The Magic of the Breakout Room

by Rosie Fitzgerrel, Landscape and Figurative Painter, Rise and Repaint Member

Breakout room is more than just a one-time conversation. Showing up weekly means you are building genuine relationships with other artists.

When I first joined the Rise & Repaint Network, Pegah and Liezel were so warm and welcoming. I could tell right away that they fiercely believed in all of their members, the female and non-binary artists who have been sidelined from the art world for centuries. They were going to arm us with the knowledge and confidence to navigate the mercurial art world, and I was going to be an ace student. The topics they present are varied, interesting, and important, and I look forward to every session. But truly what I most enjoy are the breakout rooms. 

Discussions may spill over to the network or to Instagram. You get to know one another, celebrate each other's successes, and bolster each other through the failures.

The breakout room is where the magic happens. After the topic presentation that is packed with new information, it may not be immediately clear how to best apply it to your own practice. In the breakout room, you virtually meet with two or three other artists for 10 minutes after the main topic to discuss and bounce ideas off one another. Sometimes I may be feeling stuck while another artist is buzzing, and they help me see the path forward. Other times we’re all animatedly talking about the topic, passing it back and forth like a ping pong ball. It’s where we get to pull the topic apart and put it back together, custom fit for our own way of working.

It's where we get to pull the topic apart and put it back together, custom fit for our own way of working

I know that comfortably talking with strangers is not most artists’ inclination. Many of us are introverts and are happiest in our studios with tools and materials in hand, in quiet communion with our work. The networking part required of us does not come naturally.

So yes, you have to speak in a room of strangers. But all of those strangers are artists. There's an inherent understanding built into these breakout rooms. Even though I live in Tennessee and I'm in a breakout room with an artist from South Africa and another from Ireland, we're all facing similar challenges because we're all rooted in a creative practice.

Even though I live in Tennessee and I'm in a breakout room with an artist from South Africa and another from Ireland, we're all facing similar challenges because we're all rooted in a creative practice.

But the breakout room is more than just a one-time conversation. Showing up weekly means you are building genuine relationships with other artists. Discussions may spill over to the network or to Instagram. You get to know one another, celebrate each other's successes, and bolster each other through the failures. Maybe you even show up to support one another in person. 

And eventually, even though each breakout room pulls together a random group of artists, over time you may find yourself in rooms where you already know everyone. Suddenly, no one is a stranger. You all know each other's work, the ages of each other's kids, how many dogs everyone has. Instead of introductions, you’re asking, “How did the opening go? The pictures looked amazing!” or “Did you figure out where to buy that material? I saw some in my local store, maybe I could mail it to you!” Now you’re just catching up with the friends you haven't seen in a few days.

The Rise & Repaint Network is a community, and the cornerstone of that are its breakout rooms. So if you haven’t joined before, I encourage you to give it a try and experience the magic of community for yourself.