New place... but still the same cool.
New place... but still the same cool.
We're now on Substack!
Hey there, Ruth here! If we haven’t met yet, I’m the founder of Cool Girls Co.
You know what sucks about running a community online? How expensive everything is. From platform fees to other miscellaneous costs, it takes a lot to get all the parts running and keep resources free for you. So that’s why we’ve moved to Substack, a more cost-effective place to host everything. And we mean eeeeverything.
Here you’ll find all the nooks and corners of Cool Girls Co: our newsletters, While You Create podcast, and access to the Creators’ Market (now hosted on Etsy). Since you were an email subscriber on our old platform, we’ve migrated you over to this new one. There’s nothing else you need to do other than to sit back and relax. 🌴
We’re in the process of getting back to our regular cadence since the big move — so hang in there with us! And if you have friends who could use a dose of creativity:
What’s Cool Lately
SPACE10 — “a research and design lab on a mission to create a better everyday life for people and the planet” — closed last week after almost ten years in operation. Although we’re bummed about it, they’ve archived their entire portfolio online to inspire us for decades to come.
Taylor Swift recently announced the run of the Eras Tour Film, a move that shocked major film studios. Apparently she worked around a traditional studio deal by negotiating directly with AMC. Amidst entertainment strikes, this approach kicks open a door for alternative production/distribution models led by artists — and not by billionaire streaming giants.
And speaking of history-making concerts, let’s not forget #BeyDay in LA. We’re SO jealous of everyone who attended Beyoncé’s Renaissance birthday concert at SoFi Stadium. I mean to see THE Diana Ross surprise serenade Queen Bey must’ve been a life-altering experience!
Moment of Inspiration
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Vita Kari’s “The Craziest Thing About Being Creative” is one of the best performance art series we’ve seen online. Jezebel says this about it in an interview with Kari:
This series has delighted and enchanted tens of millions of TikTok viewers, by design. Kari is currently working on their thesis titled “virality as form” for their MFA at Otis College of Art and Design. Their work explores the overlap between content and art, playing into the expectations of both. Kari enjoys that boundary that their work teeters on and tells Jezebel that they “hope that the videos, if you’re not looking that deep, are just fun” for casual scrollers. But for those wanting to get a bit more heady about it, they “always hope they can be a gateway drug for somebody if they want more in the conceptual art realm.”
Open Calls & Opportunities
🧵 Beam Center is accepting proposals for their 2024-2025 Beam Project New Hampshire (NH) cycle. Artistic disciplines considered include woodwork, textiles, ceramics, and more. For each selected project, artists receive a $5,000 USD award and $15,000 USD fabrication budget. Application deadline: Monday, 11 September 2023 by 11:59PM ET.
📸 The Photo Urbanism Program is accepting applications to be their 2023-2024 Photo Urbanism Fellow, who will create a self-driven photography project with NYCHA’s open spaces and the variety of ways residents use them. It includes a $15,000 USD stipend and a solo exhibition. The selected fellow must be based in New York City and be available to participate in meetings. Application deadline: Tuesday, 12 September 2023 by 11:59 pm ET.
🖋️ MDD and MORPHO present a Writing Residency for one artist to further their writing practice in Belgium. Open to any visual artist over 18 years of age legally permitted to travel and reside in Belgium for the duration of the residency. Application deadline: Friday, 15 September 2023.
🎞️ Black Public Media is looking for traditional media projects that present the voice of the Black community as it relates to our changing environment. They will give documentary projects in any stage between $30,000 - $150,000 USD in production funding. Application deadline: Tuesday, 26 September 2023.