Welcome to Filling Up Space

Around the end of 2025, I came across Stevie Rozean's article What Is An Art Club And How To Start One. She starts off sharing her experience joining an art club two years ago after she moved to a new town. Then she defines what an art club is to her and, of course, encourages her readers to start their own.

“The art club I’m proposing is a self-founded group of friends or acquaintances that gather weekly with a shared purpose of making art together.”

Reading Stevie's article reminded me of some of my favorite memories — art classes in high school, writers' group meetings in college, crafting with church groups, friends and coworkers. I thought, “Yes! This is what I need right now—what we all need right now—community and creativity.” But starting an in-person art club, or even joining one, doesn’t make sense for me right now. I don’t work a typical 9-5 job. My work hours vary day to day, and my offdays vary week to week.

While I pondered how I could start an art club anyway, I caught Web 1.0 nostalgia. You know what I mean, right? That yearning for the early internet era, when it felt more connective than extractive. When we weren’t all “creators” trying to monetize our lives or work, but were just artists and thinkers generatively sharing our passions, stories, and ideas. Sure, there were problems with that internet, too. Nothing is perfect. Nevertheless, I started wondering if I could create an online space with the spirit of the old blogosphere and the community of early Facebook.

That’s what led me here. To the creation and launch of Filling Up Space: a virtual art club for visual artists, crafters, and writers.

Our Mission Statement

The mission of Filling Up Space is to create a supportive community of writers, artists, and crafters seeking connection, inspiration, and a little gentle accountability. Unlike a typical art club, you don’t have to pack up your supplies and head to a local library or cafe (unless you want to) to join in or commit to showing up at the same time every week. This is a pick-your-own-adventure type of group.

You can participate by:

• Commenting on the latest newsletter or thread
• Joining the weekly virtual Art-Along (times will vary week-to-week, but you’ll find the schedule on the Happenings page)
• Writing a post to share how you’re filling up space through words, art, crafts, or whimsy (if you choose to become a Resident Artist)
• Starting a thread to spark a meaningful conversation

Whether you join an Art-Along or write a post for the blog, you don’t need to be a professional artist or writer. Filling Up Space isn’t a literary or art magazine; instead, it’s a community where you can brainstorm with other creatives, share your projects in progress, and laugh or vent about the snags and snarls of crafting and creative work.

Memberships

Are you ready to start filling up space?

You can join Filling Up Space as either a Guest or a Resident Artist:

Guest (Free)

If you just want to immerse yourself in the community vibe, you can join as a Guest. You’ll be able to pop into our weekly Zoom Art-Alongs, explore the full archive, and share your thoughts in the comments.

Resident Artist ($5/month or $50/year): For creatives ready to bravely fill up space.

Resident Artists not only help to financially support our community but also shape it by sharing their own posts and threads. If you become a Resident Artist, you will be added as a contributing writer and you'll also be featured on the Artists page with a short bio and a link to your personal website or online shop/Etsy.

Our Community Guidelines

Whether you’re a free or paid member, we hope you’ll build relationships in our community by sharing your voice and creative projects. 

All we ask is that you follow the golden rule:

If you can’t say something respectful, don’t say anything at all.

What’s welcome:

• Strong opinions about art, writing, and the creative process
• Thoughtful disagreement and diverse perspectives
• Vulnerable sharing about your own journey
• Constructive critique (of ideas, not people)

What’s not tolerated:

• Personal attacks or insults
• Hateful speech (racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, etc.)
• Harassment of any kind
• Spam or explicit marketing content that doesn't align with our group's mission to support artists, writers, and crafters

I know — we’re all too used to the enshittification of the internet. But in this little corner, there’s a clear line between being a critic and being a hater. Cross that line and you’ll be promptly expelled.

My commitment: I’ll engage thoughtfully with critique and disagreement. I’ll remove comments that violate these guidelines. And I’ll do my best to foster the kind of community where we can all fill up space without shrinking each other.

Who am I?

I’m Lindsey Renee Grace. A writer, fledgling illustrator, and Fashion Team Lead from the Midwest who is currently shipwrecked on Alabama’s Gulf Coast in a multigenerational community. In other words, I live with my entire family—parents, sisters, brother-in-law, and niblings. Though thankfully, I have my own little apartment in the pool house with my sassy ginger cat, Virgo. (Trust me, it sounds fancier than it is.)

Outside of this clubhouse, I also write personal and philosophical essays exploring meaning and connection in the age of AI on Nouvaliance Essays with my writing partner, Claude.