As we graduate from school or college or move out of a neighbourhood, the friendships we made then often shrink to meal catch-ups or hangouts planned as seriously as a heist to match everyone’s schedules, rather than a simple “Come, let’s go.” The Eleven AM Club, a community founded in Bengaluru, is trying to change the equation by creating a space where friends, or even strangers, can meet, create, and form friendships without the pressure of a structured itinerary for meet-ups.
Founded by Anne Milan two years ago, the club recently expanded to Chennai, with her friend Tanvi Bihani, as the host here. The idea originated from Anne’s experience of moving to a new city and noticing how difficult it was for adults to build friendships organically.
Even existing friendships often revolve around catching up rather than creating new experiences together. This led her to build the club around three ideas. “One, to find and form friendships. The next, as we are constantly working, we don’t get to do any creative projects that help us use our brains, and we barely rely on ourselves to think creatively since we use so much technology. So second is to build a creative discipline. Finally, in our undergrad or grad school, we are paired with other people to work on projects together, but now, as working professionals, we end up working in silos. And the third is to find collab partners,” she says.
The club’s gatherings, which Anne calls “play dates for adults”, are deliberately different from conventional workshops, as participants are given the time, space, and materials to explore something on their own. “When we were kids, we would just go to the playground or library and figure things out, and we’d meet people eventually,” Anne reminds. “As kids, we had that inherent curiosity and playfulness and that instinct to really figure it out for ourselves, right? Which is kind of not there anymore.” Some of the playdates organised include: Slow Sunday, Interlude, and After Hours, each with a different intentional approach.
The debut Slow Sunday gathering, at Anne’s home in Bengaluru, asked participants to bring their unfinished projects. They ranged from crochet, painting and embroidery to making music with guitar, solving mathematics problems and developing board games. Some participants simply brought books or colouring books.
The Chennai chapter began with its first Slow Sunday in August this year with the title, Drawn to Music. The theme was vinyl listening, where curated records became the stimulus for participants to respond through drawing, collage, writing, or other forms of creative expression. The same activity was held simultaneously in Bengaluru.
Explaining what unfolds in the playdate, Anne says, “Your hands are busy making something, but then you’re meeting other people who are also figuring this out with you. The conversations that happen at that time become more organic rather than in a networking event.”
The response has been encouraging in the city, she says, with people showing interest in being part of the gatherings. The club is designed to remain flexible in size depending on the venue, having hosted up to 30 people. The intention, however, is to retain an atmosphere where participants can comfortably speak to the person sitting beside them.
The gatherings are also priced at a nominal rate, primarily covering the venue and materials, with a small amount going towards making the initiative sustainable.
In the long run, Anne hopes to move towards accessible third spaces where people can engage creatively without having to pay. Her own professional journey, she adds, has shaped the club. With a background in architecture, experience in the social sector, and graduate studies in new product development, Anne has also worked as a service designer and user researcher. “I want to see how far I can take this. It is kind of an extension of who I am,” she says.
A playdate is held every week. For details, visit @elevenamclub on Instagram