vol. 2, no. 19 | Make-Believe
This past Thursday, some of us got to attend the final Make & Tell of the 2025 season, and it was one of the very best.
The Made Shop, who host the events, were the main presenters. On his way to describing the process behind designing a neighborhood bar, Marke essayed an explanation of what their studio does, what it is that they make. He shared that after a long time pondering, they have to come to understand that the thing The Made Shop makes is make-believe. That they’re in the business of imagining things and making them real.
It was heady and silly and beautiful and profound and self-deprecating, and it’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever seen. I was grinning the whole time, and I’m so grateful we got to be there to witness the writing on the wall.
I’ve told the story so, so many times, of that night that Norton and I went to a Make & Tell, and ended up meeting a guy named Justin, who became a best friend, who months later encouraged us into signing our lease for The Company, after Norton, Livvy, and I had already decided to pass up the opportunity, because it was not really a good time.
You’ve heard us reflect at length, in so many settings, at the luck of that night. At how hanging around just once can lead to serendipities that lead to many more. How we are so, so grateful for anyone who hosts anything, and that we’re not unaware of the effort or the consequence.
But this week I’m feeling a more specific gratitude, or maybe it’s wonder, that some people once imagined hosting an event, and made it a very real thing, and kept doing it long enough that some of us strangers got to become friends, and got to dream of another thing, which itself became very real.
—Ivan
Happenings
This week:
Summery, Monday, September 22
This already happened, but I’m leaving it in for the record.
Weekly Wednesday Worknight, Wednesday, September 24
The Company is about combining creative work with good friendships. Make an appointment with your side project this (or any) Wednesday at a Worknight, where we oscillate between enforced, focused, quiet time and optional chatty social time.
$5, or free for Company and Moonlight members
Offsite: Creative Mornings, Friday, September 26
There aren’t any tickets left, but it’s worth signing up for the waitlist! The speaker is going to be Allie Beckmann, who’s been to The Company a few times and has very similar dreams for creative community.
Free
Next Week:
Mary Ann’s Book Club: Stand Out of Our Light, Monday, September 29
This book, written by a former Google strategist, makes the case that certain technologies make it hard for us to want what we really want. Livvy loves the book, and now glares at me whenever she sees me on instagram. Most significantly, it holds the high honor of being included in the Alex Prinsen Media Theory Library for Anti-Technopolistic Thought, and has been described by library founder, Alex Prinsen, as a really good primer.
It’s a short read, you can totally catch up, unless you don’t want to, but how can you know what you want, if the integrity of your will has been compromised by [trails off]
Free
Keep your sunlight unobstructed →
PowerPoint Party No. 31, Saturday, October 4
Twelve people giving 7-minute presentations about whatever they’re currently into. At past parties, people have presented about propulsion, Beyoncé, storytelling, and witch hunts. It’s a wide mix.
It’s a nerdy and sincere crowd that cares a lot, and we’ve met some of our favorite people at these.
Want to present? We’ve got a waiting list. Want to just show up and meet interesting people and learn about what’s fascinating them lately? That’s great too. Bring a friend, or come alone and make a friend.
$10, or free for members and presenters
—
Also coming up: Mild Salsa (Oct 5), Glint: Flight (Oct 14), In The Making (Oct 23), Offsite: Madeleine telling at The Moth GrandSLAM (Oct 24), The Third Annual Creative Coding Art Show (Oct 25)
Nostalgia
Do you remember the Cuppa Clothing Swap? How you discovered and exchanged and gave away, how we decided the cape looked better on Allyson than on me? The operation, after, to remove a fresh blood stain from a white shirt?
The final watch party for Station Eleven? How it was so different than the book, and I insisted it was better?
Trevr’s first workday? His first recess?
Do you remember our tiny Wednesday watch party? How we got to catch up for so long, before and after? How outside the Kissing Room, Norton and Jim inspected a typewriter for hours? How we took a late-night recess, and Livvy and Madeleine tried to look like Wednesday? The surprisingly fast braiding, the spotty success at keeping a straight face?
How Madeleine held court from the car, while lightning flashed above, and we did our best to help out?
Or the day the sky turned dark? How the thunder at recess was shockingly loud? That Trevr said “I’ve heard louder thunder one time”?
Do you remember Glint that night? How we heard about newness, beauty, a call to 911, a dark tunnel, a fear of dying and living, a hole, a too-perfect slap, and meeting a cute sad girl?
The day with Gus? The dumb-phone demo? The recess with the muscle-up, the ice cream afterward?
The discussion about media theory between Case and Alex, before Worknight began? How so many of us worked on our Summery pieces?
How Christof came to work, and joined us at recess? How we briefly met another Alex, and called him Punched-In?
And do you remember that perfect evening at The Made Shop? How Norton and Allyson and Dan all presented at the open mic, and were so very much themselves?
How we then got to see an impossibly magical thing occur? How we knew that future first timers would only ever be able to picture—and only poorly—what the sign used to look like before that night?
The tiny offsite at Museo?
Or the day with so many gatherings? The Daybreaker, the Great British Baking Show Fantasy Draft, and the birthday housewarming party for Allyson? How quickly we were again in a perfectly decorated lamp-lit room? That court was held from a chair instead of a car, and we heard of prospects, and Allyson’s origins, and bloodwork, before we moved to other places?
Bureaucratic Minutiae
There was briefly a fly. It has since flown away or died.
We have added a new benefit to membership: access to a Company kite.
At Glint: Unknown: Lauren S. told us about a time she was new, Anjali described how it slowly dawned on her that she was beautiful, Sam Ad. described a perfect plan, Jim took us partway into a very dark place, Ivan recalled fears around jumping off things with friends, Katie explained a hole in her ceiling, Jessica P. gave us a blow-by-blow of a perfectly-executed slap, and Allyson told us about unknowingly joining the perfect choir.
At Worknight: Mary Ann B. readied Ridwell retrieval; Alex made a slideshow for Summery; Livvy worked on Summery photos and writing; Case made a slideshow for Summery; Ivan drafted his Summery piece; Norton worked on fixing his font tool; And Will worked on an ASCII infinite canvas.
Finally, a reminder that The Company is a member-supported gathering place, and if you know any of us, you’re welcome to pop in any time for free (outside of events). If you know that one of us is here and you’d like to come by, reach out and we can let you in.
Photos
—
This issue of Paperwork was written by Ivan, and shot by Ivan, Norton, Jessica S., Jessica P., and Livvy. Photo selection and editing by Ivan and Norton. Editorial support was provided by Livvy and Norton. This issue, and The Company itself, was made possible by the support of our members, Halie, Drew, Justin, Mason, Lexi, José, Mary Ann B., Trevr, Allyson, Lizzie, Melissa, Elijah, Michelle, Jim, Jaime, Jacob, Mark, Sabrina, Beth, Dani, Chris, Will, Rebeca, Sarah, Mary Ann T., Alex, Jessica P., Jessica S., Mike, Ben, Sam, and Liz.
Do you know anyone in the Denver area who might be looking for creative community? Feel free to forward this email along to them. Everyone loves Paperwork.
😘