What do typography and community have in common? We caught up with Thomas Jockin, Founder of TypeThursday, to find out.

TypeThursday is a monthly meet-up for people in transition who love typography. The keyword here is “transition.” TypeThursday brings together people from many different backgrounds with a common foundation of being in the in-between.

That in-between season is the perfect opportunity for organic community to form—there just also happens to be a mutual love for typography and creativity as well.

Read on to learn more about Thomas, TypeThursday, and the value of community as a creative.

Hey Thomas! What is your background and what is the history of TypeThursday?

I am a typeface designer and founder of TypeThursday. TypeThursday is a monthly meet-up for people in transition who love typography. We began in 2015 at The West, a bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Some attendees at the first event include fantastic creatives like Juan Villanueva, Jack Curry, Anselm Dastner, Julie Thompson, Whitney Dobladillo, and Shyama Golden. Since 2015, chapters have been established in cities around the United States and the world.

What is it about typography that you personally love? What about it seems to bring people together?

I love how type reveals a story. That story can be sung from its beautifully spaced and proportioned arrangement of markings and absences. The story can be how we express the substance of our lives by how typography is used for a good. I believe the reason type brings people together is because typography reveals our desires, aspirations, and hopes. If we only listen, typography has something to say.

Besides a love for typography, what are some of the commonalities among people in the TypeThursday community? Are there lots of freelancers and digital nomads?

TypeThursday is for people in transition. That transition could be a recent college graduate, moving to a new city, pivoting careers, digital nomads, and so on. People in transition desire to connect, learn, and develop in their lives. Sometimes that development is professional, but more often the development is personal with new friends, new understanding, and new applications for things taken once for granted.

Can you speak to the value of having a community as a creative?

From witnessing TypeThursday for six years now, I can say the personal is more powerful than the professional. As in, focusing on personal growth in friendship, understanding, and appreciation takes care of professional needs like employment. But the reverse is not true—the professional does not take care of the personal. In fact, the opposite is true—an obsession on professional growth destroys personal growth. A true community—not a “marketplace” hiding under the name of community—fosters the person in the manner I am saying. If you are a creative, community is essential for a good life. You’re not going to care about your projects 10 years from now. But you will care about the friends you have had for 10 years.

What opportunities has TypeThursday enabled you to have?

TypeThursday is a gift that has not stopped giving to me. I have met so many people who enlightened my understanding of the world, opportunities like using typography to improve reading performance in children, and most importantly, witnessing how TypeThursday has empowered so many of these amazing friends to thrive. My life would have been far poorer in every dimension without TypeThursday. For that I am always grateful.

How can folks part of Croissant get involved with Type Thursday?

You can sign up for a TypeThursday event near you. If a TypeThursday is not near you and you’d like to start a chapter, use this link to be in touch.

Creative Connection with Thomas Jockin of TypeThursday