The Creative Outlet

10/12/2026

Something special coming your way ! 💛🌱

10/10/2026

Still smiling about Friday! ❤️🙌🏾

We had a FULL HOUSE at our Artist + Creator Showcase at Workbox, and we just want to say THANK YOU to everyone who came out, showed love, connected with us, and supported the artists!

A special shoutout to Sejzelle, Ruka Bello, and The Original for sharing your gifts and putting your work out there. Thank you for being part of the experience and allowing us to celebrate what you do.

Thank you to Workbox for hosting us and giving us the space to bring creatives together. We appreciate the opportunity to create these moments and build meaningful connections.

At The Creative Outlet, we believe creativity deserves more than a moment in the spotlight. Creatives deserve opportunities to learn, grow, connect, build their businesses, and get their work seen.

That’s also why digital inclusion matters to us. Having access to digital tools and resources can make a real difference in how artists share their work, reach new audiences, and create opportunities for themselves. Thank you Cook County Digital Equity for the visibility on this matter !

We’re working toward a bigger vision, and every event, every connection, and every person who shows up helps us keep building. We’re grateful for everyone who was in the room and everyone supporting us along the way.

This is what Creativity Over Circumstance looks like. And we’re just getting started! 🖤

Stay connected and join our CROU!

🌐 www.thecrou.org
📲 .npo

10/10/2026

10/05/2026

🎨 CREATIVE MIXER | ARTIST + CREATOR SHOWCASE

📅 Friday, October 9
⏰ 4 PM–6 PM
📍 Workbox Chicago Civic Opera
20 Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL 60606
10th Floor

FREE RSVP : https://luma.com/p09bx6w0

Join The Creative Outlet for an evening celebrating Chicago’s artists, creators, storytellers, and innovators.

Our Artist + Creator Showcase is a space to discover local talent, connect with other creatives, experience new work, and celebrate the stories being told throughout our communities.

✨ FEATURED ARTISTS

SEJZELLE


RUKA BELLO


THE ORIGINALorignal

A special thank you to each of our featured artists for sharing their creativity, perspectives, and work with us. Your voices and creative practices are an important part of what makes our creative community meaningful.

We also want to give a special thank you to Cook County Digital Equity for recognizing the importance of creativity within the conversation around digital equity and inclusion.

💻 CREATIVITY + DIGITAL INCLUSION

Digital inclusion is not only about access to technology. For creators, it can mean access to the tools, platforms, resources, and opportunities needed to create, share, connect, build an audience, and be seen.

Artists, musicians, photographers, videographers, and storytellers are using digital spaces every day to amplify their work and connect their stories to the world.

At The Creative Outlet, we believe access to creative opportunity is part of inclusion.

Come connect with us, support local creators, and experience creativity in motion. 💫

If you have any coats, please bring them we are collecting donations for coats all month long for One Warm Coat

Creativity Over Circumstance.

10/03/2026

WE’RE BACK IN TINLEY PARK! 🎉

📅 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24
⏰ 9 AM–2 PM
📍 Krema Coffee Roasters
6700 South St. | Tinley Park, IL

🛍️ BECOME A VENDOR : https://forms.gle/YGno4sLud4CrFWre6

Join us for our second Artist + Creator Vendor Market in partnership with Krema Coffee Roasters!

This is more than a vendor market, it’s a space for local artists, creators, and small businesses to showcase their work, make connections, sell their products, and grow.

✨ WHAT’S HAPPENING
🛍️ Shop local artists, creators + small businesses
🎨 Discover artwork, handmade goods + unique products
🤝 Connect with the creative community
☕ Grab coffee + refreshments from Krema Coffee Roasters
📸 HOLIDAY PHOTO OP - bring your family + friends and capture some holiday memories!
🍂 Family-friendly fun

🧥 BRING A COAT TO DONATE!
We’ll be collecting new or gently used coats during the event to help support our community this season.

❤️ WE’RE ALSO ACCEPTING DONATIONS!
Your support helps The Creative Outlet continue providing creative programming, community events, resources, and opportunities for artists and creators throughout the year.

🎟️ FREE TO ATTEND
🚘 FREE PARKING

Come showcase your work, connect with new customers, and build your creative business.

🔗WANT TO BECOME A VENDOR : https://forms.gle/YGno4sLud4CrFWre6

🍁 SHOP LOCAL. SUPPORT CREATIVES. GIVE BACK.
Bring your people. Bring a coat. Bring your creativity.
We’ll see you at VEND-O-TREAT! 🎃🍂

Creativity Over Circumstance.

10/03/2026

Ages 18–24, pull up to Carter G. Woodson Library on Oct. 9th for a night of gaming, food, and prizes!

🔥 Compete in Tekken, NBA 2K, Mortal Kombat, Switch Sports, and more.
🍕 Free food + drinks all night.
🎁 Win $200 GameStop gift cards and other giveaways.

Hosted by 💜
Partnered with 🤝
Powered by community, fun, and the love of gaming.

09/29/2026

🎨 THIRD FRIDAY — ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Featuring Angel |

📅 Friday, October 16
⏰ 7 PM–10 PM
📍 Bridgeport Art Center
3rd Floor • Room 3A3130
Chicago, IL

🎟️ FREE TO ATTEND
🚘 FREE PARKING
🔗 FREE RSVL https://luma.com/aj4t1k25

After visiting our Artist + Creator Vendor Market in August, this young creative was inspired to find a creative outlet of her own.

That is exactly why we create spaces like this.

At The Creative Outlet NPO, we believe that access to creative experiences, visibility, and community can help people discover their talents, build confidence, and recognize the possibilities within their own creativity.

This month, we’re excited to SPOTLIGHT Bead It By Angel! ✨

Angel found inspiration at one of our community events, and now we’re creating space for her to share her creativity with the community.

Come support a young creative, discover something new, and experience what happens when people are given the opportunity to:

LEARN → CREATE → SHARE → GROW

Creativity Over Circumstance.

❤️💞❤️

09/12/2026

Third Friday is here again! The Creative Outlet features a different artist, creative, or entrepreneur doing amazing things in the community, and YOU’RE invited to experience all the creativity!

This month, we’re excited to spotlight our very own Founder | CEO, Creative Director & Multimedia Artist Dominique “Domo” Tolbert

Through her work in film, photography, multimedia, storytelling, and creative direction, Dominique brings together multiple creative disciplines to develop stories, experiences, and visual work.

💡THIRD FRIDAY - ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Feat. Dominique Love

📅 FRIDAY, Sept. 18th� ⏰ 7PM–10PM� 📍 BRIDGEPORT ART CENTER
Chicago, IL

Whether you’re an artist, entrepreneur, or simply love supporting local creatives, there’s a place for you here.

✨ Free to attend.
✨ Bring a friend.
✨ Support local creativity.

Because when creatives thrive, communities thrive.



CreativityOverCircumstance

09/12/2026

We are excited to welcome One Warm Coat as a community partner of The Creative Outlet !

This partnership means more opportunities for us to connect our community with meaningful resources while creating spaces where people can come together, learn, create, and support one another.

As part of this partnership, The Creative Outlet will be hosting events supported by One Warm Coat, creating opportunities for our community to access resources while participating in engaging programs and experiences.

We believe partnerships like this are important because community support is about more than one event or one resource. It is about building lasting connections and making sure people know where they can turn for support.

Thank you to One Warm Coat for partnering with The Creative Outlet and helping us expand the resources and opportunities we can bring to our community.

We are looking forward to what we will create together! ❤️🧥

Creativity Over Circumstance.
Learn → Create → Share → Grow.

09/12/2026

🎨✨ What an amazing Intro to Anime, Storytelling & the Creative Imagination class! ✨🎨

Thank you to everyone who came out and shared your creativity with us! We explored the history of anime, the power of storytelling, and how anime can inspire us to think beyond what we see and imagine what’s possible.

Everyone walked away working on their own anime pitch, developing the foundation of a story and thinking through their characters’ desires, obstacles, and motivations.

One of my favorite parts was watching everyone confidently present their ideas and respectfully engage with each other’s pitches. We weren’t just creating characters we were learning how to build worlds, tell meaningful stories, and give our creative ideas room to grow.

That’s exactly what we mean when we talk about the creative mind. 🧠🎬✨

Thank you again for coming out, participating, sharing your ideas, and creating with us!

Learn. Create. Share. Grow.