Since finishing my Master of Digital Media program in August, I had been running on fumes. I was extremely burnt out, mentally and creatively. It was going on three months of creative stagnation, and I was desperate for a spark.

I found myself thinking back to when I lived in Dawson City. Every year around this time, I would participate in the Yukon 48-Hour Film Challenge. It was always this perfect ritual: a transition out of the frantic summer working season and into the winter creativity season. I realized I wanted to recreate that energy here in Toronto, but with a twist: expand it beyond just filmmaking, remove the competitive aspect, and focus entirely on the joy of making and sharing things alongside others.

Last weekend, I made it happen. I hosted my first Create-a-thon, a 48-hour challenge where a group of us went from "floating in space" to sharing finished work in a dimly lit backroom.

Here is how it came together, and how you can host one too.

The Venue: Finding a Third Space

I work as a bartender at C'est What, so it felt like the natural place to start. It has a cozy back area with a stage, a projector, and a solid sound system. Plus, I knew a Sunday evening wouldn't be too busy.

The location was key. It’s relatively central in Toronto, making it a good congregation point. But more importantly, the setting, tucked away in the backroom, created an immediate sense of safety. One participant even remarked that it felt like we were literally in a "dark forest speakeasy" (more on that in my next post!).

The Logistics: Building a Lightweight Structure

While the event was analog, I used some simple digital tools to hold it together.

As soon as the venue was confirmed, I pushed the Create-a-thon webpage live on my personal site to explain the concept. I created a simple Google Form for sign-ups. In my head, I had a hard cap of 12 participants to keep things manageable. Surprisingly, I hit exactly 12 sign-ups.

To keep my own anxiety in check, I drafted up and pre-scheduled three emails to go out to the group:

1. The Welcome (4 days out): A reminder of how the whole thing works.

2. The Kickoff (Friday, 5pm): Announcing the prompt and wishing everyone luck.

3. The Check-in (Sunday morning): A nudge to remind everyone to meet at C'est What at 5pm for the show-and-tell.

I also spun up a private Discord channel. This gave us a place to chit-chat during the weekend, but it has also become a nice artifact after the fact: a place where we are now sharing socials and portfolios.

The Prompt: Curing Blank Canvas Paralysis

I knew from my film challenge days that a prompt is vital. When you are diving into a time-constrained project, "blank canvas paralysis" is real. You need a constraint to push against.

However, I didn't want to dictate the theme myself. During the sign-up process, I encouraged participants to submit prompt suggestions via the Google Form. On Friday, I used a web app to randomly select one from the list.

The winner? "Floating in Space."

The Show & Tell

On Sunday evening, we gathered to share what we had made. The mix of mediums was incredible: coding, songs, spoken word, video, and animation.

We adopted a "Tell, then Show" format. Each artist got up, gave a bit of context about their process, and then presented the work. This was crucial: it gave the audience context before witnessing the piece, which I think works better than explaining it afterward.

I also didn't want to go full "art crit" and force people to answer questions about their work from the stage, so I made sure we had ample time after all the works were shown to sit around, personally ask each other about the work, and talk freely.

We ran computer audio directly into the soundboard, which really upped the production quality and gave the audio/video pieces their place to shine.

The Takeaway

I truly think every piece shown was a magic moment. Even participants who admitted to spending less time than they wanted managed to make really cool, unique, interesting things.

The goal wasn't polish. It was about the process, unlocking something new through experimentation, and "productive failure". It was about being willing to share that process, embracing vulnerability, and learning from ourselves and each other.

My heart is so full from the experience. It was exactly what I hoped it would be: a temporary autonomous zone for creativity.

How to Host Your Own

I believe in open-sourcing these experiences. If you are feeling burnt out or isolated in your creative practice, here is the rough framework I used:

1. Find a "Safe" Venue: Look for a place that feels cozy and private. A living room, a backroom of a bar, or a studio.

2. The "Trusted Node" Invite: I only invited a few people directly, and let them invite trusted friends. This filtered for "good vibes" automatically.

3. Automate the Comms: Don't stress yourself out all weekend sending reminders. Draft your emails early and schedule them.

4. Crowdsource the Theme: Ask your participants for prompts and randomize the selection. It keeps things fair and exciting.

5. Tell, Then Show: Give people the floor to explain why they made what they made before they show it.

Interestingly, my own contribution to the Create-a-thon wasn't what I had originally planned to make. Instead, I got obsessed with the logistics of how we gather like this. I ended up building a web app prototype: a "Dark Forest Speakeasy Operating System" (DFS_OS), designed to facilitate exactly this kind of event.

I’ll be writing about that pivot, and the software I built, in my next post.