Creative Groups London

Hampstead Heath Spiritual Gathering & Walk

Our 48th Spiritual Creatives gathering - in person! Come and join us for a lovely walk and talk around Hampstead Heath. We are meeting just outside Hampstead Heath station (London Overground train) at 11.00 on Sunday the 20th of September. Please note: This is NOT Hampstead Station on the Northern Line! It is the Hampstead HEATH station. The Google link is here: [https://goo.gl/maps/AJCNoxkKNj6K9Gp77](https://goo.gl/maps/AJCNoxkKNj6K9Gp77) We will wait for people to arrive until 11.15am and then we will begin walking. If you arrive later, you will only be able to catch up with us at Kenwood House approximately between 12 and 12.30pm. You should be able to find us sitting around as a group having a drink. If the weather permits, you'll find us outside the main café, towards the back. After a short break of 20-30 minutes, we then walk back through the Heath, taking the long way round to Parliament Hill, and conclude our stroll back to Hampstead Heath overground station around 2 to 2.30pm. (Please note that you may become so involved in your conversations that you end up losing sight of the main group! Unfortunately, there is no way for you to catch up with us once we have become separated (and we do NOT check our phones for texts or messages during our walk) so please be mindful and conscious to stay with the main group if you want to keep up. Also please bear in mind that Hampstead Heath can be muddy sometimes, so please wear the appropriate shoes). After returning to Hampstead Heath Overground station, many of our (usually hungry) members like to continue the camaraderie over lunch at one of the local cafés or restaurants. As our group has grown over the years, these gatherings can be quite large, so we usually have to split into smaller parties and explore different venues. Some of our favourite spots are Dominique’s Café (dominiquescafe.co.uk) and Silverberries (silverberry.net), both of which offer a welcoming atmosphere and delicious food. It’s a great way to wind down the walk and continue our conversations. Spiritual Creatives is a warm-hearted and popular meetup group, as you can see from our ratings and comments! We hope to meet you then! :-) Best wishes Cliff **Find out more about us at [https://www.spiritualarts.org.uk](https://www.spiritualarts.org.uk/).**

Share your creative writing

Share and discuss your work on Monday 7th Sept (5:30pm to 6:50pm) with a small, friendly and constructive creative writing group. Meeting at Mayfair library, we cover all forms of writing (from novels to poetry, short-stories to plays), and support a wide range of standards.

SOLD OUT • ZINE MAKING with LESS STRESS PRESS: cultivate creativity

This event is full. Join the **[WAITLIST](https://thoughtexperiments.kit.com/waitlistlessstresspress)** and we'll let you know if a place becomes available. A special event to share the creative practice of zine making 💭✍️✂️🎨📖 IN A NUTSHELL, zine making creates opportunities to: * spend time exploring ideas * hone in on something you love or care about: a cause, a message, a skill, a place (the possibilities are endless) * get creative with collage, drawing, writing, printmaking (etc.) * produce compelling and unique booklets that you can print cheaply and share with friends and strangers offline After lots of creative brainstorming of their own, Bonny and Ellie have landed on zine making as the perfect way to both open up space for playful, low stakes creativity, and focus their minds on bite sized projects. You will soon be able to see some of their zines [here](https://www.instagram.com/lessstresspress). They’re excited to share with you! **IN THIS WORKSHOP, we will:** * Introduce the practice * Share some examples: brief history of zine making, LessStressPress examples * Get to know each other’s interests * Brainstorm using collage and scribbles: get into a low stakes, creative headspace * Use a template to plot our zines: 2 covers and 6 pages of content * Design our first zines (everything is possible with analogue materials, but if you love digital design, bring a laptop) * Sharing circle * **Optional finale:** * Visit the print shop visit together * Print copies of our new zines * LESS STRESS PRESS Pop Up: hand out copies of our new zines to strangers :-) **BY THE END OF THE DAY, we'll have** * learned a new practice to spark creativity and clarify thinking * met a new group of people and learned about the things they care enough to make a zine about * had some thought provoking conversations * produced our own original zines, ready to share :-) **NOTES ON THE GENERAL ATMOSPHERE:** Although we’ll be learning a new practice we'll also be aiming to have an enjoyable day, with good humour and fun. This will be less like school and more like a relaxed hang out in a café with an additional creative twist. **WHO SHOULD COME:** Everyone! We believe that the more perspectives, the richer the experience. This group is not about being experts, it is about thinking creatively together and learning new ways to develop and communicate ideas. **WHERE WE'LL MEET:** We'll be meeting in a beautiful little creative studio in Stoke Newington. The exact address will be provided to attendees directly. **[SUBSTACK](https://experimentsingroupwisdom.substack.com/)** \- newsletter and reflections **[WHATSAPP GROUP](https://chat.whatsapp.com/DcSICl49X509EFdGBo3hKg)** \- stay in the loop **[INSTAGRAM](https://www.instagram.com/lessstresspress)** \- see what we look like \(content coming soon 😅\) **[WEBSITE](http://www.alltogether.one/)** \- everything else **#creativity #inclusivity #openmindedness #creativepractices #community #newskills #zinemaking**

In what ways can we benefit from “the Arts”?

\*\*\* Our first meeting in a second venue to allow more people to take part in our group \*\*\* NOTE: the pub does not charge for our space on the understanding that we all purchase something from the bar. Please support them. **Please arrive in time for a prompt start at 7:30.** We’ll inevitably spend some time exploring what distinguishes “art” from anything else. But most of our discussion will focus on the ways in which art can be beneficial to both the consumer and the creator. We’ll take a fairly broad interpretation of "the arts", including music, literature and other forms of creativity, in addition to the sorts of things you see in art galleries. (Hence my use of “consumer” instead of “viewer”/”listener”/”reader”). Some questions we might consider… * To what extent does “art” need to be pleasing to the consumer? * If not “pleasing”, what else draws people to experience it? * To what extent should art challenge us to think, or see the world differently? How does this vary across different art forms? * In what ways is being creative for its own sake, beneficial? * In what ways is expressing feelings through art a form of therapy? * What distinguishes works produced primarily to benefit the creator from works produced primarily to benefit the consumer? Who judges? On what basis? * “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist” is a quote attributed to Picasso. What did he mean? Was he right? Is “art” a licence to break rules? How healthy is that – for creators and consumers? * Marc Chagall, an early 20C painter said “If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing.” To what extent does successful creation and consumption of art rely on an emotional component / a rational component? * To what extent does a consumer need to understand the creator's intent in order to benefit from a work of art? * What effort does the consumer have to make to fully benefit from the art they consume? How does this vary across different art forms? * To what extent is the act of physically going to a gallery/concert/theatre… more beneficial than seeing photos of pictures in a book / listening to music at home / watching a play on TV etc.? * In what ways do the benefits of creating differ from the benefits of consuming? Relevant articles you may want to look at: [https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/oct/28/picture-of-health-going-to-art-galleries-can-improve-wellbeing-study-reveals](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/oct/28/picture-of-health-going-to-art-galleries-can-improve-wellbeing-study-reveals) [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2yr0d3m1no](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2yr0d3m1no) [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/may/20/art-cure-by-daisy-fancourt-review-is-culture-the-best-medicine](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/may/20/art-cure-by-daisy-fancourt-review-is-culture-the-best-medicine) Hope to see you there.

PINK INK WORKSHOP

Join us for Pink Ink - our LGBTQ+ creative writing support group! Pink Ink offers a safe writing space to all LGBTQ+ people to come together to write, share and discuss work. Each workshops will offer up 2-3 creatives writing exercises in a a fun sociable setting - refreshments, snacks and an opportunity to chat about writing, poetry, authors and a whole lot more! Our January workshops will also include a poetry exercise which will support any creative writers looking to enter the LGBT Swichboard [Poetry Competition ](https://switchboard.lgbt/switchboard-news-poetry-comp/) Every 2nd & 4th Thursday of the month 7-9pm 86 Caladonian Rd

Café sketching session (+ Movie hangout) ☕✏️🎬

Get ready to bring your sketchbook and art supplies for a chilled café sketching session! There'll also be a movie hangout afterwards! You're free to just attend the sketching session or the movie hangout. If you'd like to come to the movie hangout, scroll down for more info. No matter your skill level lets grab a coffee and unleash our creativity into our sketchbooks. There's no formal guidance, you'll be free to get on with your own drawings/personal art projects while being able to connect with other local artists. You're welcome to join in on the group conversations or quietly get on with your art studies whatever your preference. A few basic drawing supplies (pencils, colouring pencils, erasers etc) will be provided but please bring your own sketchbook / tablet / paper / something to draw on! We'll be on Level 2 inside the Royal Festival Hall (Level 2 entrance via Riverside Terrace or Mandela Walk). Message if you can't find us! After the sketching session at 7:30pm, we will make our way to the Vue in Leicester Square to see the video game based horror movie **Resident Evil (2026)** The film starts promptly at 8:15pm - approx 10:20pm. *I've booked seat C8 so make sure you book a seat in or around row C!* *[Link to buy your ticket](https://www.myvue.com/book-tickets/summary/10030/HO00020943/315779)* Hope to see you there 👋 (Also please feel free to join even if there's a waitlist / RSVPs are full!)

Show and a tell + Social. Corner Corner- Canada Water station

\*Disclaimer: All are welcome. Students, professionals, non professionals, business owners, curious cats. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- Come along to the Corner Corner venue, located just a few minutes walk from Canada water, for a few hours to meet friendly faces, work on your personal projects, or just come and share what passion projects you are all working on. Feel free to bring your laptop, tablet, sketchbook, and notes on the day. Whether you work in Animation, Art, Design, Film, Games development, or storytelling, you are welcome to come along. We love being around diverse creatives who want an opportunity to showcase their talents. This is an excellent opportunity for those looking to socialise with like-minded people and to get friendly feedback on their work. All backgrounds are welcome to join us, even if your just curious about Animation/Art/Storytelling \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* I Look forward to seeing you there.

Navigating the Designer-AI Dilemma

We're back after a ridiculously long pause. For reasons, somewhat directly and indirectly to do with the topic of this event. How we are adapting ourselves, or need to in this strange age of AI. *Tickets are refundable if you request at the end in line with [our policy](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1011q0yqUr8qN0SWZauZnf2hdHyJLE1kITWW9A0IH0U0/edit?usp=sharing).* **Session overview** Designers face a dilemma: AI is reshaping how decisions get made and work gets done, but the stories around its benefits are polarized. What is authentic vs synthetic? Extreme points of view don't help you day to day. They keep you wrapped up in debates about process while the actual work still needs to get done, and the question around quality and value stay in question. In this session, Jason and Vic explore what's real: which skills stay irreplaceable, when AI genuinely saves time vs. when it wastes it, and how to build capability that keeps you relevant without losing what makes you valuable. Jason and Vic will walk you through frameworks, data, and exercises, that help you examine where you need to adapt, what to keep, and how to make decisions grounded in reality, not hype. Expect debate, and practical lessons, not cheerleading. **[Jason Mesut, Resonant Futures](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmesut/)** Jason Mesut has been a local leader for IxDA alongside Boon Chew for IxDA London since 2011. He works as a strategic consultant, a creative coach and as a shaper of designer capability through his Shaping Design work. He has 30 years of design behind him, and is questioning what the next 3–30 years ahead might look like for him, his clients and his peers. **[Victoria Lee Kirk](https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriakirkstrategy?skipRedirect=true&miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAAD__wABvtUfrJ9mn2hLf1EPZN9ssWJcNyw)** Vic is a tech strategist, writer, and a TEDx speaker focused on turning data into meaning and bias into belonging. She helps teams ask better questions about their customers, their process, and themselves. She led user research that piloted an AI assisted service to map global supply chains within the UK government after lockdown and helped turn the tool and its consulting service into a standing business function, demonstrating how good people and better questions, not just better tools, actually create value. She joins IxDA London to explore where human intuition still outperforms AI in the design process, and where it doesn't.

Houdini HIVEalt

Typography Photography : Shoreditch

Pitch your ideas for a short film

Pitch your story ideas All the participants will vote for the best one We will film it on the 20th Sept (Sun) at the location(s) we choose with Netflix-approved Canon C50 camera The short film will be shot by Cheuk Yin N.G Suggested donation £5

Nature Blueprint — Cyanotype Taster Workshop

Tickets available on Eventbrite 🎟️ 👉 [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nature-blueprint-cyanotype-taster-workshop-tickets-1994650263633](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nature-blueprint-cyanotype-taster-workshop-tickets-1994650263633) Discover cyanotype in this hands-on workshop. Slow down for a few hours of creativity, shades of blue, and nature at this cyanotype taster workshop at Trinity Buoy Wharf. Join *BE KA Art Studio*, Elena’s riverside atelier at Trinity Buoy Wharf, for a hands-on cyanotype taster session. Cyanotype is one of the oldest photographic printing processes – and one of the most satisfying and sustainable. Using sunlight, water, and natural materials, you'll arrange botanicals, feathers, shells, and found objects onto coated paper, expose them to light, then rinse your print and watch the image bloom in that distinctive, deep, luminous blue. No cameras, no screens, no prior experience needed. Just you, some plants, and the light drawing shapes for you. If the weather's overcast, UV light has you covered. You’ll leave with your own original cyanotype artworks. **What You'll Do** * Arrange botanicals, wooden letters, and other objects to compose your own cyanotype prints * You're welcome to bring small objects, lace, flowers or negative film of your own if you'd like * Expose your work in sunlight — or UV light * Develop your prints in water and watch the images appear **Duration**: Allow approximately 1.5–2 hours, depending on the group size. **What's Included** Everything is provided, including: * 2 x A5 coated paper sheets in your choice of colour, or small square coated paper * Botanicals, feathers, shells, and natural materials (feel free to bring your own if you'd like) * Small wooden craft letters * Apron **Good to Know** * No prior experience necessary — suitable for complete beginners * Step-free access and disabled toilets available * Children must be accompanied by an adult * The studio is close to local favourites such as *The Orchard Café* and *Layers Bakery*, if you'd like a drink or snack before or after (both open daily until 4 pm). There's also our local pub, *The Lockdown Room*, near Canning Town station, for food and drinks until late. Tickets available on Eventbrite 🎟️ 👉 [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nature-blueprint-cyanotype-taster-workshop-tickets-1994650263633](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nature-blueprint-cyanotype-taster-workshop-tickets-1994650263633) **Please Bring** No food or drinks are provided, so feel free to bring your own snacks or a drink if you'd like. **📍 Location — Trinity Buoy Wharf, London E14 0FP** The workshop takes place at *Trinity Buoy Wharf*, a historic 19th-century site in London's Docklands, now home to one of London's most vibrant creative communities, a sculpture park, event venues, and the iconic Container City™ buildings. More info: https://www.trinitybuoywharf.com **Privacy & Consent** *By attending this event, you agree that photos and videos may be taken and used for promotional purposes, including on the BE KA website and social media channels. If you'd prefer not to appear, simply let me know, and I'll make sure to respect your wishes.*