Art events, life skills workshops, community clubs, all happening at third spaces across Toronto. No experience needed, just want your curiosity and presence.
photo credit: @gaya.psd
shown here: Ruhao, Isabel, Adam
photo credit: @gaya.psd
shown here: Ishita
About the community
LEARN AND CREATE
Do you imagine yourself to be a life-long learner and passionate creator? Then this dream life of yours cannot be done alone.
At With Friends, this path to manifestation is done with real people, in a community, together. Cherished and supported, that dream life of yours is now within grasp.
About Us →
Bad Artist Sessions
Our flagship self-guided art event. Choose your medium, follow a prompt (or don't), and make something in a cosy Toronto third space.
Life-Essential Workshops
Practical series on cooking, organizing, budgeting, and everyday skills. It's community-taught, and the best part? No judgment.
Community Clubs
Ongoing clubs for life skills, slow living, and visual storytelling. Build habits, share knowledge, meet people.
What's on
FEATURED EVENTS
Sun, Oct 25 · 1:00–3:30 pm
So You Think You're a Bad Artist? Ep.19
Self-guided art at a cosy café. Colour pencil, markers, oil pastel — you choose. Prompts if you want them. All levels welcome.
A glimpse of what gets made when people slow down and make something together.
Apurv
Sophia
Nessy
Kent
Steven
Abhi
Gus
Explore All Creatives' Work →
The community
COMMUNITY CREATIVES
Talented people in our community, they can be illustrators, photographers, writers, musicians and more. Some are even available for freelance work if you need some help. Check out their Instagram and shoot them a message!
Wendy
Event planning
Genuine love for creating events, where you see connections and sparks emerge when people come together.
Apurv
Cartoons · Illustration
Data analyst by day, cartoonist by nature. Editorial illustration and character design.
Sophia
Collage · Mixed Media
Tears magazines, layers textures, calls the chaos intentional. Brand collage and zine work.
Nessy
Illustration · Character Art
Nessy is sashimi-fueled, creatine-powered, and currently trying to make muscle training her full-time personality.
Abhi
Colour Pencil · Car Illustration
Hey, I'm Abhi! I'm a huge motorsport enthusiast, and I love capturing the beauty of cars in my drawings. You can find more of my work at @abhisgarage_ on Instagram!
Gus
Drawing · Gothic · Illustration
I love creating, learning, and experimenting. Drawn to characters, nature, life, and all things Gothic.
Get in touch
CONTACT US
photo credit: @itsjuan.pablo
shown here: Sreya
What's on
EVENTS
All our upcoming sessions, workshops, and club meetups. Sign up directly on the event pages by clicking on thumbnails, no account on this website needed.
Upcoming
ALL UPCOMING EVENTS
Sun, Oct 25 · 1:00–3:30 pm
So You Think You're a Bad Artist? Ep.19
Self-guided art at a cosy café. Colour pencil, markers, oil pastel — you choose. Prompts if you want them. All levels welcome.
Practical, community-taught workshop series on the skills that make everyday life better. Café-based, no judgment, all levels welcome.
Active series
CURRENT WORKSHOPS
🍳
Meal Prep & Cooking
A 3-part series on planning, prepping, and cooking real meals. Each session builds on the last. From $20/session or $50 for the full series.
Coming soon — join the waitlist
🗂️
Home Organizing
Hands-on workshops on decluttering and building practical systems for your space.
💰
Budgeting Basics
Community-taught sessions on budgeting, saving, and understanding your finances.
🧵
Mending & Making
Basic sewing, repairs, and textile care. Extend the life of your clothes with your own hands.
🌿
Plant Care & Growing
Learn to keep plants alive and grow a little something — indoors, balcony, or community garden.
Show up regularly
CLUBS
Community-led clubs for people who want to build habits, make things, and meet people — regularly, in real life.
Our clubs
ALL CLUBS
🎨
Bad Artist Sessions
Our flagship club. Self-guided art at Toronto cafés — oil pastel, markers, colour pencil. No skill required. Monthly events, all welcome. From $15 per session or join as a recurring member.
🌱
Slow Living Club
Journaling, mindfulness, and creative reflection. A space to slow down and reconnect with yourself and others. Meetups every few weeks. Free to attend — just show up.
📸
Visual Storytelling
Photography walks, zine-making, and visual journaling. We explore a different neighbourhood each time. Bring your phone or camera. Free to attend.
📚
Passion Projects Circle
A recurring meetup for people building something on the side. Share your project, get real feedback, stay accountable with friends. Free to attend.
Made by the community
CREATIVES' WORK
Artwork, photography, crafty creations and more. Made by people who like to keep in touch with their creativity.
The Showcase
SO YOU THINK YOU'RE A BAD ARTIST?
The community
COMMUNITY DRAWINGS
Unclaimed art pieces made at our events. Recognise yours? Let us know and we'll add your name.
Community · 1
Community · 2
Community · 3
Community · 4
Community · 5
Community · 6
The community
COMMUNITY CREATIVES
Talented people available for freelance work and collective events. Contact them directly.
Wendy
Event planning
Genuine love for creating events, where you see connections and sparks emerge when people come together.
Apurv
Cartoons · Illustration
Data analyst by day, cartoonist by nature. Editorial illustration and character design.
Sophia
Collage · Mixed Media
Tears magazines, layers textures, calls the chaos intentional. Brand collage and zine work.
Nessy
Illustration · Character Art
Nessy is sashimi-fueled, creatine-powered, and currently trying to make muscle training her full-time personality.
Abhi
Colour Pencil · Car Illustration
Hey, I'm Abhi! I'm a huge motorsport enthusiast, and I love capturing the beauty of cars in my drawings. You can find more of my work at @abhisgarage_ on Instagram!
Gus
Drawing · Gothic · Illustration
I love creating, learning, and experimenting. Drawn to characters, nature, life, and all things Gothic.
Who we are
ABOUT US
We started as a group of people who wanted to stay connected with our passions but also with friends.
By sharing our hobbies, we found a low-stakes and fun way to make new friends and deepen existing bonds. 👯
Our story
IT ALL STARTED AT A BASEMENT...
Wendy started “sir, this is a wendy’s” (the community group prior to With Friends) because she missed the feeling of creating art again. Although she had so much art supplies sitting at home, she just never got down to actually do it.
As much as she knew it was important to carve out “self-care” time, the draw just wasn’t enough on its own. Until she cracked the code of doing this along with friends, or simply just, being in the presence of others. Like studying at a library, when everyone is going at it so hard, being in that atmosphere naturally makes you go hard at it too.
Or simply, it’s just another excuse to see friends and hang out with people. As adults in this “super-connected” day and age, we actually need more excuses to see friends, to feel actually connected, in real life.
So, we shall see you in person too?
See Upcoming Events →
Our values
1.
Respect the hosts and their rules, but speak up when you feel called to.
2.
Allow yourself and others to move freely with conversations.
3.
Show up with an open mind, genuine curiosity and authenticity.
4.
Growth is allowing conflict and doing the repair work that comes after.
5.
Come excited to participate, but also leave every space better than before.
Private events
PARTIES & BOOKINGS
Book us for your birthday, team event, bachelorette, corporate gathering, or any occasion that deserves a creative twist. We bring all the supplies — you bring the people.
Hey, I'm Abhi! I'm a huge motorsport enthusiast, and I love capturing the beauty of cars in my drawings. You can find more of my work at @abhisgarage_ on Instagram!
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