Berlin’s unofficial motto is poor but sexy, but I’d like to propose an amendment to this motto. I’d like to add the word “artsy” in there because this is one creative city. One merely has to walk around for a few minutes to notice all of the street art (legal and otherwise), interesting fashion choices (baby fringe and mullets oh my!), and art galleries/live music venues strewn about every kiez to see why.
If you are an artist, congrats you’ve moved to the right city. If you’re not and you want to get in touch with your creative side, you’re also in luck because there are many ways to go about doing just that. It makes sense right, all these poor but sexy artists here have to pay their bills too. What better way than to host workshops on how to do the very craft they have been honing over the years?
It’s hard finding your place in a new city, but with the following workshops you can make the process more fun and perhaps even make a few friends at the same time.
No matter how long you plan to spend here, make sure you take advantage of all the creative Berliners you have at your disposal and book an artsy workshop ASAP! Not only will it help pass the chilly months before summer arrives, but you’ll feel more like a Berliner when your inner artist is finally given a stage to shine.
Ready to get in touch with your inner artist?
Pottery
I love the name of this studio’s classes, Clay Play, because it takes the seriousness out of trying a new craft. Creating shouldn’t feel scary or serious – it should be FUN! Peace out at the Peace Out Paradise. Info about workshops and events can be found here:
https://www.peaceoutparadise.com/classes
Clown workshop
If you were the “class clown” but never figured out how to channel that goofiness into anything practical, now is your time to shine! Who knows, maybe you can start performing at children’s birthday parties or in the U-bahn for some extra cash. If nothing else, the workshop will help you build confidence and help you connect you with some other silly goofballs to clown around with. Details here:
https://www.clownfischerei.de/start-kopie.html
Improv
Drama kings and queens, unite. It’s time to finally start owning your dramatic nature and nurturing your inner actor so you can transmute the world’s sadness into joy. Ok maybe that’s a tall order, but if you already have a flair for the dramatic, you’ll manage just fine. There are many improv schools in Berlin but here are mine and my friends’ favorites:
https://www.improvworksberlin.com/ (English)
https://www.die-gorillas.de/improv-school/curriculum.html (German, English, French)
https://www.berlinesimpro.com/school.html (Spanish and English)
Kink it up
Many people flock to this open minded capital city because they feel a calling to explore their sexuality. Stick around long enough and your views on these topics will likely broaden, and you might even pick up a few fetishes in the process. Regardless of your experience, there are plenty of places to go if you are curious and want to expand your horizons, like Karada House which is a queer body-positive art space that facilitates workshops and events covering topics such as rope bondage and flogging. In addition to offering events and workshops, they also offer bodywork, coaching and art performances. Check their extensive calendar on their website.
https://karada-house.de/event/
Another safe space to explore your sexual curiosities is a queer-feminist, sex-positive, eco-friendly & vegan sex shop in Kreuzberg called Other Nature. They prioritize sex education and community responsibility above profit-making. Want to perfect the art of needle play? Curious about Japanese rope bondage? Check out their upcoming events here:
https://other-nature.de/en/pages/workshops-events
Musician
Open Music School is one of my absolute favorite gems in the city and the reason I own not one but two ukuleles (a pink one that I can stuff in my carry on when I travel and a bigger “concert style” ukulele that has a beautiful resonance.)
For the past year and a half I have been taking ukulele classes for free at the Open Music School which is affiliated with Give Something Back to Berlin. During my first class we learned “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes and I was hooked! Every Thursday since, we come together in a welcoming environment and learn a new song together. The more experienced students help the newer students and it’s just so much fun. At the end of every six weeks, the school has an open performance night where students are encouraged to perform a song or two for the community in a group and also solo.
They don’t just offer ukulele either, they also consistently offer acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and piano lessons. Occasionally they’ll also offer special workshops like a DJ workshop for FLINTA, so make sure to sign up for their newsletter to stay informed.
https://www.openmusicschool.org/
DJ
Speaking of DJing, one can’t mention Berlin without mentioning the high volume of DJs (and wannabe DJs) who are drawn to this Techno capital of the world. There is a running joke that everyone in Berlin is a DJ. I used to tell this joke often and then a few months ago I took a FLINTA workshop at Open Music School and I too became a walking Berlin cliche..
Afterward, I found out that my friend’s boyfriend (who also happened to be a DJ) had the whole audio setup in his room so my friend and I began tinkering around with his equipment, downloading music and creating sets for fun. I don’t want to brag, but we are pretty good for newbs! Someone please book DJ K-Riko and DJ Jamona Serona for the summer festival circuit ASAP! LOL.
If you are reading this and thinking that you have absolutely no interest in DJing, give yourself a few more years of living in this city. It took me 8.5 years of living here before I fully embraced the disc jockey lifestyle and now there is no going back. For help unleashing your inner DJ, contact Ivona via her Instagram at @IVNSKK. She offers 1:1 Coaching & DJ Workshops and is super patient and kind. You can also watch the Open Music School’s events to see if another DJ workshop pops up.
Language
If you are wondering what Language is doing on the list, I’d like to remind you that the German language is an art in and of itself and if you plan on sticking around more than a few years it would benefit you greatly to learn more than genau, danke, and ach so.
Once you get a grasp of the language, you’ll be able to confidently argue with a Telekom representative when they overcharge you or leave passive aggressive notes to your roommates when they accidentally put their oat milk carton into the paper bin. GASP!
Woodworking
Ever wanted to learn how to build and design your own furniture using wood scraps? How about learning how to carve your own wooden spoon, craft your own wooden montessori toys for your kids, or make your own zero waste jewelry? Berlin Wood Sisters is an inclusive space where you can do that and more! When you take a workshop with Berlin Wood Sister, they will provide all the “necessary tools, materials and knowledge to help you unlock your potential and create beautiful pieces of art”. Sounds great to me:
https://www.wood-sisters.com/
Writers
Due to Berlin’s lack of sunny days and warm weather, it’s a great city for hermit-inclined writers who like staying home curled up by the heater, wearing fuzzy socks, and sipping a warm beverage. But it’s also a great place for writers to hone their craft amongst their fellow overthinkers. Check out the following websites for info on writing related workshops:
For workshops, seminars, readings, and meetups from Berlin’s open international writing community check out The Berlin Writers’ Workshop. Upcoming ones include Creative Writing and Poetry:
https://berlinwritersworkshop.com/
For those struggling with writer’s block check out the workshops offered by the Writers Guild Berlin who seek to empower writers with innovative psychology and mindset strategies that break through creative blocks, self-doubt and imposter syndrome.
https://writersguildberlin.com/
For Creative Writing workshops in Spanish check out Bartleby and Co. Berlin:
https://bartlebyandcoberlin.com/taller-de-escritura-una-pasion-un-oficio/
Storytelling
Being a writer and being storyteller are two very different things. Take it from someone who has always considered herself a writer but had dreams of becoming a storyteller. I eagerly signed up for a storytelling workshop at The bEAR one weekend last year. At the end of the two day workshop we were encouraged to perform our story to an audience of 80 strangers. As it turns out there were too many storytellers so not everyone who wanted to would have a chance to share. To decide who would tell their story, the host drew names out of a hat.
I was nervous but I felt it was in fate’s hands. If I got chosen, great, I would push myself out of my comfort zone and if not, well, it was also fine. Lo and behold the host reached into the hat, pulled out a sheet of paper and read my name. I bravely made my way to the spotlight and began telling the story I had been rehearsing religiously over the last two days.
A few minutes in, however, and I froze. I couldn’t for the life of me remember the next line even though it was a real story based on something that recently happened to me. I was mortified and very close to running out of there with my tail between my legs, but then a glorious angel from the crowd yelled out “laying the park”. I had been rehearsing my story with another participant earlier in the day and she had remembered the next bit of story, enough that I was able to get myself back on track and finish the story. I didn’t win the audience favorite but I left there feeling so proud that I had tried, and grateful for the compassionate angel in the audience.
Trying new things, and sometimes falling in the process, is exactly how we build stress resilience. And in a city like Berlin which is full of stressful situations like learning German, navigating German bureaucracy, finding an apartment, and figuring out how to get into Berghain (lol), stress resilience becomes a VERY important skill that can either make or break you. Take it from someone with experience, start building this skill while you can. Check out the bEAR’s storytelling events here:
https://www.thebear-storytelling.de/live-storytelling-events-1
Cooking
If you have been through this entire list and thought, “I have no interest whatsoever in any of these art workshops, what gives, am I just not a creative being?” I’d like you to take a moment to recall what the last thing you cooked was and how it tasted. If you love to eat (who doesn’t), you will probably also love to cook. That’s where Goldhahn und Sampson comes in. No matter what your favorite cuisine is, this company has a variety of cooking, baking and seminar classes available that will surely make your stomach happy. Their impressive site allows you to filter events by language (German or English), class type (cooking, baking or seminar and tasting), price and date. Book with a friend or your significant other or venture out into the delicious world of gastronomy alone!
https://www.goldhahnundsampson.de/
BONUS →
A special shout out to VHS (Berliner Volkshochschulen) – https://www.berlin.de/vhs/ – which offers very affordable continued education (the equivalent to community college if you are from the states). While you can take a variety of classes including politics, marketing, language, and sports, because of the nature of this article, I will just be highlighting the more artistic offerings like painting, creative writing, wood working, music, sewing and fashion design, photography and MORE. All classes are in German though so it might be best to get a good grasp of the language first…or book the class and dive right in. Think of it like a full immersion language course focused on your topic of interest 🙂
There you have it. Berlin is officially a vibrant hub for unleashing one’s artistic potential, offering a myriad of workshops across diverse creative disciplines. Whether you want to putz around with pottery, clown around, try your shot at improv acting, tinker with DJing, explore one’s sexuality, or hone language skills, the city provides ample opportunities for residents to connect with their inner artists. From music at the Open Music School to woodworking with Berlin Wood Sisters, and from writing workshops to storytelling events, Berlin caters to a wide range of creative interests.
