Loyal supporters and friends joined owners and publishers Lore and Chris Watterson and the team in celebrating what they describe in the words of C.S Lewis – “it may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg.”
 
After 15 successful years, the team felt a new name was needed to reflect the present and future changes of the magazine.

“Our name change from Classicfeel to Creative Feel is so much more than a new masthead; it is the result of an amazing journey. After the start in 2001 we started to grow, challenging the wonderful creative medium of print.
 
Today communication has developed so broadly to incorporate digital, social media, print and television. We wanted to maintain the brand but keep the feel of what we had created,” says editor-in-chief Lore Watterson.
 
The magazine is respected in all art forms and across all genres – dance, theatre, visual art, drama, performing arts, literature, film, photography and the various facets of design – from classical to contemporary and has developed a loyal readership spanning all demographics and ages. Distribution is national and they regularly partner with many arts organisations and festivals.
 
Exquisite photographs adorned cover after cover as Classicfeel celebrated the National Arts Festival, Standard Bank Young Artists, William Kentridge’s Magic Flute, Joey from War Horse, and exhibitions from Picasso, Marlene Dumas and the French Masters to a celebration of Women in the Arts.
 
Chris Watterson and the team announced that to celebrate the launch of Creative Feel, the digital version of the launch issue is free to download on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Just search for “creative feel”.

Ismail Mahomed, artistic director of the National Arts Festival, spoke at the launch and had this to say, “The relaunch of this magazine with a new name is an exciting development. It demonstrates an editorial passion that values just how broad and intertwined the arts are with so many other sectors of creativity, imagination and problem-solving.”
 
Mahomed went on to say, “It is not easy for arts organisations to shed some of the identity load that they have been carrying over many years but change is a necessity for sustainability. Creative Feel has ignited a passion for the arts amongst its readership that still believes that the arts can be sexy, sensitised, progressive and ever-changing.”