Queer writers, creatives, and artists of any discipline are welcome to drop in on a weekly two-hour Zoom call for dedicated silent creative work every Thursday evening throughout the month of November from 7pm – 9pm GMT. These open creative sessions are offered free and open to all members of the LGBT+ community to attend, though donations are accepted for the We Exist trans* healthcare fund if you are able.
The idea behind this open space is creating dedicated time every week to come together and create. There are no parameters on how you use this time – it can be an arts and crafts project, poetry writing, music, drawing, painting, make-up, or any creative project or mode of self expression that might be helpful and/or help energize you in a positive way.
If you would like to, there is also the opportunity to share the work you have created during these sessions in the We Exist blog. To share your work afterwards, please email weexistlondon@gmail.com. You can also use this email to register interest for these sessions privately if you are not comfortable registering on Eventbrite for any reason.
Here’s how it will work:
- At the very beginning, we will take five minutes to go around, introduce ourselves, and state our intentions/projects for the two-hour period;
- All participants will be asked to turn their microphones off for the duration of the meeting;
- Participants are invited to keep their webcams and video turned on for accountability, although you may turn your video off if you prefer for whatever reason;
- If you leave your desk at any period of time during the two hours, you will be asked to specify why you are leaving in the chat (e.g., going to get some water, going to let pet outside, etc.) and when you return;
- Participants are invited to ask questions of one another using the Zoom chat feature when necessary (e.g., if you want to ask a question for creative input, brainstorming, etc.);
- At the end, we will take the last 5-10 minutes to optionally share progress throughout the two hour session and discuss potential goals for continuing those projects outside of the community space;
- This is a protected space and no form of discrimination will be tolerated. Please only provide feedback if and when it is specifically asked for by another participant.
We Exist is a trans* led organisation that wants to provide more spaces for trans* people to platform their work, their ideas and discuss issues affecting the community.
This exists through taking up space in the city of London through pop up cafes, art spaces, exhibitions and more.
The ultimate aim of all the work we do will be to provide directly available funds for trans* people who need it to pay for healthcare needs in the face of ongoing failings from the current government and health service.