As the pace of the world moves faster and faster with each passing day, it can become more difficult to simply unwind. Exploring creativity and meeting new people can sometimes feel like a chore.
But Sylvie Lamothe believes it doesn’t have to seem like work. It should be relaxing and fun. Through her business Rebel Soul Tribe, she reconnects Timmins residents with their fun and creative sides.
“We put on social events in town,” she said. “I’m an event planner by trade. Most of our events have a create flair and a social twist to them. They are all really designed to allow people to connect with each other, unplug from the day-to-day and explore a variety of their interests. What you will notice is there are a lot of creative events.”
Last Thursday, Rebel Soul Tribe hosted an event called Beads and Beer at Full Beard Brewing Co. In addition to learning to make beaded jewelry, a room full of participants enjoyed a glass or two of beer or wine — and each other’s company.
The company has been hosted such events since last January.
“It started with a Paint and Sip. Then we went on to movement social, so we’ve done line dancing classes at the brewery, we’ve done beer yoga,” Lamothe said. “We’ve done fishbowl making workshops and Plant and Pint, which is a terrarium building workshop. So it’s a lot of stuff that allows you to dive into your creativity and have some fun.
“We do a lot of our events here at Full Beard Brewery, so it adds a social nature to a creative workshop.”
She enjoys pulling everything together for successful events.
“Everything is done through partnerships,” she said. “I do all the background event planning, then I hire local artists to facilitate the workshops.”
When setting up the business, Lamothe searched for the perfect name.
“The name Rebel Soul Tribe is something that I played around with quite a bit,” she said. “Rebel is all about doing something different, being unique, outside of the social norm, which we do with the business. Soul is about exploring your interests and passions. And Tribe is about bringing people together and connecting the community. So that’s where the three words fit in.”
One key to success has been bringing in new activities that appeal to repeat and new participants.
“I’m constantly looking for new ideas,” Lamothe said. “I’ll have different artists and facilitators who will approach me and say, ‘Hey, if you want to partner up, I can host this session with you.’
“I’m constantly looking at what’s going on in Toronto, Montreal and New York for new ideas, what the trends are and what people are doing in those centres and bring to Timmins. Always keep it exciting and keep it fresh.
“Because we offer such a wide range of events, a lot of people come to one event and then they get hooked. They realize how much fun it is and they get to meet new people.”
To promote Rebel Soul Tribe, she has relied heavily on social media to get the word out.
“Social media is where it’s at,” she said. “It’s where I promote the business. It’s the place where I post the events. It’s where you can find out what’s happening with the tribe. We also have an emailing list. A lot of people sign up for it to stay updated on what’s happening with the tribe.”
While the activity classes are taking a break for the summer, Rebel Soul Tribe is keeping Lamothe busy.
“We’re nearing the end of the busy season, so this is the last event I have planned. I’m taking June off as a break,” she said. “Then I’m doing something different this summer. I’ve actually partnered with the City of Timmins, so you will find us at the Summer Concert Series where we will be doing movement workshops. So we will be getting the crowd moving. We’re launching a Rebel Soul Tribe product line as well.
“What we’ve been doing as well, I’ve launched two artisan markets. We did one before Christmas and one in the spring, so we’ll be doing another one in the summer.
“There will be more stuff coming up in the fall. We also do private parties. We’ve done staff parties. We’ve been booked for Christmas parties. I just did a private staff function for Family Eye Care. There are birthday parties. So you can book us for a private event.”
Rebel Soul Tribe makes it easy to enjoy or host a specialized party.
“The good part about it is the supplies are all included. There is no cleanup afterwards. If you have a paint party at your house, you have to clean up after and you probably have to buy 10 different colours of paint,” Lamothe said. “You don’t have to do this. You come in, everything is supplied. So you do your painting then get up and go. We do everything else.”
Since its inception, Rebel Soul Tribe has successfully help Timmins residents relax and make new friends.
“It’s important for us to connect with other people. It improves your social health and your mental health as well,” Lamothe said. “I had some women ask me how to describe coming to one of events to their husbands. It’s just like when you go fishing. You sit around, shoot the breeze and come home with something after.”
For more information, visit Rebel Soul Tribe on Facebook.
