International Creative Women:
Supporting your smooth landing in The Netherlands

Founded less than two years back by two incredible women, the community has
now grown to more than 150 ladies from over 40 different countries. At the
heart of it all, the community provides an opportunity for internationals to
integrate themselves into an innovative and diverse environment that helps them
realize their true potential. I first met these talented ladies at a Coffee and Ideas
session before the pandemic, and it was absolutely delightful! For the first time,
I felt like I was with like-minded people, and as though it wouldn’t be a big
hassle to open a small business here, not when I had these lovely ladies
supporting me!

But then the pandemic hit, and morales went down. People felt unproductive at
home and spirits were low.  Even then, the community was hard at work
organizing online events to keep people inspired and productive. In an attempt
to spread positive vibes during the pandemic, many of us got together to make
free handmade cards to send to the elderly, and anyone who needed messages of
support. More than 200 cards were made, full of colours and love, which
brought many smiles! 

As workshops or meetings could not be arranged due to the pandemic, Well-
being Weeks were introduced. Over the course of four weeks, numerous talented
ladies gave online talks and workshops to deal with the crisis, and spread
positive messages. The idea was to stay connected, stay active, and innovate.
Seeing those bright happy faces on video calls was truly fabulous, and gave
something to look forward to in those difficult times!
The Spring Together Market was canceled due to the pandemic, but in a great
stroke of reinvention, they launched the first Online Market. In fact, it was the
Online Market that spurred me to finally start my own small business, and it was
just the push I needed. It truly shows how essential it is to have a platform to
fully utilize our creative potential. Having the Online Market kept us motivated
and creative, while providing us visibility and attracting customers to our online
shops. For the customers, it was a great way to support local businesses from the
safety of their own homes. Talk about made for each other! 

Following the huge success of these online ventures, the Entrepreneurship Weeks were launched. Several experts spoke about marketing, communication,            entrepreneurship, and many other informative topics.                                                    This helped small business owners like me gain insight into various subjects and remain resourceful evenduring these difficult times.

These online events turned out to be entrepreneurial milestones for many of the
members. Some gave their first-ever online workshop, others set up their online
shop, and some even sold their products for the first time! They took a small
idea of going online, and created something wonderful out of it. 

International Creative Women is open to all men and women from anywhere in
the world who wish to connect, share, learn, and grow together. They are in the
process of setting up a location in the city centre of Eindhoven, so that more
people can come and join the adventures! It will be a space to keep co-creating,
learning, sharing, and pursuing our goals. They hope to help people who feel
like they don’t fit in, and provide them with a sense of belonging. The diversity
of the group is what distinguishes us, but also enables us to achieve great things.
It’s always easier to do hard things together, and this community is the perfect
place for that!
 
Anwesha Dutta
Creator of @theinkcatalog
http://www.internationalcreativewomen.nl/