September always feels like a big old reset. Fresh notebooks, sharpened pencils, that sense of possibility that comes with a clean slate. I’ve always loved it. And this year, as I was clearing my desk over the August bank holiday and setting goals for the winter months, I found myself reflecting on how much Creative Boom has evolved since 2009. And why now feels like a super new chapter.
Because here’s the truth: we’re all tired. Tired of the noise. Tired of cynicism. Tired of social feeds that reward outrage over connection. Tired of the damn news and everything happening in the world.
Yet beneath that fatigue is something hopeful: people are craving community again. They want spaces that feel safe, generous and inclusive. Places that inspire and encourage rather than judge or tear down.
That’s why I launched The Studio earlier this year. At first, it was simply a private space, free from algorithms and the noise of social media. But it’s become something much bigger: the entire engine behind Creative Boom. Where we once turned to social media for your ideas and insights, we now go directly to our online community. Honest conversations with real creatives are shaping our tips, our features, and even our fun social posts. And that’s exactly how it should be.
The shift we’re seeing
For a while, negativity thrived online. Hot takes. Takedowns. Tweets designed to stir (all thanks to the dreaded retweet button). But that awful moment is passing, thankfully. Cynicism is no longer clever; it’s exhausting.
I’ve seen this first-hand in private conversations with creatives. Many are tired of watching the loudest voices dominate. Some are even calling out bullies now (we all know who they are), choosing to show up themselves where before they might have stayed quiet. The fear of trolls isn’t holding people back as much as it once did.
The result? Those negative voices aren’t as loud anymore. They’re losing their unwarranted power.
What’s rising instead is a different kind of energy: belonging. People want to feel part of something. They want conversations that stretch them without tearing them down. They want encoura