Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Durham.
Hi Rachel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
There’s so much I could share !!
When I was in college I worked in a community pottery studio and was used to creating around lots of people all the time. Working as an art teacher in schools here in Nashville I was really missing creating in community, and starting having more and more conversations about how hard it is to make friends as an adult. I wanted to provide a space for people to create together, try new local spots, and make a friend or too along the way. I started by hosting Linocut printmaking events and dove head first into everything else! I taught art for years so I have a variety of skills ready to teach club goers! A year and a half later it’s my full time job and I couldn’t be happier.
We host an event almost every week and it’s the most rewarding job ever.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been a pretty smooth road! Recently the only hurdle has been the horrible weather haha
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We focus on providing guests with three things each evening at craft club: a new craft, a new local spot, and the chance to make a new friend. I really wanted to partner with local businesses from the get go to bring people new to the city to discover amazing business to support. We really try and create a low risk, relaxing environment to create in because it can be scary to try something new! But everyone has had the experience of ordering a coffee or ordering a drink, we immediately break the ice that way! Having a craft in front of you makes it easier to chat with strangers, not as scary as a first date. We’re very intentional about that
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I really loved Richard Kytes book Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities. In this he states- “we’re the first society to build a world in which the older we get, the more disconnected we become”.
I think about this every week, every planning meeting, every event we host. We’ve built a world where it’s normal to be disconnected and I work very hard to disrupt that narrative in my corner of the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.nashvillecraftclub.com
- Instagram: @nashvillecraftclub
