I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, community makes all the difference! When I announced our very first TuesdaysTogether Augusta meeting last year after jumping on board with the Rising Tide Society, I was a new small business owner trying to do the whole creative thing in a town where I knew only a handful of people. My husband was working 80+ hours per week, and I was a bit lonely to tell you the truth. I didn’t know if a soul would show up, but I figured if nothing else, I’d enjoy a latte on $3 latte day at Buona Caffe and call it a day. Good news, people showed up… and it was the start of something super special for our town.

Fast forward to this past Tuesday, when 11 awesome creativpreneurs met up at my friend’s/couple’s house (Kristen & Jon-Michael) to talk all things finances, money management and taxes! While taxes aren’t everyone’s favorite topic, the conversation was so valuable! There’s nothing like hearing great insight and “wait, me too!!!”s from other creatives. It reminds us that we’re not alone, and we have a place where we can feel comfortable being vulnerable, celebrating wins and helping others through losses. I think the quote by Maya Angelou that Kristen lettered for their entryway is the perfect explanation of this: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” What a powerful reminder! These people seriously made me feel like I’m a million bucks, and even when I don’t believe it, they remind me that tomorrow’s another day!

To add to the fun, we did a Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Party! Kristen, Jon-Michael and I learned about Sole Hope from Mandy Johnson Photography at the NAPCP Retreat earlier this year! When there were leftover jeans, we knew it would be the perfect way for our group to give back in a unique way! Crafting for charity… we’re in! We each had such a great time helping create shoes for Ugandans through Sole Hope to combat jiggers, provide educational opportunities and impact their local communities. Plus, we got to do it all with tasty drinks, snacks and friends! To learn more and host your own Party with a Purpose, click here!

We can’t wait for next month’s meet-up on collaboration at Augusta Photography Studio! To join our Augusta group, find us on Facebook! And to find a TuesdaysTogether group near you, check out Rising Tide Society! | All hand-lettering by Kris10 Smith Designs