The Creative Institute for Happiness

23/03/2026

We are a proud supporter of CreativeMornings Sofia and Martina Stefanova's great work at Kvartal Festival and beyond! Join the creative community on the platform we are partners of: https://creativemornings.com/cities/SOF

Hi friends, we’ve missed you. And we’re back. ✨

After a small hiatus, CreativeMornings Sofia is returning and we’re kicking things off with a theme and a talk that our creative community needs right now.

This March, our theme is LOCAL.
And we’re bringing — cultural manager, entrepreneur, and visionary behind **KvARTal Sofia Art District**, the movement that transformed Sofia’s forgotten historic centre into a thriving creative hub.
In her talk, KvARTal Sofia Art District: The Rise of a Community,” Martina will share how a once-forgotten corner of the city became one of Sofia’s most vibrant cultural destinations, driven by creativity, community, and deep roots in this city’s heritage.

And the venue is part of the story too. We’re gathering at .central.hall of Sofia in the very heart of the city’s historic centre, and the living spirit of what being a LOCAL in Sofia truly means.

📍 Central Market Hall of Sofia
📅 Friday, 27 March
⏰ 8:30 AM doors open, 9:00 AM start
🎟️ Register now
https://creativemornings.com/talks/martina-stefanova-kvartal-sofia-art-district-the-rise-of-a-community

Whether you’ve been with us from the start or you’re discovering CreativeMornings for the first time — you’re most welcome. Bring your curiosity. Bring a friend.

See you Friday. ☀️

17/03/2026

Register for free for March 27 session of PechaKucha Night Sofia 39 - MIRROR MIRROR (KNOW YOURSELF) and get a 15% discount voucher for SHAPESHIFT Festival: Human Algorithm

Our fourth speaker on March 27 is Maria Padalski, coach and mediator at People Portal. She will be presenting "Knowing Your Values Is Just the Beginning. Going Beyond Them Is Our Life's Work." at PechaKucha Night Sofia 39 - MIRROR MIRROR (KNOW YOURSELF). Get your ticket here (it's free): pechakuchasofia.org

If you want to make a presentation, you can also fill in the speaker form there.

About the presentation:
"We live in a time devoted to self-knowledge, self - development, to the long project of becoming ourselves. And yet many people who have built a life that looks right from the outside still live at a distance from their own lives. We ask, Who am I? and answer with roles, achievements, personality, even values. Some of us go further. We leave what no longer fits, question the life that looks right, and try to build one that feels more true.

But what if that, too, is only a beginning?

This talk follows the road from self-image to self-knowledge, and from self-knowledge to the deeper, more difficult ground of relational truth. It begins with Who am I? and turns, slowly, toward Whose am I? Because a life is shaped not only by what we hold dear in private, but by how we stand with one another in love, in tension, in disappointment, in truth, and in repair.

This is a talk about values. But more than that, it is a talk about the mirrors others hold before us, the impossibility of becoming fully human alone, and the kind of presence it takes to meet life, and each other, with honesty, courage, care, and heart."

About the speaker:
Maria Padalski is an organizational trainer, facilitator, coach, certified mediator, and HR partner with more than 15 years of experience in business, leadership, and people development. Alongside her training and facilitation work, she has also served in longer-term roles as an interim HR partner, supporting organizations in culture, leadership, and team development from within.

Her expertise includes emotional intelligence, communication, values-based leadership, accountability, and team culture. She has worked with more than 100 teams, helping organizations strengthen trust, collaboration, feedback, and healthier ways of working together.

Maria is a certified trainer and ambassador of the 5 Chairs methodology, a Certified Consultant on Organizational Values and Culture with the Barrett Values Centre, an NLP Master Practitioner, a trained coach, a practitioner of Art of Hosting, and a certified mediator. She is the founder of The 5 Chairs Bulgaria, which aims to bring emotional and relational intelligence into business and education, and the founder of People Portal, a hub for collaboration that connects people, ideas, and meaningful development initiatives.

PechaKucha Night Sofia is curated and hosted by Levent Korkmaz, founder at The Creative Institute for Happiness.

13/03/2026

Our founder Levent Korkmaz has been working on a book about "Free Wisdom", and will present his progress under the title of "The Dark Side of Wisdom" at PechaKucha Night Sofia 39 - MIRROR MIRROR (KNOW YOURSELF) on March 27. Buy your ticket on the website: pechakuchasofia.org

Third presentation at PechaKucha Night Sofia 39 - MIRROR MIRROR (KNOW YOURSELF) will be about the upcoming book of Levent Korkmaz founder of The Creative Institute for Happiness: The Dark Side of Wisdom will give you a sneak preview of the contents extending from the philosophy and the biology of the mind to David Lynch movies with a metaphorical reflection on the evolution of the human species. An interstellar journey into humanity's biggest mistakes and our salvation through unlearning how we know ourselves. His "The Mirror of Mirrors" project is an ambitious effort to map and eventualy unformat our civilisation and to imagine the arrival of "Renaissance 3.0". Curious? Register for free on our website: pechakuchasofia.org

13/03/2026

March 27 with speakers like Levent Korkmaz, Ralitsa Dobreva, Petya Koleva (Zornica Singers), Maria Padalski. Join below as a guest or present your creative work by filling in this form: https://pechakuchasofia.org/speakers/apply

Our first March "Mirror Mirror" speaker is Ralitsa Dobreva, Software Development Manager at SAP and her own & Growth Lab at www.ralitsadobreva.com with a deep passion for helping teams and organizations perform at their best. She is fascinated by one question: What truly unlocks human potential at work? Working with leaders and teams for decades, she helps them understand how the brain works, how communication shapes trust, and how small shifts in awareness can unlock extraordinary performance.

In her energetic presentation "Know Yourself: The 5 Mirrors Your Brain Shows You Every Day", she will show how our brains constantly give signals about who we really are. By learning to observe five powerful “mirrors” — your energy, emotions, curiosity, body signals, and repeating life patterns — you can gain deeper self-awareness and start intentionally designing the best version of yourself. This session blends neuroscience, reflection, and practical insights to help you better understand your motivations, triggers, and natural direction in life.

Get your free ticket on pechakuchasofia.org

If you would like to make a similar presentation, prepare your 20 images x 20 seconds and apply on our website: https://pechakuchasofia.org/speakers/apply

PechaKucha Night Sofia 39 - MIRROR MIRROR (KNOW YOURSELF) is curated and presented by Levent Korkmaz, founder at The Creative Institute for Happiness

14/11/2025

We were delighted to participate in Lyubomir Pechev's Blagoevgrad Short Film Festival and look forward to his presentation at the next Night Sofia 37 - COMMUNITY BUILDERS & LEADERS on November 21!

We proudly present our next speaker at PechaKucha Night Sofia 37 - COMMUNITY BUILDERS & LEADERS: Lyubomir Pechev is a leading film director at B2Y Productions and Nu Boyana Film Studios. His "When Life Gives You Films, Make a Festival" will present his recent experience as the organizer of the first Blagoevgrad Short Film Festival in October.

We couldn't agree with him more on the value of short format for every creator to tell their stories in 20 images x 20 seconds. "Imagine this: a single moment, captured in light and motion, powerful enough to move you, challenge you, or even change the way you see the world. That’s what short films do — and that’s what the Blagoevgrad Short Film Festival is all about. I believe that stories don’t need hours to make an impact. Sometimes, just a few minutes are enough to spark a conversation, ignite an idea, or connect strangers through shared emotion. This festival is more than a showcase — it’s a celebration of creativity, courage, and community."

Lyubomir Pechev was born in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria in 1985. Currently living in Sofia, where he studied film making and directing. Starting his studies at Sofia University with a major in Economy and continuing with a major in Film Directing at National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts, NATFA, Sofia.

Lyubomir’s student work was a short film called "Family" recognized at the Cannes Film Festival with a selection at the Semaine de la Critique. Soon after, he established himself as a local director with high potential working on commercials, TV series, documentaries and short films. He took part of a director omnibus in the feature film “The Violin".

He has recently finished shooting “Brothers” a 6 seasons long criminal series featuring 60 episodes and another 2 seasons of a prison drama called “The Cage”, both for Nova TV. These series have generated high ratings locally and are scheduled for distribution abroad.
Between 2011-2014 Lyubomir worked as a director for Bulgarian TV reality shows such as “Pay it Forward” and “Buntart” and directed many commercials for brands like Midea, Monster, Ocean Spray and Castrol.

Since 2015 till now, he is the director at B2Y Productions working on numerous commercials, music videos and short projects. He works closely with Nu Boyana Film Studios as a mentor on different workshops and managing director of events.

He is currently in post-production of his full-length comedy debut “Topki”.

PechaKucha Night Sofia 37 - COMMUNITY BUILDERS & LEADERS is curated and hosted by Levent Korkmaz, the founder of The Creative Institute for Happiness who also awarded 2 special "Creative Happiness" prizes at the same festival.

22/10/2025

Pictures from Blagoevgrad Short Film Festival. More available at https://filmfreeway.com/BlagoevgradShortFilmFestival/photos

22/10/2025

Congratulations to winners of Blagoevgrad Short Film Festival and a big thank you to Lyubomir Pechev and his crew for the excellent organization. Pictures from the festival and submitted entries are available on https://filmfreeway.com/BlagoevgradShortFilmFestival

Proud to support such an important initiative for the creative industry with 500 euros "Creative Happiness" award x 2 filmmakers:
🏆 Nobody Home by İlker Zor (Turkey) for documenting the importance for immigrants to have a home to return to, and their pursuits of happiness that forced them into the world, abandoning their childhood villages.
🏆 The Deal by Petar Stoyanov (Bulgaria) for importance of peace, tolerance and hospitality while clashing cultures and interest constantly challenge people of this world to consider peaceful solutions to their conflicts.

Our founder, Levent Korkmaz presented his "Digital Evolution, Innovation and Creativity Business" at the event and distributed the awards.

Join this Friday PechaKucha Night Sofia #36 - CREATIVE INTELLIGENCE to celebrate with the festival crew where Petar Stoyanov will present his career story and receive a check for his 500 euros reward.

We look forward to future opportunities to encourage young filmmakers to pursue creative excellence and happiness in their work.

14/06/2025

We are hosting the next PechaKucha event in Coliving Semkovo with the support of our host Matthias E Zeitler. Learn more about Kalin Karakehayov's self-help framework and personal development wisdom at www.i.gy. Don't forget to register for transportation, food, accommodation and hiking activities using the form at PechaKucha Night Sofia #34 - A UTOPIAN RHAPSODY FOR NOMADS at Coliving Semkovo

PechaKucha roadshow in Nomad Land will kick off with Kalin Karakehayov's presentation "I Grow Younger - The Psychology of an Entrepreneur".

Join our one-night trip to www.colivingsemkovo.com on June 21, Saturday: PechaKucha Night Sofia #34 - A UTOPIAN RHAPSODY FOR NOMADS at Coliving Semkovo Register your logistic preferences using this form: https://forms.gle/BfUTuPS57eyenNbF9

Kalin is a former professional chess player who has never had a day job. He's the founder of SEO.Domains - the largest supplier of aged domain names to the SEO industry with a portfolio of 200,000+ domains for sale. In 2021 Kalin launched I Grow Younger (i.gy) - a monumental non-profit effort to reframe existing self-improvement concepts and their corresponding language into a clear, intuitively understandable knowledge system.

How do we understand ourselves and the world? "I Grow Younger" is an interconnected framework of every driving force that makes anything happen. With examples from his 18-year entrepreneurial journey, Kalin shows how much we have to unlearn in order to be aligned with those driving forces in our quest for happiness and growth. "I Grow Younger" is fluid, intuitive and has no agenda other than to inspire every person in their own way. A monumental effort to bridge the realities of evolutionary biology, enriched with a touch of spirituality, with the craziness of the modern world and its rat races.

This show is brought to you by The Creative Institute for Happiness founder/curator Levent Korkmaz and hosted by Matthias E Zeitler/ Coliving Semkovo. Don't miss the BBQ, tour of the building, bonfire and hiking activities planned for June 21 and 22.