The Creative Crawl: From Online to In-Person Connection.

Since starting Artful, my membership has welcomed women from all over—each on their own creative path, but all craving the same thing: connection. That was a big part of why I created this space to begin with. I wanted a place to grow together, to form friendships, and to feel less alone as we create for our passions—whatever those may be.

Over time, something beautiful started happening. Through sharing our work, chatting about what lights us up, and even what slows us down, we got to know one another. And in that process, we realized… a few of us were much closer than we thought…geographically speaking!

That’s when the idea sparked... what if we met in person?

So, we planned our very first Creative Crawl. A day to explore the city, gather inspiration, and finally meet offline. And wow, this was a day I will never forget.

We started at a gorgeous pop-up flower market that shows up just once a month (and yes, it was busy!).

From there, we wandered Graffiti Alley, taking in street art where each mural told its own story—loud, layered, and full of life.

Artful members enjoying the vibrant Flower Market on Queen Street, collecting fresh inspiration.

Rows of tulips in warm-hued paper bags, bright pink daisies, and delicate purple blooms.

We had lunch at Kensington Market, wandered through some beautiful paper shops, (Oh the patterns!... we had gone to heaven!) and of course, scouted out art supply stores, (because no artist day retreat is complete without art supplies.)

The charming paper shop we came across, featuring a variety of vibrant patterns just waiting to be adorned.

Vibrant street art brings life to Graffiti Alley, showcasing local artists' creativity with a colourful building mural, a striking black-and-white portrait and pattern displays in corners of buildings.

We left feeling full…not just from the food, but from the conversations, the laughter, the shared spark.

In a world that often feels like it’s speeding by or pulling us more online, days like this remind me how grounding it is to step out, look around, and connect. Real connection, where you don’t have to explain why you need to see every paper texture or talk about colour palettes over burgers.

And the best part? This all started because of Artful. (I am so thankful I started this space) I never expected that an online membership could lead to real-world friendships like this, but here we are.

And this is just the beginning…we’ve already decided to make our Creative Crawls a regular thing!

So, let this be your gentle nudge to consider creating your own little crawl. Maybe there’s someone nearby you’ve connected with, or maybe it’s simply about giving yourself a day to wander with intention. (Or hey if you want to join Artful and connect with us we are here with open arms!)

Here's to art friendships! - Artful Members; @dawn_theresa_design, @hannie_art_studio, @Janetbanksdesign, @pippa_and_i

Offline inspiration hits differently, and you never know what kind of magic it might lead to.

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