How a Cold February Morning Sparked a Creative Movement

On a cold, dark February morning, dressed in old yoga pants and a scruffy tee, I was sat at my desk, munching on a bowl of granola and yogurt, fretting over the state of social media. It occurred to me that we don’t own these platforms we’ve loved and hated for so long. We rent X and Instagram, and have no control over what happens next.

I’d been pondering a question someone had posed recently: how do I join Creative Boom? Where do I sign up? My only answer had been, “follow us on socials”. But a seed had already been planted. It just took a while for that seed to grow into a bigger idea. That morning, it was an article on Hacker News that sent me over the edge. It talked about owning our own platforms again – moving away from renting anything. We’re talking websites, newsletters, and online communities of our own making.

With search dying too, and people increasingly using LLMs to find what they need, it didn’t feel like a bad idea… to look into starting a private hub for creatives. But what to use? Circle, Hivebrite, Discord? At that point, I just wanted to get up and running with something that gave me a decent amount of control, respected members’ privacy, and might actually turn into a valuable community. I found Mighty Networks. Not the cheapest option, and certainly not perfect, but it felt the most intuitive. Disclaimer: I might move the community in future.

So how’s it going? The Studio is coming up to six months old, and we now have more than 5,000 members. As expected, many join out of curiosity. Some sign up hoping we’ve solved all the problems of social media (we haven’t). Others become members and immediately get stuck in. It’s Web 2.0 again. Message boards and live chat, people coming together for online events. It’s definitely a work-in-progress.

I’m still not sure what it looks like, even now after half a year of running the community. But our members are giving us insight into what they need and how we might adapt for the rest of 2025. As our platform is free, it’s impossible for us to be the perfect solution to everything. However, if someone asked me what to expect when joining, I’d say this: it’s not about self-promotion; it’s about building connections. Erase all memory of algorithms and me-me-me, and come with a generous attitude. You wouldn’t walk into a room and start shouting about your business. You’d approach people politely, start conversations, build a network.

When I began The Studio, I got a tad over-excited about all the features Mighty Networks allows. I opened multiple message boards and spaces, hoping to make everyone happy. There may have been 25 different boards earlier this year. We now have two. I’ve learned quickly that while this is definitely the right approach, it’s not going to make everyone happy. For instance, there were spaces for every creative discipline. Logically, that made sense. Graphic designers could chat in one area, while illustrators had their own space. What happened during this phase was fascinating: people just shared their work, as they would on Instagram. They came expecting a replacement for Meta’s photo-sharing app — and likely felt disappointed when it didn’t turn out that way.

I figured, if our community was about bringing people together, why create silos that keep us apart? There are already plenty of online spaces that cater beautifully to specific creative fields — we didn’t need to be everything to everyone.

Six months in, I’ve realised The Studio has become exactly what my gut hoped it might be: a kind of virtual creative agency. A place where people show up each morning, say hello, ask for help when they need it, and cheer each other on. It’s not perfect. It’s not polished. But it’s real — and that feels like a pretty good start.

What I’ve enjoyed most about this whole venture? I’ve barely used social media since launching it. Sure, we still share content for Creative Boom. Like everyone else, we’re showing up on Instagram and Threads to stay in people’s minds. But that might fade, especially if platforms keep shifting. The Studio feels different. It feels like ours. No algorithm or gatekeepers…just a friendly space we can shape together.

More than anything, I’m excited to see what happens next. This community could go anywhere. People are asking about mentoring, learning materials… more in-person events. We might run roundtables or Ask Me Anything sessions.

And while many are understandably anxious about the economy, AI disruption, and an uncertain future, I’m proud to have carved out a small corner of the internet that helps people feel seen, supported and a little less alone.


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