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| source: SA Creatives |
So, you're a creative in the city and you want to connect with other creatives and have no idea where to start. Well, our friend and fellow creative, Niya, has a few tips to help you with this process. You can use these tips to find the scene in any city, just replace Atlanta with your city’s name
News publications
- Creative Loafing- “Atlanta’s guide to the arts, music, food & drink, comedy, film and news.” The website allows you to search for events by category (music, visual arts, nightlife, etc.), as well as by venue, (Terminal West, Smithe’s Old Bar, etc.). The site also shows you prices for the events, and some are even free!
- AJC (Things to do) Feature performing arts events, festivals, and can even search for events by neighborhood.AJC features more niche specific events than Creative Loafing because it pulls from a larger database.
Concerts/Events
Even though concerts and events could have been their own topics, I decided to marry them because you will often search for and find these things in the same place(s). You will often meet like-minded people at concerts.
Even though concerts and events could have been their own topics, I decided to marry them because you will often search for and find these things in the same place(s). You will often meet like-minded people at concerts.
- Eventbrite covers both, allowing you to search for concerts, events, classes, or a plain “epic night out”. You can also choose from different moods and categories to explore. Eventbrite has access to a wide range of events, from small to large scale. Also, a lot of events on Eventbrite offer FREE RSVP!
- Foursquare created a list of The 15 Best Music Venues in Atlanta*
- Groupon: Save some money while checking out a new restaurant or class.
- Georgia State University:Some events at GSU are student only, but many are open to the public. Georgia State is a great place to connect with other creatives. You’re bound to bump into one!
- The Bakery Atlanta: an authentic space for Atlanta creatives, The Bakery has events weekly, and was just featured in Paper Magazine for helping keep the culture alive. Read the article here: How to Keep a DIY Space Alive in Atlanta
Social Media
Using hashtags and following event pages and influencers will help you find out where your scene is in Atlanta.
- Hashtags: while general hashtags like #atlevents, may be filled with posts, you will yield better results if you make your searches more specific. For example, a model should search things like #atlmodels #atlantamodeling #atlantaphotographers, instead of simply #atlantafashion. Im sure #atlantafashion would be filled with some nice posts and accounts as well, so that search wouldn’t hurt. You want to search narrow and wide. Don’t forget to search your hashtags on Twitter and Instagram! Twitter has an advanced search feature that adds some extra options.
- Location search on Instagram: Search Atlanta, Ga on your location tab and scroll through the posts and watch the Atlanta story. See something interesting? Dive in. Even if its just a background you want to take a picture on. The more you get out there, the more likely you are to bump into a new friend.
- Follow influencers: after watching your hashtags and hashtag stories for a while, you should start to discover some influencers you are interested in. The 20 ATL Millennial Dinner in Atlanta, GA presented by Herradura Tequila is currently taking votes for The People’s Choice Award. Follow these accounts an stay on top of everything Atlanta:
- Facebook groups: Facebook is alive and very well, and groups are getting more and more popular. One group I have been a part of for years is ATATF. You have to be accepted into the group, and it is based around sneakers/fashion/culture.
Apps
- Meetup: an app that “brings people together to create thriving communities.” Meetup gives you the ability to explore your city, build your career, or get creative.
- Bumble is an app that connects you with people nearby, and works like Tinder, with the swipe left/right to connect. You can have 3 different profiles on Bumble: bumblebizz (for networking), bumblebff (for making friends), and bumbledate (for dating). I created a profile on Bumblebizz… I will update you all on my experience with the app in due time.
Shop at local shops
- Little Five Points: an area that has a place in many creatives hearts. I come here to take a walk and clear my mind, or shoot some natural street photography. Stores like Wish Atlanta and Rag-o-Ramaare the highlights, bringing the city’s creatives under one roof.
- The Beltline: In addition to the beautiful art pieces along the beltline, you can also stop at places like Ponce City Market and Krog St. Market.
- These places are great for snapping photos, grabbing food, and drawing inspiration. As well as meeting new people, of course.
written by @fiyaniya (IG) / Join the Star Gazer App here
