Brelyn LeCheminant wanted to create a happy hour event that brings together Charleston creatives to network, discuss ideas and have fun. So she started Alt Muse Collective in May 2024.
“This has been in my head for a lot longer than I remembered — I’ve been working as a creative here for nine years. Going from job to job, when you’re working with a team of awesome creatives, you become work besties, and then you move on. You think, oh, we’ll keep in touch, and then things trail off because you’re not seeing each other every day.”
A Charleston based creative director, LeCheminant is a multi-disciplinary professional specializing in brand identity, marketing and content creation. She said the idea for Alt Muse Co. came from her wanting to keep in touch with past coworkers and fellow creative freelancers.
So instead of making lots of separate coffee dates to catch up with those industry pals, many of whom work freelance or remotely, LeCheminant said, “It was this lightbulb, like, ‘It would be cool to host monthly get-togethers where we can all mingle and talk about what we’re working on.’”
She hosted the first Alt Muse event in May, a creative happy hour, at the Bogard Street bookshop Philosophers & Fools, and in June, she began adding exciting new elements to the events, such as panel discussions and featured guest speakers. The most recent event, held at Silver Hill Studios on Aug. 29, featured Charleston’s poet laureate, Asiah Mae, and live headshot sessions from local photographer Caroline Herring.
The next Alt Muse event is on Sept. 26 and offers a discussion on storytelling from a group of seasoned panelists: Ashley Mitchell, the founder of Haystack Media Co.; Ellen Schmedinghoff, strategy and content director for Blue Ion; C.J. Lotz, senior editor at Garden & Gun; and Shydeia Caldwell, the founder of the online healing community @blackgirlmagik. And on Sept. 29, Alt Muse will host a ticketed event at Estadio with Spanish-style Lowcountry boil and drink specials, with more details to be announced on Instagram.
“Knowing a lot of freelancers who work by themselves and as a current creative team of one… I want to get people out from behind their desks, their studios, their comfort zones to connect with others over common ground,” LeCheminant said.
Curating a vibey atmosphere for each event is important for LeCheminant, who explained she wants to create a space that feels inclusive, relaxed and inviting – she even suggests conversation prompts for those who have RSVP’d and are showing up solo.
“If you come into an event and you are feeling awkward, we hope you can at least meet a few new people who can help put you at ease. I want you to feel comfortable meeting new people. And I think that comes down to the energy I’m putting out there and this art of hospitality that’s so important, especially here in Charleston.”
A warm, welcoming vibe at a cool location is the basis for all Alt Muse gatherings — but that doesn’t mean each Alt Muse happy hour isn’t unique in what it offers and who’s in attendance.
“We did one earlier this summer that was a business panel discussion… I would love to do more things like that: a small business resource night, more niche things, like a drag makeup tutorial workshop, or ticketed workshops with different artists. We have such a killer scene of talented people here.”
The business panel, held in June at Blue Ion’s headquarters, included perspectives from artists like Julia Deckman and the freelance photographer Laura Saur.
“For a lot of creatives, we juggle day jobs and teeter on the brink of, ‘Should I start my own thing, should I not?’” LeCheminant said. “The panel was really honest about it. We could have kept going with the Q&A all night. People came armed with questions. And the panelists,
I think, really enjoyed it as well.”
It’s a total passion project for LeCheminant, who is looking for sponsorships and brand partnerships to get involved in the venture.
“This is really about encouraging the meeting of new people, sharing of ideas, in a mingling-with-wine, fun setting. It’s about getting people together.”
“What’s in?” says a post on Alt Muse Co’s Instagram @altmuseco. “Supporting each other and sharing resources. What’s out? Being icky and gatekeeping.”
RSVP for the Sept. 26 Alt Muse Co. Happy Hour for free at linktr.ee/altmuseco.
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