Creative City Guide: Los Angeles

Los Angeles is more than Hollywood. It’s a city alive with artists, designers, musicians, and makers shaping culture every day. From coworking hubs and art walks to festivals and hidden cafés, this guide shows you where to find inspiration and connect with the creative pulse of LA.

Los Angeles is a city buzzing with creativity, where artists, designers, and dreamers shape the culture. This guide helps you discover the best spots to connect and get inspired.

Creative Neighbourhoods in

Los Angeles

Culver City

Culver City has transformed into a hub for creative agencies, film studios, and contemporary art galleries. It’s a neighborhood where the entertainment industry and design culture meet in exciting ways.

Los Feliz

With its indie cinemas, bookshops, and historic connection to LA’s literary and music scene, Los Feliz has long attracted creatives. It’s a cozy neighborhood that balances cultural heritage with a youthful, artistic spirit.

Highland Park

Echo Park

Echo Park’s laid-back energy makes it a favorite among writers, musicians, and visual artists. Known for its music scene and creative cafés, it’s a neighborhood that feels both eclectic and community-driven.

Silver Lake

Silver Lake is a magnet for musicians, designers, and freelancers who thrive in its indie, bohemian atmosphere. It’s full of creative cafés, boutique shops, street art, and venues that blur the line between work and play.

Downtown LA (Arts District)

Once a district of warehouses, the Arts District is now one of LA’s most vibrant creative hubs. You’ll find industrial lofts turned into studios, contemporary galleries, colorful murals, and plenty of cafés where artists and entrepreneurs cross paths.

Coworking Spaces for Creatives in

Los Angeles

Groundfloor

Groundfloor is a member-only coworking and social club based in Echo Park, offering design-forward workspaces, wellness classes, cozy lounges, outdoor patios, meeting rooms, and a vibrant community atmosphere. Members enjoy 24/7 access, unlimited coffee, regular events, and amenities designed for both focus and connection.

Procolo

Procolo is a boutique, locally-owned creative coworking collective in Culver City offering six uniquely designed shared suites in a light-filled landmark building. Since 2010, it has provided turnkey, flexible space for startups and creative teams in an intimate, refined, and un‑corporate environment.

The Preserve

The Preserve is a lush creative campus in Hollywood with workspaces surrounded by gardens and natural light. It offers modern amenities, meeting rooms, and a calm environment where teams and individuals can focus and connect.

NeueHouse Hollywood

Set inside the iconic CBS Studios in Hollywood, NeueHouse is a stylish hub for filmmakers, designers, and entrepreneurs. Members enjoy beautifully designed workspaces, private studios, screening rooms, and a steady flow of cultural events, making it one of L.A.’s most inspiring creative communities.

Creative Cafés, Bookstores & Galleries in

Los Angeles

Stories Books and Café

A quaint and beloved hybrid café-bookstore offering new and used books, a comfy outdoor patio, and regular events like readings and open-mic nights. Stories Books & Cafe is a great place for freelancers and community mixers.

The Last Bookstore

Housed in a stunning old bank, this famed literary labyrinth offers used books, graphic novels, vinyl, art installations, and even creative book clubs spanning topics like Afrofuturism and feminist dystopia.

Timeshare

Timeshare in Lincoln Heights is an artist-run space created to share resources and foster conversation outside the commercial art market. Founded collectively by artists, it hosts experimental exhibitions and collaborative projects rooted in community and mutual support.

Nova Community Arts

A queer-owned, community-focused center dedicated to inclusive arts education for all ages. This welcoming space nurtures collaborative creation in East L.A. Find out about their workshops and classes on their website.

Human Resources Los Angeles (HRLA)

A dynamic nonprofit performance and exhibition space in Chinatown dedicated to interdisciplinary and experimental art forms. HRLA hosts exhibitions, installations, and residencies, offering a creative hub for immersive and boundary-pushing works.

18th Street Arts Center

Reputed as one of the top artist residency programs in the U.S., 18th Street Arts Center supports visual and performing artists with space to create and engage the public. Open studios, artist talks, and community-based events known as “Intersections” foster cultural exchange throughout L.A.

Conferences, Festivals & Events in

Los Angeles

Adobe MAX

Adobe MAX is the ultimate creativity conference for graphic designers, illustrators, and digital creators. Expect keynote speeches from industry titans, hands-on workshops, and sneak peeks into Adobe’s upcoming tools and features. This event is also a fantastic opportunity to network with peers and explore the latest design trends.

AIGA Design Conference

Organized by the American Institute of Graphic Arts, this conference focuses on the future of design and its impact on society. With thought-provoking sessions, panel discussions, and workshops, the AIGA Design Conference is ideal for professionals looking to expand their horizons and tackle design challenges in innovative ways.

Flux Festival

The Flux Festival in Los Angeles celebrates the intersection of film, art, and emerging technology. This multi-day event features curated screenings, immersive exhibits, engaging workshops, and live performances, culminating in a showcase at the iconic Audrey Irmas Pavilion. It's a platform for creatives to explore innovative storytelling and artistic expression.

Photo L.A.

An international photography fair founded in 1992, drawing thousands annually for exhibitions, seminars, and emerging photographic talent.

LA Art Show

The largest and most comprehensive contemporary art fair on the West Coast, showcasing galleries, installations, and global exhibitions each January–February.

Creative Hangouts in

Los Angeles

Non Plus Ultra

Non Plus Ultra is an East Hollywood collective that gives artists space to create, perform, and experiment. With studios, event spaces, and residencies, it’s a hub where emerging creatives gather and share their work.

Living Earth

Living Earth is an outdoor arts series that transforms parks and gardens into creative stages. With music, storytelling, and nature-based workshops, it brings together artists and communities to connect, collaborate, and find inspiration in Los Angeles’s landscapes.

Art Share

Located in the Arts District, Art Share is a warehouse transformed into a hub for creativity. It houses artist studios, galleries, classrooms, and a theater, offering a steady flow of exhibitions, performances, and community events that connect local artists with the wider city.

The Brewery Arts Complex

One of the world's largest live-and-work artist colonies, this expansive 16-acre complex houses studios, galleries, and living lofts. Twice a year, its doors open for the Brewery Art Walk, inviting you into artists’ creative territories.

Thanks for running such a great community! I'm so glad I took a chance and tried this for the first time, and I can't wait for the next month to roll around. Excited to see this network grow!

Ruth Lee 
UX & Visual Designer, Los Angeles

I stumbled upon Creative Lunch Club and had my first lunch and loved it. If you are a creative looking to be less lonely in this sprawling city and have interesting conversations in Los Angeles, I recommend it.

Kristen Fung
Marketing & Travel Curator, Los Angeles

My first lunch was with Lea & Caroline, NYC designers like me and it was great to meet them outside of work in a casual setting. Creative Lunch Club does the hard part of linking me up with others when otherwise, I’d be so focused on work that I wouldn’t have the energy to find like-minded people. And you make new friends.

Paola Morrongiello
Digital Designer & Animator, New York City