Talks, workshops and resources to nurture and sustain creative wellbeing 

Animated Creative Ecosystem wheel

The Creative Ecosystem is a gentle model for wellbeing, inspired by nature and designed for modern life. Developed by designer and author Emmi Salonen, it blends Finnish forest wisdom with practical tools for everyday creativity and resilience.

The Creative Wellbeing Handbook

by Emmi Salonen

Learn more

DO YOU OR YOUR TEAM FEEL DRAINED OR STUCK?

Emmi presenting on stage in front of a large screen during a conference called 'The Design Conference' in Australia, with attendees raising their hands.

Mental ill health affects people in the creative industries three times more than the general population* and in 2024 70% of creatives reported suffering burnout.*

The Creative Ecosystem model has been developed by the design leader Emmi Salonen to support fellow creative thinkers to reconnect with their purpose, develop personalised wellbeing rituals and reduce stress and burnout. 

This is perfect for workplaces, membership organisations, conferences, events, retreats and academia.

*Wellbeing charity Inspire and Ulster University
**Never Not Creative

HERE’S HOW >

Who Emmi has worked with

Black background with large outline text reading "RSA" and a smaller rectangle below it.
Logo with the text 'the DESIGN MUSEUM' in black outlined letters on a white background.
RGD logo with the words 'Design Thinkers' in large letters.
Black square with the letters YCN in bold, with a horizontal line beneath the 'N'
Black background with the text 'CEDIM INNOVATION PROGRAMS' in outlined capital letters
Text reading 'Manchester School of Art' in a stylized font.
Logo for the Wargrave Festival of South African Design with stylized text and a circular emblem.
Line drawing of a crown above four overlapping semicircles, with an arrow pointing from the semicircles to the crown and text that reads, 'Hierarchy of needs pyramid.' 
LONDON
Black and white photo of a woman with long hair, looking to the right, with her hand on her chin. 
COPENHAGEN
MILTON KEYNES
CZECHIA
Wayne State University logo featuring a shield with stylized 'W' and a star, with the university's name below. 
LONDON
BERLIN
Logo of Dover District Council featuring a stylized city skyline and the council's name. 
DETROIT
DOVER
LONDON
LONDON
LONDON
TORONTO,
VANCOUVER
VIENNA
NUEVO LEÓN MÉXICO 
MARGATE
MANCHESTER
LONDON
LISBON
Logo for ETIC school of technology, innovation, and creation, with the school's name written vertically in Portuguese.
Text that reads "Revert Signs, 23, OKC" in black font 
LISBON
TOKYO
The TDC Australia logo in black and gray on a white background. 
BRISBANE
LONDON
Logo with an eye shape containing four circles and the word 'AGRAFA' below it.
NU Nottingham Trent University logo with a shield emblem and text. 
KATOWICE
NOTTINGHAM
Text that reads 'All Flowers' and 'All Flowers' in a stylized script

“Emmi gave a buoyantly special talk.”


— Cal Thompson, VP of End to End Design, Headspace
Attendee, Design Matters Tokyo, JAPAN

Emmi smiling and leaning forward during a workshop, with two students facing her; a man with red hair and glasses, and a woman with long dark hair, in front of a light green wall with text and a yellow circle labeled 'Activity'.

HOW EMMI CAN SUPPORT YOU

Talks, workshops and events that provide creative people with wisdom, new ideas and enriching tactics to help prevent burnout and support a more fulfilling creative practice. 

INTRODUCING THE CREATIVE ECOSYSTEM MODEL

Balance your creative outputs with nourishing inputs to sustain your creative wellbeing

A black and white logo with a circular design and a wave cutout in the middle.

CONNECTION
WONDER
PAUSE
MOVEMENT
JOY

NOURISHING
INPUTS

CREATIVE
OUTPUTS

“Emmi shared her thoughts with such clarity, humour and grace.”


— Ronan MacEawan, Copywriter,
Attendee, The Design Conference, AUSTRALIA

Next event

Catch Emmi on the road. If you’d like to host a talk or workshop near you, email bookings here.

Next stops

Munich Creative Business Week 4.5.
Munich, Germany

Women in Art Fair 9.5.
London, UK

Vault49 13.5.
New York City, USA

HelloFresh 14.5.
New York City, USA

Cupertino in-house 20.5.
San Francisco, USA

University of Washington 22.5.
Seattle, USA

RGD DesignThinkers 26-27.5.
Vancouver, Canada

“Everything I do is underpinned by a simple but powerful idea: Positive Creativity. As an established creative practitioner and an accredited Happiness Facilitator, I believe design thinking can bring people together, create sustainable choices and foster wellbeing.”

— Emmi Salonen
Founder of Creative Ecosystem
and Studio Emmi

READ MORE >

“A practical, fascinating, warm and very human workshop.”


— Attendee, All Flows, UK