Truehearts February Schedule
If you need a creative community, come sit with us.
Last year, in a moment of feeling completely overwhelmed by all the sadness and instability in the world, I decided to raise some money for World Central Kitchen by offering zoom coffee dates to pick my brain about writing or life or dogs or my books. I required a donation to World Central Kitchen and matched each one. The time between thinking of the idea and putting it out there was under half an hour. I had no idea if anyone would take me up on the offer, but I didn’t give myself any time to second guess.
I spent the next few months having coffee dates with people I knew, people I didn’t know, and people I’d been in contact with for over a decade (through the magic of social media) but had never actually talked with. We had amazing conversations about creativity and doubt and how to find and maintain faith in our art. I was left with the strong sense that so many of the people I’d talked with needed to know each other. So, again, I didn’t second guess myself, and I started the Truehearts Collective.
I run Truehearts through Patreon, so I can pay myself for the administrative work of the group, pay our visiting artist contributors a small honorarium, and continue charitable donations to worthy organizations. We meet over Zoom to discuss our creative struggles, and work through what it’s like to be a creative person in the world. We also have a book and film club to discuss other people’s art. I don’t worry about membership numbers, or meeting attendance. I’m in it for the love, for the community, for the people who show up and support each other. All but one meeting a month is recorded and available behind the paywall, so members who can’t attend live are able to check in and feel part of the community. And if only two people show up, we still have a great conversation. If we have a packed house, we have a great conversation, too. But the moment is the focus. We’re not creating content. We’re connecting.
The community we’ve built is a constant reminder of the comfort of kind, creative people — that there are other truehearted artists in the world. Our meetings are something to look forward to, a safe space to be ourselves. I know right now so many of us are overwhelmed and heartbroken, scared for the state of humanity. I know that art and community don’t solve everything, but it does help hold our hearts together, boost our spirits, and give us the strength to keep going. Starting this group is the best thing I’ve ever done, and I’m so glad that I didn’t let myself think of all the ways it might not work, or all the reasons I shouldn’t do it. In times like these, our cozy little corner of the internet feels precious and necessary.
So, if you need us, join us. We’ll be so happy to see you. All artists are welcome, and while we talk a lot about writing, artists who work in any medium at any level can join—even if you’re just hoping to get started on your first project and haven’t quite found your momentum yet. There’s also a membership level just for book and film club members, if you simply want a warm thoughtful chat. This month we’re discussing The Princess Bride and reading As You Wish (Cary Elwes memoir about the making of the film).
You can check out our schedule at the Truehearts Collective link below. I’ve also added a link to World Central Kitchen, because donating to them always feels like a simple way to do some good.
I won’t cross-post too much, but I will link to our schedule every month, so you can see if anything we’re planning to talk about is something you might want to be part of.
xoAL