Creatives

About a month ago I read an article about a "new creative venue" in Wellington called August that sits off the vibrant Cuba Street. The article touted it as a place for everyone to come together and celebrate craft, creativity and innovation. A collaborative creative space. 

How it actually plays out, I'm not too sure. It definitely will be one of my to-go destinations next time I'm down there. One month down the track, have any Wellingtonians gone there? If so leave a comment below.

Creative space is a tricky one outside of the university/exclusive studio environment. There's so much going on but different groups cling to certain people and areas. Spaces such as August are a great way to air the creativity that exists within lots of people. From where I see it, it sustains itself on a communal coffee shop with creative people using the space or exhibiting there, perhaps like Tea Culture on K Road. Run by the Te Karanga Trust, they have a radio station, gallery space and a fantastic loose leaf tea shop - one of my favourite spots in the area. Once I even went to a live poetry recital there.

In Auckland, there is a creative shared workspace called Tangleball which is intended for like minded people to meet, collaborate and develop their ideas. Another similar venture which is not tied to a particular space is Scribble which happens each week on a Monday. As well as being a great time, usually at a hip bar, it allows new ideas to be bounced off people of various backgrounds who have a vested interest in creativity and innovation. I've certainly found it useful and have enjoyed connecting with these groups.

Leave a comment below if you've been to any of the above or if there are any that you would suggest to the creative community. It would be great to foster more of these creative hotspots which take the creativity out of the private gallery/studio and into an all-embracing making space.