Abstract background with gradient teal and purple shapes on a black backdrop.

Igniting Culture and Place in the Bay Area and Beyond

get creative

STRATEGY

•

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

•

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

•

ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT

•

STRATEGY • COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT • PROJECT MANAGEMENT • ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT •

A close-up selfie of Abra and Chip with a mural and string lights with small, open boxes hanging above them in the background.

Strengthening community through culture and place.

Big Creative Consulting is Abra Allan + Chip: a two-person team with complementary strengths and a shared belief that community life gets stronger when culture and public space work in sync. We help districts, BIDs/PBIDs, arts organizations, and city agencies turn good ideas into real-world outcomes—from board alignment and governance tools to on-the-ground activation, operations, and interim leadership.

We’re not here to “consult and leave.” We co-design with you, then stay close through implementation, building capacity inside your organization so the work sticks. Our approach blends facilitation and strategy with practical, sleeves-rolled-up management: budgets and deployment models that actually reconcile, programs that reflect local identity, and partnerships that last past the press release.

learn more

Work With Us

Big Creative helps communities and organizations bring bold ideas to life. We offer strategy that aligns vision with action, engagement that builds trust and connection, and hands-on support to move projects forward. From planning to implementation, organizational support to event production, our work blends creativity with practicality—making sure good ideas don’t just get imagined, but get done.

Work with us

  • Abra is a true collaborator and agent for change. She has a deep understanding of how downtowns work and how businesses thrive, and she is always seeking solutions and building a coalition of support to effectively bring about change when improvements are needed.

    Bonnie Lipscomb- Deputy City Manager, City of Santa Cruz

  • When working in other communities I used to say we need a “spirit guide.” Now I say we need a Chip. Chip is more important to any downtown than any other executive I know in a similar role. He is charming, funny, intelligent, passionate and hard working. I’ve never met a better downtown association leader

    Chris Richardson - Chief Program Officer, Downtown Streets Team

  • Abra has not only become an integral part of the arts community but has also earned a reputation as a trustworthy arts ally with diverse talents and a remarkable ability to work effectively with others.

    Deborah Malden- Founder Create Boulder, Boulder, CO

  • Chip possesses a rare dedication to community, not just as an abstract concept, but an actual commitment to engaging with people and bringing them together to be in community.

    Cynthia Chase, Former City of Santa Cruz Mayor

  • Abra is a remarkable human being with that rare combination of drive, vision, and the smarts to bring that vision to life. I’ve known, watched, and worked with Abra for more than 18 years, and her commitment to creativity in the community has been a tremendous force for our City.

    Jim Brown, Executive Director, Arts Council of Santa Cruz and Board of Director for California Arts Council

  • Chip combines an empathic heart with a visionary mind. He initiated and lead the development of Downtown Boulder's 5-Year Vision Plan. The process was inclusive, seamless, and delivered on time. Residents, businesses, and government officials embraced this Vision Plan. One city official called it, "A love letter to Boulder's future residents and visitors."

    Evan Faber - Board President, Downtown Boulder Partnership

Abstract background with a black silhouette of a woman in profile on the left and pink, orange, and yellow gradient on the right.

We’re full of

BIG IDEAS

BLOG

around here

Your space for exploring community, sparking connection, and discovering resources that inspire conversation and action.

Featured
Something BIG
Something BIG

Strengthening Communities through Culture and Place - More than a tagline.

Community is strengthened when values are intentional, culture connects the personal to the shared, and place invites us to belong. Big Creative is here to help make that possible

Read More →
Habituation and Place Management
Habituation and Place Management

Habituation is the tendency to stop noticing what becomes familiar—and in place management, that can be dangerous. The graffiti fades into the wall, the weeds in the tree wells don’t register, the broken bench becomes part of the scenery. Like the ladder left onstage before opening night, we walk past the same issues again and again until they vanish from view. The trick is to deliberately shift perspective: see the district as a visitor would, borrow someone else’s eyes, and remind ourselves that the details people notice most are often the ones we’ve stopped seeing.

Read More →
Instagram logo in black and orange with a rounded square outline, a circle in the center, and a smaller circle in the top right corner

Follow us and see
BIG ideas in action.

See culture and community in action. Follow us on Instagram for behind-the-scenes insights, local activations, and ideas that spark conversation and connection.

View fullsize We are BIG creative consulting. Passionate and curious about culture and place. Dedicated to community. This has been our focus and drive for decades. Big Creative Consulting is an opportunity to support others working to strengthen community, to p
View fullsize Are you asking your community the right questions? Big Creative understands how to surface what matters most — and turn those discoveries into action.
View fullsize It may be an oldie but it’s still a goodie. Sing along with us. “Cities have the capability of providing something for everyone only because, and only when when they are created by everyone” - Jane Jacobs Big Creative Consulting
View fullsize Nothing is built more incrementally than a city. Every day with every action taken not merely by planners, but by residents, business owners, visitors. A City Plan can not shape a city unless it was built of, for and by the people who use and ultima