CC, in just one year I’ve

• broadened my marketing sphere of influence thanks to the CC’s email list.
• discovered colleagues and made friends with a ton of happy and healthy North Shore businesses at CC social events, boosting my outreach and introducing me to my tribe.
• collaborated with other CC creatives on projects that have increased my visibility and raised my key price points.
• supported great CC projects that are energizing our local economy and strengthening our creative infrastructure.
• learned how my business can be a positive force for change and improvement in our community – and made it happen thanks to participation in events like the 2019 Arts and Culture Summit.
• expanded my business, and made a plan for the future I’m excited about!

Perhaps most importantly, participating in the Collective has helped me develop a stronger understanding of Cynthia August Images and the way it fits into the fabric of our creative community. With that clearer view, I am moving with more confidence and with a healthier business. I’m excited for 2020!

Thank you, Creative Collective!

Joining Creative Collective has been such a game-changer for me. I have gained more opportunities and expanded my network exponentially since becoming a member. Every single Creative Collective event has led me to meeting new people and building stronger relationships within the community. They have been instrumental in helping me become more knowledgeable about events & organizations happening on the North Shore, which has led to opportunities that I would not have even known existed before. The Creative Collective Team not only works extremely hard to ensure their members are actually benefiting from their memberships, but they do so with such care. They truly want to see you succeed. Joining the Collective has not meant working less hard but it has meant working smarter, within a larger network, and with the guidance & support of a pretty amazing group of people. I am grateful for all they do for me as an individual and for the community as a whole. I am proud to be part of this larger voice, helping create more space, opportunity, and value for artist & creative businesses.

The support I receive from the Creative Collective is tremendous peace of mind for me. I trust that the Collective team is aware of what I’m up to on a regular basis, and that they sincerely care about helping to get the word out. In addition, they help us all connect with one another and feel like an essential part of the region’s culture. This is all heavy duty stuff, and they do it with such love, kindness, and peace! Thanks guys!

Creative Collective has been a guiding light through the process of starting our business here on the Northshore. Yes, our membership has paid for itself several times over through sales at events they’ve organized, but the real value here comes indirectly. John and the crew have connected us with many critical relationships that have deepened our connection to the community and help propelled us forward in ways that I’m not sure we would have achieved otherwise. The level of care, attention, and friendship we have gained here is unique, and unlike any other collective we have seen.