Overtime: Our Creative Meetup

Hi everyone. We’re jumping right back into our blog after a short little hiatus that was well-needed. I feel like the beginning of every blog post I write ends up being about how quickly time is passing us. We’re getting really close to December now and we’re very excited to be having another Overtime at Little Sunday Studio next week on Monday, December 2nd from 7pm-9pm. You can find all of the details here. It’s crazy to realize that we’ve had several creative meetups in our little space since we started hosting them back in July. Anyway, Elle and I thought it would be the perfect time to talk a little bit about what Overtime actually is and why we feel it’s so important for us to keep hosting these meetups.

If you haven’t attended an Overtime yet, it’s ok. We know some of our readers aren’t from the area but hopefully this post will inspire you to attend a creative meetup in the future or even host a local meetup of your own. To put it simply, Overtime is a local meetup that we hold at our studio for creatives to network, meet like-minded individuals, eat snacks and drink wine, and most importantly, have fun. I want to give a quick shoutout to my best friend Anjelica Cattivera for being the genius that she is in coming up with our meetup name. We were having a hard time figuring out a name that suited both our weekend-related theme and was a little more creative than the typical “Monday Meetup.” Lucky for us, Anjelica suggested calling it “Overtime” and we immediately ran with it. Since most of our meetups were going to be held after work either on a Monday or Tuesday, we really loved that Overtime had a bit of wordplay. Like yes we know Mondays suck and nobody really wants to work more than they have to but come hang out with us after work to meet fun creative people, have wine, eat snacks, and literally unwind after a long day of work.

Truthfully, another reason why we started hosting little meetups at our space was because our wine client was legit letting us keep the 10 to 15 bottles we photographed after every shoot. It was actually quite insane because there was no way two girls could go through wine that fast and the amount of bottles we had at our studio was quickly adding up. So what better way to get rid of our wine? That’s right. Host events and have all of our friends help us drink it. True story you guys, lol! With that being said, here are the real reasons why we continue to host these small meetups at our space:

the power of networking

There’s nothing more powerful than seeing professional connections being made at an event. Networking does not have to be boring. After all, it is one of the best ways to not only get yourself and your work out there but meet people who you might end up working or collaborating with. We opened up our space for these small meetups with the intention of people being able to connect with others and develop professional relationships. So it is incredibly rewarding to see people collaborate or find work through our events. We think it’s really important to keep expanding your network and getting to know people in the creative industry because the next person you meet at an event could possibly become a friend, partner, referrer, or direct client. We’ve personally enjoyed getting to know so many different creatives at every single Overtime and have even hired someone from our meetups to help us with a shoot recently. Next time you’re contemplating attending a local meetup, think about the positive impact that networking can have on not only your personal but professional life.

building an offline community

You guys, this is a big one. I know that if I didn’t have Elle as a partner, I would feel very freaking lonely doing this freelancing thing by myself. (For the record, I definitely couldn’t run this business without her so I won’t even use us an example haha!) Living in Silicon Valley where we are totally overshadowed by the tech industry, it is understandable to feel like there isn’t a creative community in this area. However, you’d be surprised to find out how many like-minded individuals there are out there with the same exact goals and dreams as you and there’s no way you would ever get to know them without getting out there and attending local meetups like Overtime. It’s also a really great opportunity to get off our phones (aka social media) and connect with people in real life. Freelancing can be a very lonely road if you don’t surround yourself with creative friends who can be there for support or offer knowledge when needed. There is nothing more valuable than getting offline, making real in-person connections, and having shared experiences. Who knows, you might even meet your next creative BFF at one of our Overtimes. And yes, we will gladly take the credit for that friendship. 😉

a creative space for all

Before Little Sunday Studio, Elle and I realized that we had very little options for renting a studio in the area. So when we got our our own space, we didn’t want to keep it to ourselves. If we could help local creatives not have to travel to SF or Berkeley for their shoots like we did, then we were doing our part in the community. Therefore, it was pretty natural for us to start thinking about hosting meetups. A big part of what Weekend Creative stands for is community and education. By opening up our space to local creatives, we can encourage them to not only connect with others in the area but imagine what they could create or do in our little space. Whether you need to shoot a product or host a small workshop, the possibilities are endless. Hosting Overtime is that perfect chance to check out our space and see if it will work for you and your project.

Thank you guys for sticking around to read this entire post and we highly encourage you to go out and find all your local creative meetups. If you’re in the South Bay and would like to come to an Overtime, our next one will be on Monday, December 2nd from 7pm-9pm at Little Sunday Studio. Head over to our FB event page for all the details. This next Overtime will be holiday-themed so you won’t want to miss it!

Is it the holiday season yet? 😉
Arabela