The Ottawa Creative Collective is a group of like-minded professionals looking to raise the creative profile of their city by building a strong community and encouraging and inspiring the best work from its members.
The OCC started with a modest meet-up of designers in March of 2011. The very first “Blackhole Session” had an attendance of just seven people. Fast-forward nearly a year, and the group has grown to over 230 members across various disciplines.
Now it’s just a matter of harnessing that collective power. So that’s where the OCC comes in. As stated, the goal is to raise the creative profile of the city. This will be done through highlighting creative and inspiring work on our blog, as well as hosting and sponsoring events that will put more eyes on our fledgling community.
The goal here isn’t to bitch and moan about clients. It’s not about whining about being a government town or that there are no opportunities here. I know it seems a little backward to quote an American, but Cleaver said it best: “You’re either part of the solution or part of the problem.”
We’re here to help create opportunities. To encourage the best from our community. And to showcase those results.These are our babysteps, and can only hope that with the help of a few dedicated board members, as well as the support of our community, that the OCC will fulfill our mandate in no time. Conferences, meet-ups, design exercises, even a scholarship are all on the table to be rolled out in 2012. If you have anything to add, by all means, drop us a line.