Volume 1, Issue 32 | Shazam
This past Thursday, Management (Livvy, Norton, and I) had the chance to meet some people who spend a lot of time thinking about and building community. There were thirteen of us all together, and most of them are people who get to dedicate all of their time to community—running whole organizations that regularly bring people together. It was really inspiring, and also just really fun to see all the ways that the two traits of being a planner and caring about community can play out.
And hearing from them and talking with them helped us again appreciate the peculiarities of our own project. Management talked for a long time afterward about how we related to what was shared, and how what we’re doing seemed very different. Here are a few things that felt significant to us:
The community of The Company is comparatively tiny, and we, as Management, are a part of it. We have no interest in scaling, or franchising, or growing past a point where we don’t know the names of all of the regulars. With all the ways ‘community’ is used, it maybe makes more sense to describe ourselves as a micro-community.
While we’re grateful to keep meeting people who also resonate with this project, it’s not something we’re doing charitably. We started The Company because we wanted it to exist for ourselves. We derive so much joy from getting to spend time around friends (almost) every day, and getting to meet new people (almost) every week.
While it would be so fun to get to spend all of our time focusing on The Company, we enjoy that we have other jobs that fund our life. The Company doesn’t need to support us, and so we can think about what’s best for the growing friend group that we are. To be clear, more money would be welcome! But our goal isn’t only to break even—it’s to break even while following a particular set of rules that aligns with our values.
Norton and I are in the process of updating our website, and part of that involves writing up an about page that more clearly describes what we’re up to here, what those values are, and what rules we’re playing this game with. So gathering with other gatherers came at a good time. But we’ve also been talking with our members about how they describe this place to other people. And with their help, here’s our draft for a minor update to how we describe ourselves:
The Company is an indie, member-supported gathering place for a tight-knit, porous group of people, organized around curiosity and creativity. We host regular events where we create, move our bodies, have discussions, tell stories, present about fascinations, and share what we’ve been making.
Many thanks to our members for helping define this place, in many ways, and for letting us be a part of it.
—Ivan
Happenings
This week:
Glint: Resolve, Tuesday, January 21
True, personal stories, told live, without notes. Pretty much exactly like The Moth except without the competition, on Tuesdays instead of Fridays, and everyone knows each other (or is about to). Our next theme is “Resolve“, and we’ve got a few storyteller slots left.
Do you have a story of an ambitious New Year’s resolution? How did that go? Of grit and determination? Of putting your mind to a thing? Of a decision? Of a surprising or long-awaited outcome? Something unresolved? Whatever your interpretation, we want to hear it.
$10, or free for tellers and members.
Weekly Wednesday Worknight, Wednesday, January 22
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.
Jam Night, Thursday, January 23
Every once in a long while, some of us get together to put jam on toast. If you’re interested, reply to this email and let me know.
Offsite: The Seminar, Saturday, January 25
Our friends at Matter are beginning to host “Short lectures on critical theory, philosophy, and history, and their possible connections to current affairs with guest speakers, group discussions, beverages, snacks, printed resources, and online guides. In this inaugural year, we will focus on the vocabulary we use to find common ground. Hoping to feel our own way and develop a well-rounded perspective from our colleagues.”
Matter is really great, Rick and Debra are really great, and quite a lot of us are heading out to this. Not a Company event, but there’ll definitely be company.
$32.49, for everybody.
Future Weeks:
Mary Ann’s Book Club: Non-Violent Communication, Tuesday, January 28
This month’s book is Non-Violent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg.
This book has made a big impact on a couple of Company members, and they’ve talked about it enough that the rest of us are excited to learn more. Read about (and discuss) how to integrate consciousness, language, communication, and means for influence into our connections with ourselves and others.
Snacks and drinks will be provided to fuel our conversation.
$0–$10
The first rule of Non-Violent Communication Book Club is… →
Moonlight Report, Wednesday, January 29
Moonlight members only (for now). This is where Moonlighters show off work from the last lunation and commit to projects for the next lunation. Interested in joining a social club for side projects based around the cycle of the moon? Reply to this email.
In the Making, Thursday, January 30
A new (potentially recurring) event!
Directly inspired by the lovely yet infrequent Make & Tell events hosted by The Made Shop—whence Justin and Michelle and Ashley were discovered, and Mike and Elaine discovered us—we are hosting a similar but different event:
In the Making is a showcase of original, amateur, creative works in progress. The origin of the word ‘amateur’ means ‘a lover of:’ a person who creates for love instead of money, and we think it’s a great position from which to create. Hear from Lee DeBiase, Michelle Azzi, Will Whiteneck, Jacob O’Neill, Elijah Durso-Sabina, Norton King, Doug Wilson, and Justin Schaffer about their passion projects, and what they’re learning through them.
$10, or free for members and presenters.
Offsite: Creative Mornings, Friday, January 31
Early on in our move to Denver, long before we started The Company, Norton, Livvy, and I started attending Creative Mornings, a monthly breakfast lecture series for the creative community that has a Denver chapter. If you ever read the photo captions, you might have noticed (or will shortly notice) that we’ve met and continue to meet really great people at these.
They’re already sold out, but the waitlist sometimes opens up.
Free for everybody.
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Also coming up: PowerPoint Party No. 23, Yoga with Dan
Nostalgia
Do you remember Yoga with Dan? The one with the fire, and the longer photoshoot?
Or the workday without me? How that night we again moved couches and brought out snacks, and Dan announced the coconut cupcakes? How we watched two more episodes of season one of Severance, just as intended, and held a secret vote about whether to watch just one more? How the vote was nine to two in favor?
Do you remember the finishing up of Beth’s espresso machine installation? How it was otherwise a quite quiet day, and how we learned that it was Beth who was hand-stamping her Cuppa cups?
The lunch where we learned about Big Movie Guy’s immense progress on his film? That we talked about acting, and Justin shared that sometimes in social situations he thinks to himself, “what if this is a movie and I can act?”
The appearance of Simon? The afternoon walk to the park? How we all tried out the swings, and wondered why we haven’t more often?
Michelle’s special to-your-desk water delivery service?
Do you remember that big Worknight? Meeting Sierra and Mali and Leah? The great star we were able to unravel? How as the night wound up, Livvy tested her flashlight while Norton pretended to stab her?
That Michelle brought bagels in? That we met with Juan about the Procreate workshop, and while we did that Chris had a special to-your-desk Oolong tea delivery service?
How at lunch we heard about Michelle’s post-bagel-run fender bender, acted out with phones, and how she said that afterward she was talking to her friend Aly on the phone and thinking that maybe she should just go home, but thought to herself and Aly, “but I just got so many bagels!” and came in anyway?
How we met her wildfire-refugee friend Margaret, and learned about her background in running events, and getting people together, and facilitating, and how she now always notices the distribution of talk-time in conversation? How she, of a quiet Norton, observed: “you seem comfortable right now so I’m not going to force you to talk.”? That she shared that she studied weaving but now builds communities, and we lent her the metaphor of weaving social fabric?
The quick walk around the block? How we all checked on the damage to Michelle’s car and all speculated how much it would cost to fix it? How we saw the finally-reopened Cart Driver and hoped we’d go soon?
How later that night, we hosted Ryan’s ‘Gathering the Gatherers’ event, and Livvy mis-wrote and then corrected her hand-drawn sign, and we put out the lamp, and met so many great people? How we all went around and shared and asked for advice, and broke into groups, and got back together, and learned about saying ‘Shazam’? How we met Elliot and Sam? How even later that night, the three of us talked at length about The Company?
Do you remember Beth’s Cuppa trial run? All that nerdy talk of coffee science? How a lot more of us came in to support, and we met her friends? How The Company had an energy to it, and we joked about listing “occasional coffee shop background noise” as an amenity?
That Elliot came in, and a lot of us got lunch and came back, and how he said “I feel right away like I’m in a new universe.”? How Livvy thought Norton said “Lift with your ass”?
How after lunch there was that long, live podcast between Elliot and José, who had ordered a grab and go pour-over but did not in fact go? How the day later thinned, and Marcia stopped by? And then Dan returned? And it started to get real cold out?
Do you remember the Creative Code Demo Day, the first in a while? Seeing Dave again and meeting Alec and Alex? The games, the boids, the visuals, and the quiet clapping?
Bureaucratic Minutiae
Dan and Allyson acquired some accoutrements for the space. Expect a slightly-noticeable but not overwhelming improvement to the aesthetics of the space the next time you’re in.
Beth did a trial run of Cuppa and we’re pleased to report it went great.
At Worknight: Sabrina cleaned the bathroom; Danieeeeeeeeeeeeeeel wrote a first draft of his Glint story; Ivan finished draft designs for The Company’s Series and Person pages; Chris made progress on a developing desktop and mobile homepages for his company (no relation) website; Norton finished building out the footer and newsletter for The Company’s website; Lizzie and Halie made an outline for Prom; Livvy finished one painting; Sierra finished editing a proposal for work; Leah made a GOOD start on a financial footnote; and Mali got code to compile.
At Creative Coding Demo Day: Norton talked about a 3D SVG library he’s been modifying, and presented Company time card data visualizations; Livvy shared some of the work going on at Hovercraft and demoed a tool for shared state across devices; David played some simulations of boids and flows and talked about his goals to apply them to different contexts; Alex demoed a scrabble-like game he’s making; Will showed off Crayon Town, a multiplayer infinite canvas; Alec talked about starting to learn web technologies and building his personal website; and Mason showed the latest progress on his C++ 3D graphics library for live concert visuals.
Finally, a reminder that The Company is a membership-supported mixed-use creative space, 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.
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.
😘
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This issue of Paperwork was made possible by the support of our members, Halie, Drew, Justin, Mason, Lexi, José, Mary Ann, Trevr, Aubrey, Allyson, Madison, Melissa, Elijah, Dan, Michelle, Jim, Jacob, Mark, Ben, Sabrina, Beth, Dani, Chris, Brynn, Will, and Marcia.
Before the speaker, who will tell us about the connections between creativity and crime scene investigations, an ebullient woman in a bright, multi-patterned dress gives a 30-second pitch about Cuppa: a coffee business she is hoping to start, focused on building community. She is looking for a space that might be willing to have a part-time coffee cart. Livvy and I rarely drink coffee, so we look over at Justin, who rarely doesn’t, and he nods at us.
Before the speaker wraps up we see Beth get up to leave, and we chase her out and get into a long conversation: about third places, and community, and how much what she said sounded like stuff we say. She tells us about other community-focused things she’s found going on in Denver, including something called Dynamic Dinner.
Justin drives us to The Company, and on the way he mentions having seen a couple that looked cool. He assumes they’re a couple because they were wearing matching merch, and something about them made it seem like it was their own brand.
A little later that morning, Beth comes over and checks out the space. Later that afternoon, Lizzie comes by, and we start becoming friends.
July 26, 2024: Livvy, Justin, Norton, Drew, Lizzie, and I attend Creative Mornings. Beth is there, and we catch up, and I meet some of her friends.
Before the speaker, who will tell us about the connections between creativity and climbing a mountain, I give a 30-second pitch about The Company.
That evening, Lizzie is on the 7th floor of the Martin Building of the Denver Art Museum, where she works as a gallery host. Justin is down below at Civic Park at an event called Longer Tables, which brings together strangers to eat together at a long row of tables. She takes a picture of all the tables set up and sends it to him.
A little later she pops down, after learning that her friend Mio, who introduced her to Creative Mornings, is shooting photos for the event. She sees the crowd seated.
Each section of tables has a table host. At Justin’s table, the host is named Ryan. He is welcoming and patient as he facilitates the conversation. There’s a strict rule about not talking about work, so it isn’t until afterward that Justin learns that Ryan runs Dynamic Dinner. Justin thinks that maybe Company Management should meet him.
February 17, 2025: Ryan organizes an event called Gathering the Gatherers, that we host at The Company, in which he gathers gatherers—an idea he mentioned to us months before, when we met at The Company, and had a great conversation that helped us clarify our goals.
On this night, he shows up early to help set up, and is surprised to see the Cuppa sign. He knows Beth! He’s excited to find out that we connected, that this is going to be her spot.
People trickle in, including Tim, who runs Longer Tables, and a young married couple, named Sam and Elliot. They also know Beth—met her at an event that they hosted. They say that she is the reason they got connected to Ryan. They also tell us that they first learned about her at a Creative Mornings, where they saw her pitch Cuppa. That they had tried to meet her, but she had left early. Later, I realize I’ve seen them before, and so did Justin.
