Building a Local Chapter of Chatterbox Creatives
For over three years, I have been meeting virtually with a group of creatives from all over the United States and Germany. Photography was what originally brought us together, but my goal in forming this group was always bigger than that — to talk about creativity, learn new techniques and forms of art, and most of all, to build community. I cherish this group and our monthly chats with all my heart. Every month, we lament that we wish we could easily meet up in person and explore some of these ideas together.
What I hadn’t quite named, until recently, is how much I’ve missed the routine of simply being around other people regularly. Work gave me that without my even realizing it — the hallway conversations, the shared space, the rhythm of showing up somewhere and being around people who were also showing up. Whatever this season of life is — retirement, reinvention, in-between — it has quietly taken that away, and I’ve felt the absence more than I expected to.
So when another local creative reached out recently, expressing interest in a local chapter of Chatterbox Creatives, it landed at exactly the right moment. I actually knew her already — we’d connected years ago through 52 Frames, back when we were both active members — but somehow I had completely forgotten she lived right here in my hometown. As soon as she said something, I knew this was something I wanted to pursue.
In the time since Chatterbox Creatives formed, I’ve met a handful of other local creatives too. I’ve tried to fold them into our monthly virtual chats, but our schedules have never quite synced up. A local, in-person chapter solves that — same spirit, same purpose, just gathered around a table instead of a screen.
The plan, at least to start, is to meet once a month. Depending on the size of the group, I’d love to host it right in The Oodlearium. When Tom built this space for me, the whole point was to share it — to make art alongside other people, not just within my own four walls. I don’t think either of us fully knew, at the time, how much I’d come to need exactly that. I’m not looking to open this up to complete strangers, since we’ll likely be meeting in our home — but I’m excited to start with the creatives I already have some connection to, and see where it grows from there.
Stay tuned — I’ll share more as this chapter starts to take shape.
Read about the original Chatterbox Creatives here.
