We’re pleased to launch a new initiative for our Spotlight blog: inviting leaders and collaborators from across our community to share their own perspectives. To open this series, we’re delighted to feature a guest post from Dave Lank, Co-Owner of The Cape, reflecting on the insights and through-lines he found at our 2025 (Un)Common Threads Creativity & Innovation Summit.

We're thrilled to have renowned choral conductor Kellie Walsh (Lady Cove, Shallaway Youth Choir, Newman Sound Men’s Choir) as a featured speaker at our (Un)Common Threads Creativity & Innovation Summit on November 4 in St. John's!

In our Spotlight, we chat with Kellie about the transformative power of choral music, her own approach to creativity, and why, in this age of AI, collective singing is more important than ever. 

He’s interviewed some of the world’s most famous artists (everyone from Ozzy Osbourne and Dolly Parton to Barbra Streisand and Mick Jagger) on CBC Radio One’s Q. In this week’s Spotlight, we’re thrilled to have Tom Power in the interviewee’s seat.

Hear Tom share his own story and reflections on curiosity, creativity, connection and what it means to live a creative life at our (Un)Common Threads Creativity & Innovation Summit on November 4 in St. John's!

In our Spotlight, we chat with renowned Newfoundland-born, Bergen-based architect Todd Saunders about his creative practice, what keeps him curious, and how this province has helped shape his work and creativity. 

We’re thrilled to have Saunders as a featured speaker at (Un)Common Threads 2025, taking place on November 4 in St. John’s!

If you attended our (Un)Common Threads Creativity & Innovation Summit back in November, you might've noticed someone frantically sketching throughout the day. That individual was artist Elijah Martel.

In our Spotlight, we chat with Elijah to learn more about their work, the power of storytelling through illustration, and how the art of live illustration can add a fresh perspective while connecting people to an experience.

On November 7, Business & Arts NL was proud to host its biggest event yet, the (Un)Common Threads Creativity & Innovation Summit, in St. John's. Featuring inspiring keynote speakers, artists-in-residence and opportunities to connect with members of the community, it was a day filled with inspiration, creativity and connection.

Check out our Spotlight as we look back!

If you're looking for an example of innovation in local arts, look no further than Ballast Collective - a musical trio consisting of Nick Coultas-Clarke, Ian Foster and Andrya Duff, who combines conventional instruments with cutting-edge technology to create a unique and immersive experience. We’re so excited to have them join us for our (Un)Common Threads Creativity & Innovation Summit on November 7 in St. John's. Check out our Q&A to learn more about them!

In our Spotlight, we talk to Jillian Keiley (Founding Artistic Director of Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland and former Artistic Director of English Theatre at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa) about her own creative path, what she does to get into the creative zone, what business and arts can learn from each other,  and how laughter really is the best medicine. 

Catch Jillian’s keynote "Purpose Led Creativity” at our (Un)Common Threads Creativity & Innovation Summit on November 7 in St. John's!

In our Spotlight, we chat with JL González, an artist-in-residence at our upcoming summit, about how to make creativity a habit, living and working in rural NL, and the inspiration behind his collaborative installation "Beyond the Glass,” (debuting at the (Un)Common Threads Creativity & Innovation Summit on November 7).

With over two decades of experience working with creative agency Perfect Day (in the U.K. and Canada), John Devereaux has seen it all - and learned lots of valuable lessons along the way. That's why we're thrilled to have John, now Creative Director of Perfect Day Canada, share some of these lessons and life experiences during our (Un)Common Threads Creativity & Innovation Summit on November 7 at the Sheraton Hotel in St. John's.

Check out our Q&A with John in our Spotlight!

This week, we introduce you to Daniel Rumbolt and Amber-Lynn Thorne - visual artists from rural Newfoundland and longtime friends who will be joining Business & Arts NL's (Un)Common Threads Creativity & Innovation Summit on November 7 as artists-in-residence. Learn more about their practice, their installation (Net)working, and what inspires their creativity in our Spotlight!