I have two things in my heart and on my mind right now.

Creative Coworkers has a chance to grow our community, and be in a physical space that will better serve the needs of our community. We’ve found a place that is amazing, and have made an offer. It’s the next step for us, for all of us – but it’s currently in jeopardy, ironically because we reached out to our community for support.

Having launched a crowdfunding campaign in August, with your help, we were able to overcome a cash flow shortfall in just six days. The financial investment you made was essential, but equally important was that so many people came forward and expressed the importance of our space, and urged us to find a way to continue to provide it. Unfortunately, this recent past request is problematic for our incredible, prospective new landlord. He’s new to the idea of not for profit organizations, and worries that reaching for community support signals a lack of capacity to thrive. I don’t think this could be farther from the truth about the benefit of this move. I’m hoping for your agreement, and your action.

Tonight, we supported an event that exemplifies the whole reason that I’m invested in this project. We hosted a fundraiser for the community of Telegraph Creek, who rightfully reside on unceded Tahltan Territory, who recently lost 40% of their structures to wild fires. This event was organized by Populous Map, a project that is gathering histories from all people and all timelines. They combat historical erasure and make stories accessible when you need a place to start.. From my understanding, Populous Map is about how we carry our ancestral stories forward, while respecting and witnessing autonomy, resistance, accessibility, reciprocity and diversity in our narratives.

The extraordinary woman who is behind this project explained how Salmon is Life – how cornerstone resources in ecosystems effect, affect and influence everything. This event, and the Populous Map project, from my perspective, is fundamentally about realizing and acknowledging how important it is to have places to be, that belong to us – and the impact of the loss of those spaces. It’s about coming together to share our fortune, and our privilege, to protect spaces and places that are important to our communities.

The other thing that’s in my heart and on my mind, is the recent loss of my own significant historical home, and the documentation I made of that experience in October of 2015, not long after we came to occupy our current community space, so many miles away from where I started, geographically and otherwise. This moment in time makes we realize why I’m so invested in offering space. History is being made, by us, here, and now. I want to make space that becomes a part of your story.

“Home” changes, over our lifetimes. But the concept of home stays the same – somewhere we feel safe enough to be who we are, and who we are becoming. Where we know that a misstep, or a tragedy of our own making or otherwise, is just a moment on a path of connectedness.

I recently asked for your financial support to keep us going. Now I’m asking for your solidarity, in a different way. If you or an organization you’re involved with needs or uses our space, I’m asking you to tell your story. I’ll help with this in any way I can, by drafting a letter of support that’s specific to you and what I understand your needs to be, or in any other way.

We’re better together. We make extraordinary things happen. We make change.

Please send your letter of support or testimonial to community@creativecoworkers.com, and don’t hesitate to tell me how I can help to facilitate that.

Thank you, so much, for all that you do.

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