Here. Now. Together.
For the past two, maybe four years, I’ve had the task “host a creative women event for Women’s Day” sitting on my Asana. Every year would come around and I just wouldn’t get to it. Too busy, forgot to plan in time, not in the mental space to.
But this year, it happened. screams
And it was so beautiful. It was everything I had imagined and more.
This year, International Women’s Day fell on a Sunday, which felt perfect. Sundays are slow, wholesome days for me, the kind of day you do something for self. So I imagined it would feel the same for other creative women.
Earlier this year, Melody hosted a team-building session for my team. I mentioned the idea of this event to her, and she immediately said, “Let’s do it!” And just like that, we sat down and started planning what would become the perfect day.
Here’s what we knew for sure. We wanted it to be small and intimate. We wanted a room filled with creative women. We wanted to create, but not in a way that felt time-consuming or draining. We wanted good food, good drinks, and space to just… sit and yap.
So we did exactly that.
Melody and I each invited three women from our networks, and in the end, the room held eight creative women - fashion designers, brand designers, music and poetry, a content creator, visual artists.
We started the afternoon with mimosas, easing into conversation while we waited for everyone to arrive.
I had designed conversation cards for the event, but let me tell you - we only used one the entire afternoon: “When did you first know you were creative?” We went around the room answering it, each story unfolding into the next.
After that, we broke to eat. Our original food plan didn’t quite come together, but my partner stepped in and created the most beautiful spread of bites - perfect for balancing out the endless mimosas.
Then we moved into the ceramic workshop, led by the talented and forever elegant Melody. I’ve done a few before, but every time feels just as wholesome.
The women got straight to work on their pieces. At some point, we joked about making vulvas for Women’s Day, and Tuli actually did it. She created the most beautiful representation of a woman’s reproductive system. I absolutely loved that, and everything everyone made. I ended up making a toothpick (or matches) holder and a stand for my phone.
The rest of the afternoon, we yapped, ate, drank. Unfolding exactly as we had hoped. Not a single dull moment in the room.
Melody and I wanted an event that brought us out of our silos. So many of us are creating alone, navigating creative entrepreneurship on our own, without enough spaces that simply celebrate us.
That’s why we hosted Here.Now.Together.
And to Tanya, Niita, Pewa, Tuli, Quinleigh, Natali - thank you for honouring the invitation.
How gorgeous was this set up by Melody?
For decor, Woolies came through with the flowers to make the space even prettier. I burnt some Bare Essentials candles to add some romance to the room, lol. Melody brought some Xammi sculptures, which brought so much character to the room. I mean, we are artists after all.
Everything was simple, but intentional.
