Not convinced that you need a community? Read why community is powerful.
Hi, Messians! It’s Misty and I’m here to help you find ways to connect in the Get Messy community. If you are a New Member, let this serve as a primer for you as you find ways to join the flow. If you are a well-seasoned Messian, maybe there’s something here that’s new to you that haven’t tried but you’d like to check out. We have SO MANY WAYS to get connected!
If you are nervous about putting yourself out there, please know that this community is VERY welcoming! Please don’t be shy about reaching out to someone as we are all students here and want to foster a community of growth for everyone. If you like something someone has made, tell them it’s awesome, ask a question about it, start a conversation. Nothing makes people feel better than enthusiasm for their work. In short: Ask questions. Get to know people. Collaborate. Meet up in real life. And then just keep being awesome to each other.
Below is a list and explanation of each of the ways you can be involved in Get Messy. Don’t feel like you have to engage in each and every one of these avenues to be a part of the community. Check them out and then participate in the ones that are fun and useful for you. And don’t feel guilty for the ones you aren’t participating in. I’m pretty zen in thinking you will meet the people you need to meet in the lane where you feel most comfortable.
Get Messy Community
The Community is the meatiest part of our … uh… community. There are threads for nearly everything here: introductions if you are new, chats about the current season, chats about Get Messy classes, a place where you can ask for feedback on what you are working on, a place to ask tool questions, a place to look for an accountability partner and project collaborators, a place to ask for support, a place to talk about meetups, a place to promote yourself and your work, a place for talking about non art things and many, many other conversations.
Once you’ve poked around a bit, try checking in every other day and looking at the Unread Content tab (this is at the top!). That will give you an overview of what people are talking about. This is a perfect place to ask your questions about the season or talk out a problem (both art-related and not). You can join clubs where people are working on specific projects or scheduling and discussing an upcoming meet up (maybe there’s one near you!). You can do a deep dive into the Tools Questions forum and find the answer that you’ve been looking for regarding how to use a palette knife just so or if you don’t see the question listed that you’ve been wondering about, ask it! Someone else is probably wondering too. And someone probably has some awesome tips.
This is a huge store of knowledge that only Messy Members have access to. Don’t let it go to waste!
Zoom hangouts + Artist Dates
Our Zoom room is a digital art studio. Zoom is like an in-person chat room! You simply, click the link and bam you’re in! It’s like being in an artist studio and getting the chance to create together.
This room is open all the time for Get Messy members only – so you know you’re always here with like-minded artists. You can control how you show you, you can be live on camera, or just attend using your sound only – no video, or stay quiet and follow along with no sound or video (which is totally fine if you’re feeling shy!).
Check the calendar in the forums for regularly recurring hangouts and feel free to start your own at any time!
Please note that by using Get Messy’s Zoom room, you agree to follow Get Messy’s Terms and Community Guidelines at all times.
Galleries
Galleries are the best way to see what fellow messians are making. We have albums for each season and class. Share a link to your social media or blog so that others can click through and see it on the original platform. We want to see you grow your personal portfolio and connect with other artists this way.
Instagram comments and hashtags
Because there’s so much on Instagram, my regular feed feels a bit like a firehose turned on full blast to me, so I regulate that flow a bit with hashtag searches. Once a day or every other day, I search #getmessyartjournal and the season hashtag(s) and get to see all of your beautiful work. The season hashtags are always #gmseasonofxxxx – just plug in the season you want to search, example: #gmseasonofnature. I leave comments on the things that especially move me. When I was a new member, I did this primarily with emojis. Nothing says more with less than that heart eyes emoji.
There are some great conversations in the comments of Instagram. Ask how someone achieved a certain effect. Ask where they got a certain tool. Tell them that their latest page rocks your world. Tell them that you want to be them when you grow up. Then go make a page that they inspired you to make and tag them in it. Instagram is free and open to everyone and we cannot/do not regulate who comments on what. If you want people to see your artwork be sure to share it in the link ups, use the hashtags, have your profile on public AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: comment on other people’s Instagrams! If you are feeling a bit lonely, remember: you get what you give. So be sure to reach and leave comments and you will start seeing a return of the love soon.
Direct contact with fellow community members
So you see a fellow Messian and you like their style or maybe they have a technique down that you’d really like to learn. Get in touch with them through the Forums, Facebook messaging, Instagram messaging, or heck, swap phone numbers and text! Messians make great real life friends! This is all up to you and your level of comfort. We do not arrange these types of relationships, but have a special place dedicated for that in the Forums.
Live workshops + masterclasses
This is where you’ll get to meet up with our guest artists, creative team, Caylee, plus more surprise guests and ask questions and learn from them live and in person. These are a great way to connect, get your questions answered and watch art processes live. Due to Get Messians being from ALL over the world we know that the times won’t always work for everyone to be present live, so recordings will be stored on the Get Messy website.
YouTube and the Podcast
Together with Caylee Grey and guests, we’ll explore what it REALLY means to be an artist. Practically. Warts and all. So that you can be an artist, today, now, even if you work a day job, have a million and one commitments and own a cat that likes sitting on your art.
No more excuses. Okay? Okay.
Listen to the Get Messy Podcast.
See Messy Conversations on our YouTube channel, catch our live webinars and our free art journal Quick Win series here. This is just more fun, free added bonus content for you!
Swaps
Every so often someone will organize a swap. Swaps are individually driven and Caylee helps get them set up through the website so a list can be generated and managed by the swap organizer. These are a fun way to trade art journaling supplies and correspond with Messians around the world. We encourage members to organize these. Simply email Caylee with your idea and how you’ll organise it, and we will add it the announcements bar on the dashboard for members to sign up.
Collaborations
So you’ve met some people and you like their style. Ask them to do a collaboration with you! A colab journal can take as many different forms as you can dream up. Before you start though, you might want to set some parameters: Will you make the journal or buy it? What size will it be? How many times will you swap? Will you work on each other’s pages or not? Set some ground rules. Make some things and then hit the post office. Waiting on the journals to arrive is the worst part. The best part is at the end you have a memento of some of your favorite Messian’s work. To start a collaboration post in the Community what you would like to do and see who wants on board or message someone directly.
Whew! I know! It’s a ginormous list – Pick two or three to try out and see how it goes!
Find the few that work for you and enjoy! Most importantly, do not be intimidated to reach out and start a hangout, collaboration, ask for help or share your work. We all WANT to meet you and get to know you, so be brave and hit publish. We’ll be there waiting when you do. And as always if you have questions or need a hand navigating, don’t hesitate to drop us an email.
