Where do creatives go to be heard, feel seen, and receive the support needed to take their vision from idea to reality?
What is now recognized as one of the most dynamic and anticipated gatherings in the creative community didn’t start out that way. For Imani Ellis, the founder of The Creative Collective and Culture Con—the largest festival dedicated to creative entrepreneurs, visionaries, and cultural influencers—her groundbreaking idea took shape through community, experimentation, and persistence.
In 2016, Ellis invited 10 friends to her apartment for an intimate night of sharing their creative projects. The gathering was casual, fueled by curiosity, collaboration, and the simple desire to be in community with like-minded individuals. Nearly a decade later, that same spirit is at the heart of Culture Con, which now brings together more than 10,000 creatives from across the globe. While the scale has changed dramatically, Ellis’s mission has remained steady: to remind entrepreneurs to rest, recharge, and pursue the projects that bring them joy.
For Ellis, the process of curating large-scale events like Culture Con is inseparable from nurturing her own creativity. She emphasizes that taking a step back is just as important as the work itself.
“Two years ago, I went to Paris and followed James Baldwin’s path to creativity, and I created an entire curriculum on how to harness creativity. I called it the creative residency,” Ellis told GU.
Most residencies emphasize tangible outcomes—a finished painting, sculpture, or manuscript. Ellis, however, reimagined the concept. “My creative residency is about yourself. It’s like, how do I harness the most rested, creative, abundant version of myself?”
To guide others, Ellis developed a three-step framework for creative entrepreneurs who need to reset before their next breakthrough. Her model includes play, stillness, and action. She encourages scheduling adventures and moments of joy, embracing stillness to quiet the noise, and then executing on the ideas that emerge from that balance.
This intentional approach is what fuels Culture Con’s annual growth. Each year the conference becomes bigger, bolder, and more influential, offering creatives access to tools, connections, and conversations that affirm the possibilities of a career in the arts.
Ellis believes this is especially critical for Black creatives, who historically have been discouraged from seeing artistry as a sustainable career. “Black people have been creating arts and culture since the beginning of time,” Ellis said. “You look back to the Harlem Renaissance and even before that—we’ve been the cornerstone of so much artistic expression. We didn’t always know it was possible to have a career there, versus it just being something we enjoyed.”
Ellis urges every artist to discover their “zone of genius”—the intersection of what they’re skilled at, what audiences value, and what will not lead to burnout. When these elements align, she explains, a sustainable business emerges.
What began as a search for community has now blossomed into a movement. “When we were first starting, I had no idea that this would blossom into a business,” she shared. “I really just was looking for community.”
For aspiring entrepreneurs, Ellis emphasizes accountability and internal motivation. It is not enough to keep your goals private—holding yourself to them is what drives real progress. She also cautions against comparing your journey to others, reminding creatives that most success stories unfold over years, not overnight.
Her final piece of advice is simple: be gentle with yourself. Growth requires patience, consistency, and kindness. As Ellis continues to expand Culture Con and The Creative Collective, her story proves that when rest and creativity go hand in hand, entire communities can be transformed.