Hosting This Event Changed Everything (But I Almost Called It Quits)
3 Takeaways From Launching My 2nd Live Workshop Of 2025
🙋🏻♀️ Hello…from my first day back!
Since I wrote to you all last, it’s been a 2.5 week whirlwind of regaining my creative mojo and embarking on a series of revealing adventures, including:
hosting our first Possibilities Club Field Trip (which blew everything out of the water!)
a soul-filling photoshoot 📸 with local artist Gretchen Robards (centered on liberation, joy, & optimism),
meandering in fall foliage in Boston 🦞 (oh, how I miss it!),
galavanting in South Korea for the first time (✈️→ Busan 🏖️ → Seoul 🏙️),
a quick stopover in Hong Kong 🇭🇰 (where breakfast always comes with an ice-cold helping of butter 🧈…IYKYK)
annndd, returning home to new reflections and energy for the community I’ve built here 💌
But, First Things First
Let’s talk about how I ghosted you all after running one of the most successful events in Tomatokind history! 🙃
On November 9th, I hosted our first field trip (designed to connect creatives in the great outdoors).
“Nurturing Our Creative Vitality” featured guest coach Magali Mathieu, took place on the beautiful coast of Marin Headlands, CA, AND…
WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!
Buttttt…I forgot to tell you about it (whoops 🙈!).
And, y’all noticed:
SOOOOO…
this recap is for everyone who missed one of our most energetic gatherings of the year, and who might be curious about the messy behind-the-scenes of what it takes to build creative community 🫶.
3 Takeaways from Our First Field Trip
(That may serve as good reminders to you.)
1. Let Fear Run Its Course.
48 hours before “Nurturing Your Creative Vitality”, I called my guest coach Magali Mathieu, and whispered in a timid voice: “I don’t know if I can do this.”
I sugar-coated this confession by prefacing that I had done my best with marketing the event (and that I really appreciated all her efforts to promote it in her circles). But, there didn’t seem to be any interest.
It was 2 days away from the event and there was 1 person signed-up.
Things were looking bleak.
Little did I know that my future self would be gathered with the most PERFECT group of 7 women — all creatives in their own right: some new to creative entrepreneurship entirely; others, veterans in the industry with thriving empires; some were new to the country and language (leaving successful businesses and networks behind in their home country); still, there were others who were on incredibly tender journeys in parallel with their creative lives…
My mind was completely blown.
Oh, and did I mention that one of them signed up at 7:30am that morning (for an event start time of 9:15am)?
If this isn’t a reminder to stick with it, even when you’re afraid of failure, I don’t know what is.
So, this is my reminder to myself (and to you) to not quit too early.
…Even if it’s an experiment. ESPECIALLY if it’s an experiment.
Let the thing run its course. Because, if you don’t, you might just be stealing from your future self.
2. Sometimes, Exclusion is Inclusion.
When I envisioned these field trips in my mind’s eye, I imagined women — sharing their deepest confessions about life and their creative pursuits, finding sisterhood and mentorship, and feeling collective liberation and connection (with each other and nature).
But, I was too afraid to say it.
I was afraid to niche down the event series to just women (for fear that it might suggest Tomatokind was an exclusive space for women — which it isn’t).
But, this gathering showed me that I don’t have to be afraid to narrow my target audience if that is the best choice for a specific gathering.
In fact, clearly stating who a space is designed for can help attendees feel seen, opt in, and co-create a more energetic and aligned experience for everyone involved. It can also help people discern if a space is not for them.
This applies not just to events, but to any offering…
In the words of Priya Parker, “excluding well and purposefully is reframing who and what you are being generous to — your guests and your purpose.” …Which, is the whole point.
In short: by keeping the event invite open to all, I may have missed a crucial opportunity to speak directly to those who couldn’t read in-between the lines, which — essentially — read: “this space is for women creative entrepreneurs to connect and ignite their dreams together, in nature.”
What makes me so sure?
Because every single woman who attended the event told me: I want more of this.
3. Acknowledging The Center of Our Universes
In any given moment, people’s moods and lives are impacted by a wide variety of factors: from small to big misfortunes, lengthly legal processes, caregiving responsibilities, chronic financial distress, and — of course — happy occasions too!
But, it can all be very overwhelming and make us not want to be present with others at a social gathering — especially if the event does not intentionally state that it acknowledges it is not the center of the universe.
Rather, the people are the heart of the gathering, and it is more than okay if each individual’s hearts are bothered by other things. It’s only human.
In fact, what I heard a lot from this community while launching this event was that life was just feeling really “blah”. I got messages like this one:
So, I made it a priority to advertise the event as one that welcomed the tenderness required to be in space together during distressing times.
And, it is specifically because I voiced this intention, that many folks felt assured to say “yes” even during a season of reclusiveness.
So, there you are: my main reflections on what I hope is only the start of a very beautiful series of gatherings.
Don’t miss the next one!
Stay tuned for sign-up announcements :)
With zealousness and gratitude for this creative life,
Vanessa
This looks like a breakthrough! Love seeing this develop and evolve - this is true Possibilities Club in action. :D