Event recap

Creative Freedom Brunch Wellington 2026 is a wrap, but the conversations will continue

What a morning! On 30 July we brought a room full of designers together in Wellington for our Creative Freedom Brunch, and it was everything we hoped for. There were talks packed with takeaways, a tasty brunch, a lively quiz, and honest conversations about the highs and lows of running a design business and what Creative Freedom actually means. Best of all, everyone left feeling more connected, inspired and confident, and so did we.

Thanks to our keynote speaker Jeremy Johnson, co-author of Creative Freedom

Jeremy shared the seven steps to creative freedom, drawing on hard-learned lessons from his own journey from feast-or-famine freelancer to Rocketspark co-founder.

He's also one of the authors of Creative Freedom, a practical guide he wrote with fellow co-founder Grant Johnson, which everyone took home on the day.

You can access Jeremy's keynote slides below.

Download keynote slides

A massive thank you to our panelists

Jeremy Johnson

Author of Creative Freedom and co-founder of Rocketspark.

Sara-Jane Austen

Founder of Designerbloom, a Wellington branding & graphic designer

Rach Riddle

Creative Director and co-founder of Riddle Media.

Tyron Noble

Graphic Designer at Rocketspark and former freelance designer

Finding your people.

Design can be a lonely business. When you work on your own, it's easy to feel like you're the only one figuring it all out so there's something special about a room full of people who do exactly what you do. Designers who'd never met were soon deep in conversation, and more than a few left with new people in their corner. That sense of not being in it alone was the part people told us they valued most.

Proudly supported by Hnry and Carbon Invoice

A big thank you to Sammie from Hnry and Carlos from CarbonInvoice for joining us on the day. Sammie showed us how to take the stress out of tax and admin, and Carlos ran the quiz that got the whole room going. We only back sponsors who bring real value to creatives, and both have something for you, too

Hnry offer

To never think about tax again, visit hnry.co.nz and sign up with code ROCKETSPARK20 for $20 off your Hnry fee

CarbonInvoice offer

A free carbon assessment plus 90% off your first three months if you book before 20 August. Contact Carlos with the code CFBW2026

Curious about Rocketspark?

Every designer deserves the freedom to do their best work. Rocketspark lets you build beautiful sites your way, while your clients get something they can easily manage themselves. And you're never on your own because there's a local support team and a whole community of designers right behind you.

See how Rocketspark works for designers.

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