UNLIKELY COLLABORATORS
(May 22, 2025 - Los Angeles) — Unlikely Collaborators announced today its continued support for Tiny Room Gives with a second grant aimed at integrating wellness practices into the music industry. This grant will fund 12 Perception Box Nights—community-based events that blend mindfulness, music, and mental health tools to empower rising creatives to confront and expand their perspectives in a hyper-competitive field.
Building on the success of last year’s Tiny Room Gives initiative which has pioneered livestreamed workouts and breathwork practices for artists, Perception Box Nights will provide a holistic, multi-pronged wellness experience. Each event will feature guided meditations, nourishing meals, and collaborative music-making sessions alongside candid discussions of the challenges creatives face. At the heart of each night is the Perception BoxTM framework, a reflective process that helps participants recognize and challenge the internal beliefs and narratives that shape their external realities.
Unlikely Collaborators is a nonprofit organization, founded and chaired by Elizabeth R. Koch, dedicated to fostering transformative storytelling, developing human connection, and resolving internal conflict. UC’s perspective is that external conflict is the direct result of unconscious, unresolved internal conflict inside each and every one of us. Founded on the belief that the way we perceive the world is highly subjective, Unlikely Collaborators supports projects that challenge assumptions, spark meaningful dialogue, and invite humans into deeper self-awareness – in community.
Central to this mission is the groundbreaking Perception Box framework developed by Koch. More than just a metaphor, it represents the often unseen matrix of biases, beliefs, and personal narratives that influence how we interpret reality. Rooted in cognitive science and psychological research, this framework illustrates how each person’s unique mental model shapes their understanding of the world—often limiting their ability to connect with new perspectives and ideas. By investigating and untangling our Perception Box beliefs, individuals and communities can unlock compassion, creativity, and new ways of thinking.
“These Perception Box Nights have not only provided a social safe haven for artists to let their guard down and be their true selves, they have actually transformed people’s lives,” said Greg Spero, Executive Director, Tiny Room Gives. “Artists in our community come in looking for respite from the challenging realities of living an artist’s lifestyle; the deep vulnerability, the personal sensitivity attached to the works we create, and the intense obsessive lifestyle as we craft our artistic visions. They walk into a safe space where we look deeper into ourselves, and observe the feedback and reflections of others. They walk away with a deeply renewed sense of self-acceptance, forgiveness of the self and others, and love and compassion for both our own self through our challenging journeys, and those around us who we realize are experiencing all the same fears, insecurities, and challenges. This is such a deep blessing to our community, and we at Tiny Room Gives are grateful for the opportunity to help give this gift.”
“Artists don’t just create because they have talent. They create from the stories they carry about themselves and the world around them,” said Koch. “Perception Box Nights give people a chance to slow down and take a closer look at those stories. When something shifts — even in one person — it opens the door to more connection, more compassion, and a renewed sense of possibility that everyone can feel.”
For more information about Tiny Room Gives, visit https://www.tinyroomgives.org/. To learn more about Unlikely Collaborators, visit unlikelycollaborators.org.
