Categories and Tags

welcome to our directory of creative passions!

This directory aims to make it easy for people and organizations to find shared creative passions both locally and internationally. You do not have to have a business to join us. We believe that creativity, diversity and sustainability make a place interesting and healthy to live in. They are valuable assets that are not adequately represented in the decision making processes of how our neighborhoods and cities are designed, what our children learn in school, and where money is budgeted in public life. Mapping these creative passions can help illustrate these assets and encourage collective planning and participation. Travelers will also find our directory useful.

about the categories and tags

The categories are based on traditional ways the media talks about the arts with top and sub categories. See them and member listings on the Creatives page. A small version is below. If you see an arrow at the bottom of the category, there are subcategories below it. You can also hover over “Creatives” in the menu bar to see them.

When you fill out your listing, you will be able to choose 6 categories and 6 tags. These will determine where your pins show up on the map. The categories have more visibility. Click around and think about which six categories best represent your passions. This is more about how you want to connect with other people than what you do professionally. You can tell that story on your listing.

The categories have a drop down menu on the listing page, so you will be able to see them there and choose from that list.

The tags are another way that people can find each other. They are a list of associations and specific techniques or interests that might have a big representation here. For example, I know that many artists in my textile and fiber art community belong to Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) and Surface Design Association (SDA). If you are involved with them and want other members to find you here, you can choose those as tags. Both tags and categories show up as live links on the listing, so it’s easy to click on one of your interests and see who else chose that.

Circles are groups and organizations using tags to create a community here on the site. They have their own map and their member listings show up on their pages. They may have strict guidelines about who can use their tags, so check their circle first.

Deciding how to set up the categories and tags is a huge challenge as we could have thousands of special interests represented and that only ends up confusing people. Keep that in mind, but if there is a creative practice that you do that does have a huge following, add that as a suggestion in the comments. My experience is mostly within the crafts and textiles arena, so I need help finding the right ones for music, theater, dance, etc. I also need suggestions for what makes sense in other parts of the world.

We will also have a private community area to the site once this initial phase settles down. There, people will be able to create groups or just make announcements on the feed. If SAQA or SDA wanted to have a group here, they would be able to share announcements or requests, too.

I’ve grouped tags together that seem to make sense. All of the ones listed here are live links on the listing page, but that field does not use a drop down menu. You have to know which tags you want to use. Pick six from the list below and copy and paste them to that field when you get there.

circles:

(Tagged communities that you can visit and possibly join. Use it as a tag if you are a member or involved with that circle.)

artizan made

cabin fever creative community

creativity lessons with helen klebesadel

redding fashion alliance

unesco creative cities network

choose six:

(These are suggested tags that will get refined over time)

Actors Equity Association (AEA), Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA (SAG-AFTRA)

Facebook Groups: PlacemakingUS Group

Handmade to Market, Fair Trade Federation, Green America, Indie Sellers Guild, The American Craft Council, Goldin Institute, Peace Corps

American Tapestry Alliance, European Textile Network, Embroiderer’s Guild of America, Handweavers Guild of America, International Textile and Apparel Association, National Basketry Organization, Ravelry, Silk Painters International, SAQA – Studio Art Quilt Associates, SDA – Surface Design Association, Weave a Real Peace

Artisan Alliance, ArtRabbit, Arts Alliance Illinois, ArtSpace Projects, Artists Association for the Circuit of the Young Italian Artists, Craft Industry Alliance, European Visual Artists, Independent Media Arts Alliance, International Association of Art,
International Sculpture Center, Korean Fine Arts Association, National Art Education Association, National Association for the Visual Arts, The Society For All Artists

Ceramic Arts Network, The American Ceramic Society

Costume Society, Fashion Revolution, Fibershed, Redding Fashion Alliance, Social Justice Sewing Academy, UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion

International Thriller Writers, Publication, Publisher, Writers Guild of America

ATADA (Authentic Tribal Art Dealers), Etsy

Bluegrass, Blues, Classical Music, Country Music Association (CMA), Drums, Flamenco, Music Artists Coalition, Opera, Piano, Rap, Rock and Roll, Songwriters Guild of America (SGA), Violin, Folk Music

Retail Shop, Wholesaler, Upcycling

Creative City, Airbnb, Furnished Finders