The first thing you'll learn at Creative Tribe Workshop is that meeting new people doesn't have to be awkward.
That's why they have you doing something.
Making a flower crown. Decorating a cupcake. Learning how to take Instagram-worthy photos.
All the while, the tribe regulars hope you'll get past the small talk and start discovering common interests and mindsets.
That was how the whole thing started in the first place. Theresa Delaney and Susana Starbuck wanted to make some friends and find some mentors. That was in September 2015.
"We met at Time Market and over some pizza just brainstormed ideas for how to tap into this creative culture we could feel that was within Tucson, but there wasn't much to cultivate it and grow it," Starbuck, 28, says. "How do we unite people who are artists and entrepreneurs who want to get together and talk about their own ideas and learn other trades?"
How? You create a tribe.
A place to call home
Fast forward to a new year and a new studio.
In October 2016, Creative Tribe Workshop moved into its own space at 236 S. Scott Ave.
On the second floor of what was once downtown funeral home, light streams through a row of windows.
It was once a place for endings.
But no more.
The crisp white walls and rough wood floors in the former Bring Funeral Homes on Scott Avenue now provide a canvas for beginnings.
Friendships. Ideas. Skills. Delaney envisions all of it blossoming here.
The main space for workshops in Creative Tribe's new home downtown.
"We had been in restaurants and didn't have much control over the style or aesthetic, and for a creative community that is so essential," Delaney, 24, says. "It's just something that creative people care about, and it nurtures their creativity."
Creative Tribe Workshop opened the studio in November 2016, welcoming the community into a multi-room space big enough for a long conference table, a sweet lounge, an open space for workshops and a co-working space for creatives to sub-lease.
"A physical presence is a relief for the group," says Emily Powell, a 31-year-old who has attended many of the monthly workshops and most of the monthly bonfires, or collaborative sessions. "It was fun to go around and try new businesses, but if you're doing a physical project, you need space to get messy and sit on the floor or spill a little paint or have some elbow room."
Collaborative community
The first Creative Tribe Workshop gathered creatives in September 2015 at Ermanos Craft Beer and Wine Bar to learn notebook painting from Phoenix artist Paige Poppe. They followed that with a wellness workshop at Presta Coffee Roasters in November 2015.
"We saw interactions happening and people excited about it and telling us they were looking for something like this but hadn't know it until they attended the workshop," Delaney says.
Danielle Schiess, 28, an instructor for Yoga Oasis, taught at the wellness workshop after attending the first Creative Tribe gathering.
"They're kind of organizing events that I would want to go to anyways, without me having to organize them, and now a lot of my friends go to them," says Schiess, who is also the operations manager at Connect Coworking. "So all my girlfriends can get together, do something creative and off the beaten path. They will introduce me to things that I may never have done before."
When Delaney and Starbuck envisioned Creative Tribe over pizza, they weren't sure if the idea would have any traction.
Delaney had left her full-time job with a local marketing firm to start her own branding business six to nine months before the creation of Creative Tribe, and Starbuck, a stay-at-home mom, was on the cusp of launching her own product photography business.
"I didn't feel like I fit in at professional networking events or with mom groups. Puppies don't count at those," Delaney says. "I didn't have that university bubble to go to either, so I was struggling with finding a place where I felt comfortable asking questions. I mean, I could go stand by the food table, that was easy, but having the confidence to be part of the conversation was different, and that's what I was looking for."
They wanted a place to learn new skills and meet likeminded people. Sure, Delaney had made connections in Facebook groups, but she wanted face-to-face interactions with other Tucsonans.
"We were like, 'All right, let's figure out a way to resolve this for ourselves,'" Delaney says. "We didn't know there would be other people out there who would be looking for the same thing."
There were.
"Gosh, for me it has been a total game-changer," says Powell, who moved to Tucson in January 2014 not knowing anyone. "It changed Tucson from a place I was looking to leave to a place I'm interested in staying in to be part of this community that is in a formative stage."
The Creative Tribe model
Each month, Creative Tribe hosts a workshop and bonfire — it's not a real bonfire, but rather a space to share ideas, get some work done or just escape the house for a few hours.
The bonfires have helped Powell, a toy product manager for MasterPieces Puzzle Company, begin executing her dream to start a toy company of her own.
Delaney says that about 75 to 80 percent of workshop participants are first-timers. The workshops can be a bit pricey (around $40-60) — supplies, snacks and drinks are usually provided — so many of the tribe faithful make a habit of picking one workshop every few months and then hitting all of the bonfires. A few die-hards make it to most workshops.
As Creative Tribe has grown in popularity, the size of the workshops has stayed the same. Thirty or fewer people in a class makes for better conversation, so workshops have a cap.
Creative Tribe's December workshop included cupcake decorating tips from Crumbs Cake Boutique and a hot chocolate bar.
"We opened it outside of lines of profession or gender or skill level or age and invited all of these people in regardless of their place in life to gather and learn from each other...." Delaney says. "I found myself meeting people, which had been the intention, but seeing other people in the community connect with each other was inspiring and motivating to see happen."
Mostly women come to the workshops (flower crowns anyone?), but men do make occasional appearances. The ages of participants range from 18-year-old college students to 25-year-old college graduates to 35-year-old stay-at-home moms to 55-year-old empty nesters. Schiess says the age range has widened over time, with younger women now bringing moms and grandmothers.
The lounge in the Creative Tribe Workshop studio.
"Our primary intention is to create space for people to gather and connect, and the way we tie in creativity is that it serves as the facilitator and provides something for people to bond over," Delaney says.
As Creative Tribe has bloomed, so too have similar movements like Cultivate Tucson, Starbuck says.
Powell says Creative Tribe Workshop offers a mix of opportunities to make friends and build professional connections without the formality of typical networking. Outside of work friends, the creatives she has met through these workshops have become her network. And although these aren't friendships that go beyond the monthly Creative Tribe meet ups, they are comfortable.
"I have been to a lot of networking things, and they have a forced feel, and everyone has their peacock tail out, showing off what they can do..." Powell says. "With friendships, you can reveal things that are question marks for you and are in the middle of being formed, not something you're ready to brag about."
Looking forward
Over the summer, Starbuck decided to step aside and focus on her business Little Flower Studios and her four children, ages 4, 3, 2 and 9 months.
"Theresa had these big and amazing plans for Creative Tribe, and as much as I wanted to stay involved, I knew there was a time and place for everything," Starbuck says.
In the coming year, Delaney hopes to add workshops that are more family-friendly and perhaps duplicate some of the more popular events.
The year may also bring an expansion to other cities with the Creative Tribe model adapted to fit a city's culture.
Oh, and she's still running her branding business full time.
"The response has been astounding," Delaney says. "I think this evolution into becoming a real community fixture has been a real natural progression, but one we didn't anticipate. I just knew I wanted it to be locally focused and showcase Tucson and make it a space for people to meet locally and make an offline connection."
Upcoming events:
February Bonfire: 5 to 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6. $7 in advance. $10 day of.
Valentine Floral Arranging Workshop: 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12. $55.
