Kindred Spirit: Why We All Need Community

A regular writer’s date is an essential part of my creative life, and this week’s highlight was attending my local community venue Kindred for one of their Togetherness Festival events, ID8: 8 ideas for a better tomorrow. 

Hosted by Head of TED Chris Anderson and organised by his daughter and founder of Kindred, Anna Anderson, the aim of the evening was to bring people together and build connections during Loneliness Awareness Week. 

Featuring eight speakers who each had eight minutes on stage to talk about an idea that could change the world, the highlight for me was hearing photographer, entrepreneur and social activist Misan Harriman talk about his work documenting key moments in history that have been shared around the world.

As well as his photography work, Misan is also Chair of Trustees for London’s Southbank Centre and an Ambassador for Save the Children, and this year received an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short with his directorial debut The After, now showing on Netflix.

Misan is a man who demonstrates what can be achieved when you live through your values and speak your truth, and a reminder that powerful stories aren’t always told through words on a page.

The Importance of Finding your Community

Writing can be a lonely business. We often spend hours or even days in isolation, inhabiting a world of imaginary characters and locations, or hammering the keyboard to meet a rapidly approaching deadline.

Events like TogetherFest play an essential part in bringing people together, sharing ideas and forging connections. Kindred is a fantastic community space offering weekday co-working on a simple and affordable day-pass system, as well as a stylish all-day Cellar café and a lively programme of evening events. If you’re based in London or planning a visit to the city and need a welcoming (and stylish!) place to work or host a meeting, be sure to check it out.

Make sure to watch Misan Harriman’s Ted Talk: The power of an image – and the mind behind it.  

You can follow Kindred on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/londonkindred

You can follow Misan Harriman on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/misanharriman/