For Attendees

Really, every week? Yes! Regularity is personally important for building a habit, but it’s also important for growing and maintaining the group size, as well as for fostering friendships. You don’t have to come every week, but someone will always be there!

Do I need to RSVP? Nope! Creative Cafés are designed to fit into your life as seamlessly as possible, so they should not make any additional demands on attendees.

What if I can’t make it by the Starting time / can’t stay until the end? The organizer sets the time that works for them, but you should come when you can, stay as long as you like, and leave when you need to. Some people come every week, while some can only make it once a month, or even only couple times a year; some like to get to the location before the organizer, others can only come 2 hours later, and for others it might be only possible to stop by for 45 minutes.

What language is the meetup in? Creative cafés typically use the common local language, but ideally many languages could (and should) be spoken. If you’re an immigrant (like I am) your Creative Café could help you improve both your understanding of local dialects and your speaking skills—it definitely did mine! Opportunities to regularly meet with people who speak the local language who ALSO share the same interests and values as yourself, offer a unique opportunity to organically improve your language skills.

Can I still come if I don’t live nearby? Absolutely, yes. I highly recommend that the organizer / host selects a location nearest to their home so that it never becomes a burden to get there, but passion is so much more important than where one lives.

What kind of projects are a good fit? Unobtrusive projects which don’t make loud noises, strong scents, or big messes are best. The most common projects are fiber arts like Mending, Darning, Embroidery, Knitting, Crochet, and Macrame, but drawing, up-cycling, stamp carving, and other arts are also practiced. Creative Café events are typically held in public spaces, so attendees MUST consider the comfort of others and MUST respect the property of the space they are in. Please bring reasonably sized protective tools like a cutting mat to work with sharp or hard tools and materials, as well as cleaning tools/supplies like a rinse glass, bottle of water, and rag if you’re using materials like glue or paint.

What is a typical event like? Honestly, very chill. Everyone works on their own project independently, arrives when they can and leaves when they need to. We often exchange tips (both about crafting and other things happening in the neighborhood or wider Berlin) and tools or materials that we don’t personally need any more. Each person orders at least a small snack or beverage, and we each pay for our own at the counter before we leave. Sometimes discussions happen in groups of 4 or 6, but often, they happen directly between 2 people, and sometimes we have quiet moments where everyone is just focused on their work, which makes the event quite introvert-friendly!

What if I don’t have a project yet? The most popular first project is mending! Most people have some article of clothing with a small hole or tear, or with elastic or a button needing replacing. Another popular first-project is drawing or origami; Schiller Bibliothek is just one U-Bahn station away, and has many great books on handi-crafts! While you certainly can come without a project the first time, I’ve found that it’s much easier to get started when you have something

I’m a beginner, is this still a good event for me? Yes! Anyone who is able to work independently is welcome to come. As a meetup, Creative Café’s are meant to be social events for all participants. Teaching requires focus on the learner, and learning requires focus on the instruction, techniques, project which makes it not so great for socializing. That being said, almost everyone who comes regularly has multiple crafting skills and most are very happy to share tips and expertise to help beginner crafters improve their skills! Once you’ve built relationships with the other attendees, it would be appropriate to ask to learn from someone personally.

Can I bring my partner / child / friend with me? If they can work independently on their own creative project, then of course! Again, as a social event, it’s mostly important that they don’t disrupt you or the rest of the group. If they’re not able to work independently or are likely to frequently interrupt your work or conversations, it might be better for them to find another activity. 💙

I don’t know how to do any crafts yet, but I was hoping that someone could teach me how to ____ or ____ ? I’d recommend working on something first where you have enough confidence to work independently unless you’ve personally arranged to meet with and learn from someone. Teaching requires arranging materials, planning skill progression, and focus to adjust to the learning style of the student, which makes it very difficult to socialize. That means both of you miss out on the group. You might consider instead meeting a day or two before to learn new skills so that you can use the group time to practice them!

Tuesday / 17:30 doesn’t work for me; could we reschedule? One of the things that makes this event sustainable for founders to organize, is that events are typically not rescheduled, and scheduling is not a democratic decision. The organizer is committing to a weekly habit, and other attendees are simply invited to join when they can. Personally, I even host the event on holidays and while I’m on vacation, and I arrange someone to be there early on my behalf if I’m out of town or ill.

For Founders / Organizers

Really, every week? That’s a lot. Honestly, I do think a weekly cadence is pretty critical in order for the event to continue long-term. A weekly appointment is simple to remember, simple to plan around, and is frequent enough that it has the potential to actually become a habit. Friendships are also most likely to stick with frequent meetings early on. For me, making this commitment was also important for ensuring that I practiced crafting frequently and consistently enough for it have a positive impact on one’s mental health.

How does one find a location? Whether you’re meeting in a public space or a business, I recommend talking to the manager or owner about the time, day, frequency, and group size that you would like to have in their space. Personally, I visited many locations at least twice and worked on my projects there to get a feel for the atmosphere before I talked to anyone about a larger event. Bring an example project or two with you to show them what you mean by crafting. I’ve had cautious “sure, that’s fine” to very enthusiastic “yes, that would be very welcome” with the offer of a complimentary drink and meal.

What makes a good location? Appropriate hours, great light, and comfortable and flexible seating for unpredictable group sizes are critical. I do my best to pick locations that are wheelchair accessible, affordable, not so loud, and located near to where I live (because I especially want to make friends in my neighborhood). Personally, I love a café or restaurant so that I am responsible neither for food, drink, nor a mess that any person makes, and so that there aren’t expectations to use or access large equipment or supplies. You might also consider whether they offer free tap-water.

How does one grow / advertise the event? I personally post weekly on Nebenan.de and I made (and embroidered) business cards with the event details to give to people that I saw doing crafty things in public (on the train, around the neighborhood, etc.). I shared the cards with people who stopped to ask what I (or other people) were working on. I told friends and colleagues, and encouraged other attendees to share it with their own friends and colleagues. You might also consider sharing an event on Bumble BFF, or Facebook, or Instagram. I crafted by myself for 6 weeks before the first person showed up, and it grew slowly to consistently be 5–8 of us each week, and took another year before we really found our core group. Commit to the habit, tell people you’ll be there, show up in a visible and open way, and eventually it will grow.