Artist Meetups Sydney

Open Mic Night @ Soultrap Surry Hills

✨ Open Mic Night @ Soul Trap – Surry Hills ✨We’ve locked in a venue — and it’s a good one. Join us at Soul Trap, Surry Hills, a small, classy, intimate spot that’s perfect for a relaxed nighttime open mic and social hang. 🎤 Want to get on the mic? Share music, poetry, acting, or anything you feel like trying out. 🍷 Mostly want to hang out and meet people? Absolutely welcome. Come watch, chat, connect, and enjoy the vibe — you don’t need to perform to be part of the night. 🎟 FREE ENTRY 🤝 Friendly, social atmosphere ✨ Come solo or bring a friend This is about community as much as creativity. Low pressure, supportive energy, good conversations, and a room full of interesting people. Sign up at 630PM for a 7PM start EVERYONE WELCOME

Painting Creative Art Experience

**Painting Creative Art Experience** Join us for a fun and relaxing in-person workshop where you'll explore the power of painting to unlock your creativity and promote healing. No experience needed—just bring your open mind and let your imagination flow! Step into a calm, welcoming space where you can slow down, breathe, and reconnect with yourself through colour and creative expression. This is a gentle, guided painting experience designed to support emotional release, relaxation, and creative flow—no art experience needed. You don’t need to be “good at art.” You just need to come as you are. Through intuitive painting and reflective creative exercises, you’ll be invited to explore your inner world in a safe and supportive environment. This is a space to let go of pressure, quiet the mind, and reconnect with your natural creativity. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, creatively blocked, or simply needing time to rest and reset, this workshop offers a pause from everyday life and a return to yourself. You’ll be gently guided by **Louisa Chan**, an artist and art therapist who integrates creativity, emotional wellbeing, and healing practices into her work. Expect a relaxed, nurturing atmosphere, soft guidance, and a sense of freedom to express what words often cannot. **In this workshop you will:** * Explore painting as a tool for emotional expression and release * Experience a calm, supportive creative space * Reconnect with your imagination and inner world * Let go of perfection and create freely * Leave feeling more grounded, lighter, and creatively refreshed No experience needed. All materials are provided. Come as you are—leave with colour, calm, and something meaningful you created from within.

Windows & Vistas: A New Perspective

**Windows & Vistas: A New Perspective** **A Creative Afternoon of Art, Reflection & Connection** **Slow down. Create something beautiful. See from a new perspective.** There is something beautiful about pausing at a window — taking in the light, the landscape and the view beyond. Join us for a relaxing and inspiring Creative Wellbeing Workshop where you’ll explore the beauty and symbolism of **windows, light and vistas** through art-making and gentle reflection. You’ll be guided to create your own window and vista-inspired artwork while exploring themes of **perspective, hope, possibility and new beginnings**. Like a window opening onto a wider landscape, this workshop offers a space to pause, enjoy the creative process and reflect on the perspectives, possibilities and hopes that are part of your own journey. ✨ **You'll experience:** 🪟 **Gentle guided reflection** inspired by windows, light and new perspectives 🎨 **Step-by-step instruction** to create your own window and vista-inspired artwork 🤍 **A peaceful and welcoming environment** where you can slow down and enjoy being creative 🌿 **Simple creative wellbeing practices** to support relaxation, mindfulness and self-reflection ✨ **An opportunity to explore** perspective, hope and possibility through creativity 🖼️ **A beautiful artwork to take home** as a meaningful reminder of your creative experience **No artistic experience necessary — just bring yourself and enjoy an afternoon of creativity.** 📅 **Tuesday, 22 September 2026** 🕒 **3:00 – 5:00 pm** 📍 **Club Ryde** 💰 **$65 per person** *(All art materials included)* ***“Sometimes a change in perspective allows us to appreciate the beauty of the view before us.”***

Pearls of Great Price Painting Creative Art Experience

**Pearls of Great Price: Discovering Your Inner Treasure** **A Creative Afternoon of Art, Reflection & Connection** **Slow down. Create something beautiful. Discover the treasure within.** Join us for a relaxing and inspiring Creative Wellbeing Workshop, where you’ll explore the beauty and symbolism of pearls through art-making and gentle reflection. You’ll be guided to create your own pearl-inspired artwork while exploring themes of **beauty, self-worth, resilience and the experiences that shape us**. Like a pearl that develops layer by layer, our lives are shaped by the many experiences, seasons and moments we encounter along the way. This workshop offers a welcoming space to pause, enjoy the creative process, reflect on your own journey and appreciate the beauty that can emerge over time. ✨ **You'll experience:** 🐚 **Gentle guided reflection** inspired by the beauty and symbolism of pearls 🎨 **Step-by-step instruction** to create your own pearl-inspired artwork 🤍 **A relaxed and welcoming environment** where you can slow down and enjoy being creative 🌸 **Simple creative wellbeing practices** to support relaxation and self-reflection ✨ **An opportunity to connect** with yourself and others through creativity 🖼️ **A beautiful artwork to take home** as a meaningful reminder of your experience **No artistic experience necessary — just bring yourself and enjoy an afternoon of creativity.** 📅 **Tuesday, 6 October 2026** 🕒 **3:00 – 5:00 pm** 📍 **Club Ryde** 💰 **$65 per person** *(All art materials included)* *“Within every story lies a hidden treasure, waiting to be discovered, embraced and brought to light.”*

WINTERGARDEN

Coffee & Collage | The Grounds

#### Coffee & Collage @ The Grounds is a energetic 1-hour self-guided analogue collage experience designed to help you stay off screens, reconnect with your creativity and enjoy some time away from the digital world. **$30 - All materials included** **[Book your spot](https://www.theinspiredwithin.com/shop/p/coffee-collage-thegrounds)** You’ll create in the most instagrammable café in Sydney and spend the session cutting, layering and creating while sipping your favourite brew. The session will be hosted at The Grounds Cafe (indoor area). Please look for the Coffee & Collage sign. **A note about the venue:** The Grounds is a busy café, so expect background chatter and the general buzz of a lively venue. Only 8 spots.

Coffee & Collage

#### **Coffee & Collage is a relaxed 1.5-hour self-guided analogue collage experience designed to help you slow down, reconnect with your creativity and enjoy some time away from the digital world.** **[Book your spot](https://www.theinspiredwithin.com/shop/p/coffee-collage)** Surrounded by vintage chairs, shelves of second-hand books and the warm atmosphere Ampersand Cafe & Bookstore is known for, the session is designed to get your creative flow happening, without rules. Intentionally small so you can feel comfortable coming on your own, meet new people and simply enjoy being present. Only 6 spots per session. $25 - All materials included

NEWCASTLE ART GALLERY DAY TRIP

Su/Real - Analogue Collage Workshop

#### Learn the foundations of surreal collage art, slow down off screens, through a guided experience, a welcoming space, and time to simply be. In this guided and immersive workshop, led by the mixed media collage artist and art director Sue Morais, you’ll have an unique opportunity to explore the world of surreal collage art and learn to find hidden narratives, learning clever and unique collage art composition techniques. As part of the experience, you’ll gain access to a premium, curated library of vintage magazines & books and recycled creative cuts. **All materials included + nibbles** $69 per seat 2 hours

SYDNEY FISH MARKET

Lara Meacock/Edgar Anzaldua

Our CCX Sydney September event features two awesome designers and speakers: Lara Meacock from CBA on a AI themed Systems designing back and Edgar Anzaldua Moreno from Compare Club on the complimentary talk You loved your Craft, Now you prompt. Will be applying a $10.00 cover charge to cover Food and drinks and on this occasion will be kindly hosted again by our new friends at Lorikeet. Details below on the venue location (Surry Hills) **IMPORTANT NOTE FOR THIS SESSION!** **An Important detail is that due to gaining entry to Lorikeet we will need any CCX Member planning to attend this session to supply us with their First and Last name in advance of attending.** On this occasion we will not be able to accept Members who do not supply these details. Many thanks CCX Sydney. **About Lara's talk** **Systems designing back - when systems start thinking with us.** AI is rapidly changing how digital products are designed and built - but the most interesting shift isn’t simply that we can work faster. It’s what happens when the systems, rules and decisions designers create can increasingly be interpreted and executed by AI. In this talk, Lara explores the evolving relationship between design systems, AI and the role of the designer. Drawing on real-world experiments in AI-enabled design and delivery, she’ll look at what happens when design systems become more than libraries of components and start acting as the infrastructure AI uses to create. As execution becomes increasingly automated, the designer’s role begins to shift too - away from being the person producing every outcome, and towards defining the systems, constraints, judgement and quality standards that shape what gets produced. **About Lara** Lara Meacock is a Principal Product Designer at Commonwealth Bank, working across product design, systems and emerging AI-enabled ways of working. Across her career, she has worked at the intersection of product, design and technology, helping teams turn complex problems into digital experiences that are useful, intuitive and built to scale. Her practice combines a strong product lens with systems thinking, exploring how the decisions, patterns and foundations behind an experience can enable better outcomes for both customers and the teams building them. More recently, Lara has been exploring what generative AI means for the future of product design: how we design with it, how it changes the way products are created, and how the role of the designer evolves as the systems around us become increasingly capable. **About Edgar's talk** **You Loved Your Craft. Now You Prompt.** You picked design because you loved designing. Now you prompt. More comes back, faster, and it looks fine, so you ship it. Something about that mechanism feels off, and you can't name it. So you sit with that feeling. It isn't nostalgia. Let's talk about what it is. The uncomfortable part is that the better the output gets, the less often you scrutinise it. And something gets lost. Designers weren't the first ones to experience that loss, and we can learn from others. This talk is about how you keep using AI without losing what makes you good at design. It's about getting your mojo back. Ending with something you have that the machine doesn't, besides a heart. **About Edgar** Edgar Anzaldúa-Moreno is a design leader, researcher, and engineer with more than two decades of experience working across technology, product design, strategy, and organisational change. His career has spanned startups, consultancies, and large organisations, including leadership roles at KPMG, Canon, CarsGuide, Compare Club and Sweat. He describes his practice as that of a designgineer — combining research, strategy, design, and engineering to solve complex product and organisational problems. His work includes published research, a US patent, award-winning digital products, and the development of research-led design teams and practices. Edgar is currently exploring how artificial intelligence is changing the nature of design work and leadership. He is writing Leading Design after AI: From Operator to Orchestrator, a book about what happens when AI makes production increasingly cheap, while judgment, critical thinking, and the ability to frame the right problems become more valuable. Therefore don't miss out on this awesome pairing of two creativity and AI themed talks that will certainly asks as many questions of our audience as well as our presenters!

🍊 Art Escape | Orange – Spring Art Escape

**Our Journey** Let's escape to **Orange**—one of New South Wales' most charming regional destinations, where art, food and country hospitality come together---a place I've been longing to visit, and I can't think of a better reason than sharing the journey with fellow art lovers. As **Orange Regional Gallery** celebrates its **40th Anniversary**, we'll experience its latest exhibitions, including **Nike Savvas: *Purple Haze***—an immersive installation exploring colour, light and movement—alongside contemporary works by Australian and Central West artists. Beyond the gallery, we'll wander heritage streets, discover welcoming cafés, savour Orange's renowned food and wine, and simply enjoy a delightful weekend together. **9:00 am – Coffee & Connect** *Meeting location: To be confirmed* We'll meet over coffee, get to know one another, and begin our weekend with relaxed conversation before heading to Orange. **9:30 am - Depart for Orange** Enjoy the scenic drive through the Blue Mountains and Central West, with a comfort stop along the way if needed. **1:30 pm - Lunch at a local café** **2:30 pm – 4:30 pm** **Orange Regional Gallery** Featured exhibitions include: * **Nike Savvas: *Purple Haze*** * **Current contemporary exhibitions** We'll explore the exhibitions at a relaxed pace, sharing thoughts, favourite artworks, and different perspectives along the way. **4:30 pm – 6:00 pm Free time to explore Orange.** Optional ideas include: * Orange Regional Museum * Heritage streets * Boutique shops * Independent bookstores * Local cafés **6:00 pm - Check in to accommodation.** **7:00 pm - A delightful Dinner at a local pub, wine bar, or restaurant.** A relaxed evening of good food, conversation and our signature AAA Art Reflection, where we'll share our favourite discoveries from the day. **Sunday, 4th October *(Optional)*** **8:30 am - Breakfast together at a local café.** **10:00 am – 12:30 pm - Depending on the group's interests**, we may visit: * A local winery * An artist studio * A sculpture experience * Scenic lookouts * Or simply enjoy another leisurely coffee before heading home **Afternoon - Return to Sydney.** **Transportation** We'll be driving from Sydney and will be three spare seats available. We would love to share the journey with fellow AAA Art Lovers. or you're welcome to drive independently and meet us in Orange. **Accommodation** Please arrange your own accommodation in Orange—choose whatever you feel comfortable with. No matter where we stay, we'll easily find each other over breakfast the next morning. After all, Orange isn't *that* big. ☕🍊 **What to Bring** * Comfortable walking shoes * Water bottle * Overnight bag * Camera or sketchbook (optional) * Your curiosity and love of art **Dress Code** Creative Casual **Please Note** ✨ Every AAA Art Lovers Australia event is FREE to join. * This community is proudly supported by Alina Interpreting Australia, whose sponsorship covers the Meetup platform and administration costs, allowing us to focus on bringing people together through art. * Participants are responsible for their own exhibition tickets, guided tour, flights, accommodation, transport, meals and personal purchases. * Please update your RSVP if your plans change. **Terms & Conditions** By registering for this event, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the following: * Participation is voluntary and at your own risk. * Members are responsible for their own transport, meals, admission fees (where applicable) and personal expenses. * The organiser accepts no responsibility for loss, damage, injury or theft during the event. * The itinerary may change due to gallery opening hours, exhibition schedules, weather or other unforeseen circumstances. * Please respect gallery rules, including photography restrictions where applicable. * Members are expected to treat fellow participants, artists, gallery staff and hospitality staff with courtesy and respect. * Photographs may be taken during the event for AAA Art Lovers Australia promotional purposes. Please let the organiser know before the event if you prefer not to appear in photographs. * By joining this event, you accept these Terms & Conditions.