Hiya Brian! Have I told you lately about the amazing people who are a part of the Locals, the smile-filled, inspiration-n-friendship fest that is my inner circle for paid subscribers? Today I want to introduce you to one of them and a wow-inducing project she's spearheading in Pennsylvania. |
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Meet: Roz Duffy. Roz recently launched the Creative Recess website, a hub for finding and sharing in-person creative workshops and events in the Philadelphia suburbs, or, as Roz lovingly dubs them, the “phlurbs.” 😆 Her site aggregates creative workshops in Chester, Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware, and Lancaster counties, the Lehigh Valley, plus the river towns across the border: Lambertville, Frenchtown, and Wilmington. |
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What is Creative Recess? And why does it exist? |
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Roz says:
"I've been gathering people for as long as I can remember. A birthday party featuring vintage monster movies, surf rock, and a taco bar. A wedding planned in three weeks (sequins in the park, anyone?). TEDxPhilly. Virtual book clubs on creativity during the pandemic. I like getting people in a room (or on a screen, when that was all we had).
But after years of remote work and virtual everything, I crave being in a room with other humans, making something with my hands, not talking about work. I want to find reasons to get together with old friends from different life chapters and I'm always up for making new ones.
I am sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Creative Recess started because I was curious. I wanted to find creative workshops I could drive to, meet a friend who lives 30 minutes away, and not deal with highways and parking spots. But finding what was out there meant checking dozens of websites and Instagram accounts. So I started a Google Doc. The Google Doc became a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet became a newsletter. The newsletter became this website.
What started as scratching my own itch turned into something bigger. My hope is that Creative Recess will help more people discover the amazing artists that are out here teaching and creating, and give people more reasons to be creative with others IRL. It's all just getting started, though. We'll see what unfolds." |
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I can totally relate to why Roz created this. During a UX bootcamp a dozen years ago, I designed and created a fully functional prototype for an app that would be a similar type of workshop aggregator ... before realizing I didn't want to be an app founder. Hah! 🙃 But still, these kinds of projects are important because they solve a real problem: there are soooo many events out there and it's exhausting to wade through endless event calendars, Instagram posts, Facebook groups, Eventbrite listings, Partiful and Luma listings, Meetup postings, physical bulletin boards, separate websites for crafty venues, and local event newsletters… phew! Just writing a run-on sentence about it is tiring. 😮💨 There's never one single source of truth for all the great events happening in one area. But thankfully, for the residents of the Philly suburbs, now there is, all thanks to Roz. Creative Recess collects all these face-to-face creative events in one place. I'm so proud of Roz for putting in the tremendous amount of work that went into making the Creative Recess website. She's making it easier for more of her neighbors to tap into ALL this good stuff happening in their area — and all the great new friendships that come along with them!!! 🎉 Sites like these are a great way to find your people, whether you've lived somewhere for years or just moved in. As Roz said, “it's about belonging, mutual support, and nurturing those 'side door' relationships”. |
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Want to try this in your area? |
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You can! Start small: Notice which venues have lots of workshops, like bookstores, community centers, art studios, galleries, community colleges, or whatever lil nook in your town is always bubbling with activity.
Then: Open a blank Google Doc or Notion page, jot down upcoming local events that look good to you, then invite a friend or two to either go with you or add to your shared document.
Now you've made your own homegrown delight calendar. You don't have to make a fancy website if you don't have those skills. What matters is seeding possibilities and making connections along the way.
Distribute your list in whatever way fits: email to your friends and acquaintances, a printed flyer you post on community bulletin boards, or a friendly postcard with the QR code on it that you pass around at your next get-together or potluck with friends and neighbors. |
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The best thing about this idea is that it gets you out there in your community. Whether you join a craft night, or attend a meet-up, workshop, book club, your presence matters.
Being an active participant in real life can energize you, and your participation helps shape the vibe and culture of your community, turning into a place that people think of as “a place where people get together” and that helps more people get out there and connect too. Ripples, my friend!
👉🏾 If you're near Philly, check out Creative Recess.
👉🏾 If you're not near the Philly suburbs, share the link with a friend who is, and take the leap to learn what's happening in your own backyard.
... Wonderful new friends are waiting to meet you. And some of them are in The Locals so you might as well join up and meet them there too! |
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Summertime popsicles and jubilant welcomes to our newest members in The Locals: Andrea, Eleanor, Amy, Lindsey, Tasia, Dawn, Gail, Amy, Jill, Bertie, and Kiran! 💚 🎉 I'm pleased as punch that I get to support you in planting new friendships and strengthening existing ones. And that I get to introduce you to each other! Just in the last couple weeks, we've talked about Locals getting together IRL in LA and New York, and we've had Locals in Nashville and the South Bay already meet up in the past. We also get together every month in our nationwide virtual power hour, which has honestly become one of my favorite rituals. The Locals is the inner circle for patrons of my work who are committed to building friendship and community. You can be a part of it for only 9 bucks a month. Click below to join right away or click here to learn more about it. |
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I love art! And pain-free breathing! As someone who gets roaring headaches from exposure to perfumes, colognes, incense, and even essential oils, I deeply appreciate the small text at the bottom of this Art Club flyer that says “Please do not wear scented products to public programs.”
This brilliant advice (and plea from the bottom of my heart) also applies to airplanes, theaters, classes, movies, in-person meetings, offices, and anywhere that the person sitting next to you cannot easily escape to fresh air in another location. 🙏🏾 |
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It's also Global Loneliness Awareness Week! This is the world's largest campaign to inspire conversations about loneliness and promote connection activities happening across the world. Join the movement by hosting or attending an event or activity, or sharing your voice on social media. If you've been looking for a sign that it's time to take action, this is it! We reduce the stigma of loneliness by talking about it. There's nothing to be ashamed of when your body tells you what you need! If you're hungry, go eat a burrito. If you're thirsty, go drink some water. If you're lonely, go spend some quality time with people you like being around. And if you don't know those people yet, start by getting to know new people by joining a club, volunteering, taking a class, or meeting your neighbors. Here's a bunch of resources you can use to reduce loneliness, this week and every week. And all week long, you can use the promo code CONNECT to get 25% off anything you want in my online shop. 🫶🏾 |
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🙋🏽♀️ The human behind everything written, illustrated, curated, and shared in these newsletters. |
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2930 Domingo Ave #1399
Berkeley, CA 94705, United States |
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