I absolutely love these meetings - they always spark something in me
On 17 March 2020, just one day after the UK Government advised there should be no more non-essential contact with other people, we launched Creative Network.
This daily, hour-long, online get-together was open to anyone involved in arts, culture and creativity, who would welcome the opportunity to talk to others about dealing with the COVID-19 lockdown, the challenges of working from home, and what we could do to make the best of a difficult situation.
The sessions brought people together to learn from, share with, and inspire each other, often with expert insight from guest speakers.
Creative Network then evolved into thematic sessions, with special regular meet-ups up for those intereted in craft, theatre, dance and more, plus some sessions for people in the same geographical area.
We also held one-off sessions sparked by a timely theme, such as artificial intelligence, cultural ecology, and the basics of setting up a creative group.
In March 2021, to mark the first anniversary of Creative Network, we hosted a special discussion about the growth of interest in everyday creativity. Guests included Vikki Heywood (Chair of the Warwick Commission), Geoffrey Crossick (Director of the AHRC Cultural Value Project), Stephen James-Yeoman (BBC Arts) and more. You can read a transcript of this session here.
Our final Creative Network was held in June 2025. In total, over five years, we hosted 261 Creative Network events, attended by 4,097 people.
To find out more about this special series of events, which brought people together during one of the most challenging moments in recent history, please visit this blog by Creative Lives' Chief Executive, Robin Simpson.
I find it a complete pleasure to interact with people whose paths I wouldn't normally cross, so I always find I get out more than I put in!