https://www.sarahjeanbenvenuti.com/making-elsewhere daily 0.75 2026-08-03 https://www.sarahjeanbenvenuti.com/making-elsewhere/when-you-give-a-woman-a-sword monthly 0.5 2026-08-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a35b17d10bbf02ebb1349bb/c60f2544-51cb-474f-a1d2-c7e2bdb12acb/S-42.jpg Making Elsewhere - When You Give a Woman a Sword - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a35b17d10bbf02ebb1349bb/ccfafe04-a3b6-4945-9bf4-a0ab6d9c49b6/S-36.jpg Making Elsewhere - When You Give a Woman a Sword The photos from Main Character Club (MCC), the company that Claire Young shoots for, had been scattered across my Instagram feed for years. Women in different period costumes, looking powerful and regal, feminine and magical, taken in locations across Scotland. Having fallen in love with the country over a decade ago, I wasn’t surprised that the photos found me. The images of these women looked the way Scotland feels: wild, brave, and ancient. It’s no coincidence that so many women have found themselves donning elaborate outfits for photoshoots in these heaths and castles. The country is filled with artisans, musicians, storytellers, and others that keep rich creative traditions alive and inspire that exploration in others. Claire was one of these women once. After working with horses most of her adult life, she treated herself to a photoshoot with MCC for her 40th birthday. Over the next year, she returned to Edinburgh for various events hosted by the company, including a workshop on photography. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a35b17d10bbf02ebb1349bb/7083533e-72ab-4d58-a5b8-706edf4c5b75/S-39.jpg Making Elsewhere - When You Give a Woman a Sword 2026 was going to be my year of making bold decisions, so after years of staring jealously at Claire’s photos, I finally signed up. Six months later, in the middle of a sabbatical during which I was trying to truly be a writer, I found myself frolicking in a field, reading on a fallen tree, and wielding a sword on a rocky crag with Claire cheering me on. We laughed and played like I hadn’t done since I was a child. It was clear to me that this was a calling for her and it made me feel like I would be able to pursue my calling, too. When I asked Claire why women sign up for these shoots, she answered simply: “they want to see another side of themselves.” For Claire, that experience led her on the path to becoming the photographer she is today. For me, it’s helped me to say, without hesitation, “I am a writer!” What might this experience help you uncover? https://www.sarahjeanbenvenuti.com/making-elsewhere/best-creative-cafes-edinburgh monthly 0.5 2026-07-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a35b17d10bbf02ebb1349bb/d115f4e0-a14f-4b11-9d58-f4e3335e60c9/PXL_20260728_155555337.jpg Making Elsewhere - The 5 Best Cafes for Creative Inspiration in Edinburgh - 1. MF Coffee Shop at Summerhall Located in the Summerhall event venue, this towering space has high windows that look out towards the Meadows, plenty of tables, and a tempting selection of cakes. Sitting here, you can sometimes hear music coming from other rooms throughout the building or catch snippets of conversation from folks passing through for various events and gatherings. On Tuesday evenings, there is a popular MeetUp group that gathers to write together here, too. Bonus: if you’re sick of the coffee, you can exit through the back of the building which will dump you right onto the doorstep of The Royal Dick Pub, with its plentiful indoor and outdoor seating where you can continue to write over a pint. 1 Summerhall Place, Newington; Open Monday - Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sundays from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm mfcoffeeproject.com https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a35b17d10bbf02ebb1349bb/18ce4b9e-943f-48cd-bd99-2a53a02489eb/PXL_20260728_154324696.MP.jpg Making Elsewhere - The 5 Best Cafes for Creative Inspiration in Edinburgh - 2. August_21 Coffee House Not far from Summerhall is the tiny August_21 Coffee House. An independent cafe, this space is a community hub that hosts workshops, music, art, film, and much more. They are values-forward, seeking to make a welcoming environment for everyone. With limited table space, they are very clear on their policy around computers (share tables if you’re on a computer; purchase something new every hour), which I found clear and refreshing. It’s worth it too! Surrounded by art, creative conversations, and friendly people, it’s impossible not to feel inspired to focus on your own projects. 89 Causewayside, Newington: Open Monday - Sunday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm august21.co.uk https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a35b17d10bbf02ebb1349bb/a0efafc0-9eff-439a-b91c-8ab081c596c0/PXL_20260728_103626471.jpg Making Elsewhere - The 5 Best Cafes for Creative Inspiration in Edinburgh - 4. Out of the Blue Drill Hall I was excited to learn about this space my last time in Edinburgh, when I took a sewing machine class with Remode Collective. Positioned just a block off of Leith Walk, the Drill Hall is home to a number of rehearsal spaces and creative businesses, like Remode. That means, from the cafe that sits inside the main space, you are surrounded by theater and music practices, artists making crafts, and other community gatherings. The high, windowed ceiling bathes the cafe in natural light and gives your imagination space to roam. Check them out the last Saturday of every month, when they hold a flea market, where you can explore and support other artists. 36 Dalmeny Street off Leith Walk; Open Monday - Saturday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm outoftheblue.org.uk https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a35b17d10bbf02ebb1349bb/c40f5fa5-89ba-4be7-b54f-e5c5bd62c84b/PXL_20260716_162247080+%281%29.jpg Making Elsewhere - The 5 Best Cafes for Creative Inspiration in Edinburgh - 5. Browns of Leith This event space in the center of Leith just opened in late 2025 and is quickly becoming a favorite in the neighborhood. Taking over the renovated George Brown & Sons Engineering Works building, Browns is home to four food and drink establishments, with more planned in the future. They include Haze, a coffee shop and wine bar; Shuck bar, serving seafood; Civerinos, an NYC-style pizza brand; and Woven, a whisky blending studio that I had a blast visiting recently. The building is grand, the bones of the old machinery blending with the modern steel tables to make something truly special. When the giant stable doors are opened onto the water, there is no better place to let the world in while you create. 4 - 6 Shore, Leith; Open Thursday - Sunday, 9:00 am - 10:00 pm customlane.co/Browns-of-Leith/ https://www.sarahjeanbenvenuti.com/making-elsewhere/worst-shows-edinburgh-fringe monthly 0.5 2026-07-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a35b17d10bbf02ebb1349bb/192f48b8-944e-4c65-bb4c-5d84662cde01/IMG_4904.jpg Making Elsewhere - Why the Worst Shows are the Best Part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - Make it stand out The circus hub at the Fringe might be hosting your favorite worst show! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a35b17d10bbf02ebb1349bb/a58e76e2-bde1-4053-894b-c36bf524eb60/Screenshot+2026-07-17+at+11.28.17%E2%80%AFAM.jpg Making Elsewhere - Why the Worst Shows are the Best Part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - WHAT IS THE FRINGE? The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the largest arts and performing arts festival in the world, taking over the city every August. Artists and performers from around the world come to the city with new shows and big dreams, filling hundreds of venues with theater, music, comedy, circus, drag, and more. It’s a feast of creation, with over 3,600 shows set for 2026, most costing less than a full English at Weatherspoons. Sub-festivals like the Street Events, the Free Festival, and PBH’s Free Fringe are free or pay-what-you-can, making the performances accessible to everyone throughout the month. WHAT MAKES A “BAD” SHOW? Art is subjective, right? THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS is not my jam, but it’s a multi-billion dollar franchise that has brought joy to people around the world for more than two decades. Meanwhile, I spent an entire year reading THE WHEEL OF TIME series, but can’t seem to find many people who also found it worth their time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a35b17d10bbf02ebb1349bb/47661f7a-e68c-4c1c-a37e-2a44aeb0180f/Screenshot+2026-07-17+at+11.32.18%E2%80%AFAM.jpg Making Elsewhere - Why the Worst Shows are the Best Part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival The biggest Fringe shows, the ones selling out venues like Underbelly or Assembly, can be just as cringe as something pieced together by students in a tent pitched in someone’s garden off of the Meadows (yes, they exist). I once watched a famous drag queen bomb inside the massive McEwan Hall while a friend’s show was packing audiences in at a venue that seated less than 50. The Fringe rewards a sense of adventure. Just as you can’t necessarily win if you go looking for the best shows, you have to allow a little luck when looking for the delightfully, existentially bad ones. Allow a weird flyer to grab your attention. Talk to the comedian desperately trying to convince audiences at Bristo Square to follow him to his show. Don’t leave when you find yourself in an empty house. Lean in when you begin to feel the most awkward. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a35b17d10bbf02ebb1349bb/0a74452f-3d32-4026-a0a0-82cdf543e657/Screenshot+2026-07-17+at+11.32.37%E2%80%AFAM.jpg Making Elsewhere - Why the Worst Shows are the Best Part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - Make it stand out Bristo Square is the perfect place to find inspiration https://www.sarahjeanbenvenuti.com/making-elsewhere/finding-creative-inspiration-in-inverness monthly 0.5 2026-07-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a35b17d10bbf02ebb1349bb/9d70d5cc-c463-46e6-af87-fa687a76ed52/PXL_20240117_135606628.jpg Making Elsewhere - Finding Creative Inspiration in Inverness - The view from the stairs of Wasps Creative Academy in Inverness is elusive, grey clouds often blocking anything more distant than the Beauly Firth. But one cold winter morning, the sky cleared, uncovering distant Highlands mountains. Wasps has long been one of my favorite places to write while in the city and my repeated visits had been rewarded that day, pushing me inside with new inspiration to fuel my creative session. After a number of shorter visits to the city over the years, I spent one January in Inverness in an effort to focus on my writing. Known as the gateway to the Scottish Highlands, the city is often just a pause for many tourists before they board buses to Skye or down Loch Ness. I had made this same mistake, thinking Inverness a sleepy town that would be even sleepier in the darkest part of winter. What I found was a city full of artists and musicians, with a rich creative ecosystem that has drawn me back for months at a time since that January visit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a35b17d10bbf02ebb1349bb/f4d0a2dc-84b0-48dc-9729-6ff045b9513d/PXL_20240706_121042912.jpg Making Elsewhere - Finding Creative Inspiration in Inverness - FINDING INSPIRATION Even in the dead of winter, when I would wake up in darkness to snow covering Ness Bridge, Inverness and its surrounds provided ample options to be in nature and get inspired. While the grander Highland hikes are what draw most visitors, within walking distance of the city is plenty to fuel a creative project. An easy beginner’s route from the center up to Carnac Point, then following the locks down to Canal Park rewards the walker with views of Moray Firth, Beauly Firth, Craig Phadrig, and Craig Dunain. The walker can take a stroll around the free Botanic Gardens and Cafe (M - Su, 9:30 am - 4:00 pm) before following the trail down to Ness Island and back to the center. If you’re up for something a bit more strenuous, both Craig Phadrig and Craig Dunain routes take you through rich forests up to viewpoints that will inspire. Heading east of the city, a short bus ride will get you to the famed Culloden Battlefield, where the 1745 Jacobite Uprising came to its tragic end. If you’re feeling more adventurous, a stroll down the country road crosses over the River Nairn to the Clava Cairns. Both sites feel ancient, with winds winding through the grasses and trees, reminding visitors of the history imprinted in the soil and stone. Bring a journal, as you’re sure to be moved to jot down your thoughts or sketch the moment before returning to the city. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a35b17d10bbf02ebb1349bb/ddd5a142-0742-4dec-8de0-6669a6cc4524/PXL_20250619_203051618.jpg Making Elsewhere - Finding Creative Inspiration in Inverness - MAKING YOURSELF A LOCAL Beyond the grand institutions and impressive countryside, Inverness is host to a community steeped in creative traditions with a culture of sharing and collaboration. Rebel Row, home to ethical textile brand Prickly Thistle, is the center of fashion in the community and also hosts local artists in their space. The Comedy Bothy hosts open mic nights featuring local comedians. Impact Hub is a welcoming coworking space in the center of town that holds various events and is great for working and connecting. Moniack Mhor, located not far from the city, is Scotland’s Creative Writing Center, hosting retreats and workshops year-round in their converted steading. My week at this beautiful facility is one of my favorite memories in my own creative journey. 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