Catalyst Ranch’s
Creative Juice Blog
In honor of National Black Business Month, we're taking a look at three local Black-owned businesses that we admire for different reasons. Their goals and their contributions to Chicago and beyond speak to our own priorities of creativity, innovation and community. As these are just a taste of the rich fabric of Chicago's Black [...]
At Catalyst Ranch, we see ourselves as an incubator for the groups and individuals that come through and use our space. There are so many ways to engage and foster people’s ideas and passions. Our space is meant to stimulate and allow the freedom to express yourself while in the process of creation and [...]
Catalyst Ranch strives to be inclusive of all people because we believe that when we all truly work together, the knowledge and experience each person has from their background or culture will help create the most amazing things. Being conscious of other perspectives can help us learn valuable lessons and help stimulate new ideas. Immersing [...]
We here at Catalyst Ranch believe in collaboration as a key tool in innovation and creativity. When you're in the creating or building stage of a project, the pairing of two different things that might seem simple or not important can turn out to be one of the most vital components you undertake. So [...]
Six months ago, the Pantone prognosticators heralded a year swathed in Peach Fuzz. Were they right? At the top of 2024, we challenged our clients to use the Pantone Color of the Year as a lens for making and gauging goals. Well, it’s time for your Midyear check-in. Let’s review where those goals took [...]
As proponents of innovation, creativity and play, naturally we at Catalyst Ranch are always seeking new ideas ourselves. And while there’s inspiration to be found in conversation and cultural happenings, there’s unique comfort in curling up with a good book. For World Creativity and Innovation Week last month, we pulled together some titles that [...]
At Catalyst Ranch we try to avoid labels, but if you were going to generalize, you might describe us as creative, fun and artistic types! You probably won’t have our blog in mind if you are looking for a conversation on math or physics, but we will go over to the dark side (aka physics) [...]
We're just abuzz at the Ranch this week, because a brand new book has its Chicago launch party at our space! And it's all the sweeter because it's the debut book from none other than Erin Diehl, one of our favorite facilitators and entrepreneurs. Erin is the founder of improve it!, a professional development company [...]
When we reflect on Black history in America, we at Catalyst Ranch can’t help but recognize the importance of the spaces where Black joy, creativity and community thrive; the spaces where Black culture and achievement flourish. After all, it was in Chicago, at the Wabash Avenue YMCA in Bronzeville, where Carter G. Woodson and [...]
One of our favorite parts of the meetings industry is being inspired by clients who come to use our creative environment. It’s all the more rewarding when those clients think highly of Catalyst Ranch as well. The nonprofit organization Rainforest Action Network recently let us know how our space influences their meetings. When [...]
