a safe space for creativity

Elling Lien is an out-there kind of guy. as editor of The Scope downtown newspaper back in 2008, he brought the RPM Challenge to Newfoundland. you know the drill: 28 (or 29) days. 1 album of original music. creatives toiled, fledgling artists found their wings, business people loosened neckties and got down. all in all, it worked. in the first year, 22 albums were made and in 2016 there were 125. and the community is all the richer.

With that done and thriving, Elling sought a new outlet and Unpossible was born. Unpossible focuses on creating supportive, non-judgmental spaces for people to put themselves out there, try something new, or improve.

The first Unpossible project was the June 2016 Stand-up Challenge, which invited performers to write and perform five minutes of stand-up. twenty-three took the bait, and after a month of weekly open mics, Unpossible held a gala where participants preformed their best work. the key word here is challenge - it’s about challenging yourself to create something.

One of the main components of Unpossible is a supportive community, to incredible results. Elling says, “people who express themselves honestly are sharing this vulnerability that allows other people to go ‘wow, I feel the same way’. people bond over these challenges and create positive connections to those around them”.

There are lots of amazing things in Unpossible’s future. very cool stuff that opens up new worlds of possibility.  

Photos by Richie Perez