“You are like the glue between us,” this is how my role was described by one of the artists who came to our very first Creative Community Link event that we hosted last week together with Squarespace. And I’m quite happy with that description and I will be taking this title very seriously.
It was the first time that we did this type of event – a networking event for artists and creative people – and with everything new comes a certain excitement. The idea for a new section on iHeartBerlin that enables people to connect with each other has been on my mind for months now. Squarespace really kickstarted the project for me and made it possible for us to create such a beautiful first edition together with them.
Over the last couple of weeks, we had invited many of the artists and creative people we had worked with over the years. But we also dove into the depths of the internet to scout even more amazing talents to bring them into our world. I was delighted that so many of these new people responded so positively to our idea and the invitation. Even before the event actually happened, I had the feeling that everyone was really excited about it.
Last week, it finally happened and we came together at the gorgeous Quantum Oddity Gallery on Kurfürstendamm. We had featured this new gallery last year after it opened and eagerly waited for a moment to do something there. Their current show Chaos & Memory by Venezuelan artist Andres Ciccone could not have been a better fit for our colorful community gathering.
During the night, I tried to connect with as many of the artists as possible. It was great to catch up with the familiar ones and get to know all the new faces. This was my favorite part of the night because I had really been looking forward to interacting directly with the creative people of the city. I had so many warm and kind encounters – I could have done this for hours more.
One of our main goals was for the artists to connect with one another during the night. Taking on the role of the glue of the night we gave everyone a color and a prompt at the door to have an icebreaker topic to speak about with someone new during the night. As I heard later, this seemed to have worked really well. We also created a big collage where all the guests could integrate a piece of their own.
Our partner Squarespace caught all these little details and interactions and created a website of the event live during the evening and it was fun to see how easily you can build a website that can serve for example as a community hub. You can have a look here to check it out and see more photos of the night. We’ll also announce new dates and other activities there.
A highlight of the night was also our talk with ultra-contemporary artist Vera Kochubey and 3D artist Harriet Davey. The two could not be more different, so hearing them speak about their individual perspectives on similar topics really brought out how diverse the artist’s experience can be. They had really interesting things to share, about their experiences in Berlin, their own way of community building, and everything that drives their creativity.
I’m really happy and grateful that our first Creative Community Link was received so well. I would have loved to spend so much more time with everyone and learn more about them. Just for that reason alone, we will have to do this again soon. I will carry all these lovely conversations and smiles with me until next time.
I’m especially grateful to our partner Squarespace that made the event such an excellent experience. I look forward to further work on our new Creative Community Link website that has been created to bring this project forward. If you also would like to try out Squarespace to build your own website or e-commerce site, you can use our code IHB to get 20% off your new plan*.
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* Enter promo code IHB at checkout until December 31, 2024 to receive 20% off your purchase of a new Squarespace website subscription. The discount applies to the first payment of an annual or monthly website plan, but not to future recurring payments. The discount cannot be applied to previous purchases or subscription upgrades, combined with other offers, or applied after December 31, 2024 to purchases made prior to the expiration of this offer. Use of Squarespace is subject to the Squarespace Terms and Conditions: https://de.squarespace.com/
