Getting Out!

I'm self employed and work from home (like many of the MiN gang), that means that I spend most of working day alone. There are certainly perks, I don't have to tailor my music to others tastes and only have to make one cup of tea when I go to the kitchen. In this situation it's easy to feel cut off from the creative community and as a result lose inspiration, motivation and patience with your work.

Made in Newcastle Art & That Launch - photo by Mike D

You are not the only creative person in town. There are many social events for the creative community in Newcastle, they cater for all sorts of creative folk, photographers, illustrators, designers, knitters, crafters and more. Here are a few of the groups, regular social events and creative hang-outs that happen in Newcastle:

Design Interest - If you're reading this there's a good chance that you appreciate good design. Every month or so Design Interest gets together to talk design with regulars and guests doing quick presentations on a design related topic. The group is a great place to share your latest project with friends and receive useful critique.

Newcastle Photo Walk - Regular meets organised either on the Flickr group or on Twitter using the #npwalk tag. A great chance to get the camera (or phone) out and take some good photos of absolutely anything you like. The walks usually begin and end in a cafe or pub so there's lots of socialising to be had.

Paper Jam Comics Collective - The stereotype of the comics fan is a 30-something year old basement dweller with bad bathing habits. The Paper Jam Comics Collective throw all of those stereotypes out of the window, proving once and for all that comics are for everyone. The collective meets in Travelling Man on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month, talks, draws and generally has a laugh. We'll ignore the fact that the meets happen in the basement.

Dr Sketchy's Newcastle - Usually held on a Sunday afternoon in our fair city. Life drawing with a difference. Have a drink, get out your art supplies and get ready to be thoroughly entertained. Life drawing meets burlesque and cabaret, giving you a chance to draw people in the most wonderful costumes and out of them too.

Tyneside Knitting Club - Get yourself set up in the Tyneside Cinema with a glass of wine, some knitting and great company, what more could you ask for?

Newcastle Improv - Meeting at the Mixer in Jesmond for relaxed improv classes on a regular basis. This is a great confidence boost for anybody who might be worried about public speaking but also a great way to meet some friends and have a laugh.

Tyne Twestival - It's been all quiet on the Tyne Twestival front recently. With Twitter being so mainstream now the last event was huge, the Twestival has gradually given way to more regular and small Tweet-Ups organised by groups of friends. If you're on Twitter why not give us a follow (we're @min_tweets) and we'll see about organising our own Tweet-Up.

The Geekest Drink - Spent the staring at a computer screen? Need a drink in an good pub with excellent company? In their own words "There's loads of brilliant networking events for us techies in the north-east ... That's not what we're about - we just want to get a bunch of geeks around a table. Think making friends, not contacts."


Maybe you haven't found what you're looking for? Arrange something, invite some people, let us know. I'd love to come along.
Have I missed off your favourite creative social event? I'm sorry, leave a comment letting us know the good times we're missing.


I'll be posting about co-working spaces and events next week. If you have any suggestions for what to include please get in touch.