 Hi everyone!
My name is Savannah and I have recently taken on the position of receptionist and social media manager for Catalyst Co-Working in Ellensburg! When I took on this position I didn't exactly have a clear idea on what co-working was; however, after a few days I was able to understand how beneficial this work setting can be. Currently in our office space are four amazing and unique individuals who all have completely different career paths. I find it fascinating to listen to the things they are working on. Getting to know each person's backstory is quite intriguing. Working with a group of people in a wide age range is refreshing to me as I love to work with people who are older than myself. The tenants here have been nothing but gracious to me and I hope to pass on the same kindness when I am working with a younger generation. Although our office space is not nearly as busy and bustling as one in Seattle, we still have a lot of foot traffic. Our conference room is booked by a large range of businesses and I always enjoy the chance to see new faces. As a tourism management major, I love to get to know the companies and people in the area. Being the receptionist in a place that can host large meetings gives me the perfect opportunity to do so. Also, having our building as a location for Ellensburg's First Friday Art Walks allows me to meet some of the local talent! Overall, my experience at Catalyst Co-Working has led me to understand that co-working is a very unique and creative way to meet new people outside of your field while still doing the work that you love. If I ever move to a city that has co-working offices and I am in need of a place to work, I will not hesitate to sign up! - Savannah Scriven
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 Your Catalyst team is in the business of supporting entrepreneurs and creatives, and artists are both! We are proud members of Downtown Ellensburg's First Friday Art Walk, a monthly showcase of artists and musicians from the valley and beyond. We invite artists to showcase their work for two months in our Downtown Ellensburg location. What you get
 Our friends over at Office Nomads published this blog post and it was too good not to share. A Love Letter to Indie Coworking Community Cultivators: Dear indie coworking community cultivators, I see you. I know what your days look like: 8:00 Arrive. Pour a warm drink into your favorite mug. Show newest member James how to make coffee. Hello. Hello. Oh, it’s Simone’s birthday! Make a note – go get cookies later. How is Darrell? He’s been going through a divorce and you’ve been making sure to check in with him each day to be sure he’s ok. Help Dylan connect to the printer. Catch up on billing for a little bit in between conversations. See a group of members looking at Amy’s new product demo. Snap a photo for the Instagram account. When was the last time you sent out a newsletter? Add it to your list for the day. It’s 11:00 already? Walk around and remind people that member lunch is at Noon. Respond to emails. Give a visitor a tour. Run Jamie through her new member orientation. OMG we need more forks again. 12:00 Lunch. Catching up on all the things. Kids have colds. In-laws in town for a long weekend. Holiday travel plans. Has Jim met Carolyn yet? They’re both science writers. Marketing struggles. New job offers. Sean got engaged! We should really get together for happy hour again soon. Plans begin. 1:00 That blog post you’ve been trying to write for three weeks. Mail delivery arrives. Sign for the packages. Bring that envelope that definitely looks like a check back to Amanda – you know she’s been waiting for it for weeks. High-fives. That was it! While you’re walking around, push in chairs. Pick up a stray cup. Pull non-recyclables out of the recycling can and make a mental note that you need to keep reminding the members that those things should go in the garbage. 3:00 Grocery store for cookies. Remember we’re low on half and half and could use a fresh set of whiteboard markers. Back to the space. Cookies and singing. Hugs. Blog post again, slow progress. Get lost on Facebook for a while – great discussion on the Coworking Content Alliance today. While you’re at it, when was the last time you checked to be sure you were following all the members on Twitter? Update list and get lost more when you start seeing all the cool things your members are sharing. 4:30 Critical conversation with members about Grape Nuts. It is a fine cereal. It is a terrible cereal. Is it cereal if you only eat it on yogurt? How has it been around for so long? Who still eats it? You still eat it?! Doesn’t it break your teeth? 5:00 Time to close up for the day. Say goodbye as members leave. Tidy up the space for the next day. Lock the front door. Bid those who are staying later than you a good evening. Remind them to turn off the lights if they’re the last to leave. As you ride the bus home, you think “Did I actually do anything today?” It feels like the list of things to do only got longer. It’s like everything happened and nothing happened all at once. But there was coffee. And cookies. Laughs. Learning. Printer troubles. And we’ll do it all again – or something altogether different – tomorrow. **** Here’s the thing, indie coworking friends from near and far. I know as coworking grows and gets commoditized in ways you couldn’t even fathom that you are worried about your future. You wonder if your one space with your very narrow budget can last. Let me let you in on a secret that you should hold close to your heart on the days that are hard: The most important work you do is the work you do every day to foster a safe, comfortable, and supportive community. The members in front of you (not the potential ones “out there” waiting for you) and the community they help create are what makes your coworking community stand out from the rest. The connections you have with one another are your north star. Those days where you felt like you got nothing done because you were talking with members all day? Those are probably the days you are doing the most work to keep your business strong and healthy. And when new members come to your doors they’ll see the love and energy that is created in your space and they’ll want to stay. Love, Susan P.S. Don’t worry what the big coworking giants are doing. P.P.S. Don’t worry what the big coworking giants are doing. P.P.P.S. One more time: don’t worry what the big coworking giants are doing. Because you know what they want more than anything else (other than $$$)? They want people to think they’re like you. That’s why they’re using the word coworking. But their size and business model keeps them from being able to do the community building work that coworking is known for. They simply have too many moving parts to stay focused on that secret I just told you. They’ll tell you that they do it, but I assure you they can’t do it. So you do it. You’re awesome at it. And don’t worry about them. I know who will still be standing 10 years from now. <3 Big thank you to Susan at Office Nomads for sharing this with the co-working community.
Stevena House finds inspiration walking in nature, science fiction and high fantasy stories, and surreal and activist art like the works of Georgia O’Keeffe, Frida Kahlo, and Francisco Goya. Since 1997, she has explored multiple artistic genres and has used multiple mediums for expression, but primarily works with painting, wearable art, and 3D found object collage. Her work evokes some difficult feelings like fear, wonder, loss, mystery, and mortality, while still being aesthetically enjoyable. Currently Stevena House lives in Ellensburg, Washington and enjoys using her recreational time to collect items and inspiration for future art projects. She is excited to join the local artistic community and hopes to display her art in a local venues. Please follow her social media for up-to-date information. Stop by Catalyst during First Friday Art Walk from 5pm-7pm on October 5th to see her installation "Fatal Femmes and Gothic Art"   Stop by Catalyst Co-Working on Friday August 3rd and Friday September 7th from 5pm-7pm during Ellensburg's First Friday Art Walk to see work done by local artist Kenneth Johnson. Can't make it? No problem! Come by during office hours from 9AM-5PM Monday through Friday during the months of August and September. About the artist: Kenneth has lived and worked in Ellensburg since moving here fourteen years ago. He is self taught and has worked in various media throughout the years currently focusing on photography. Eschewing digital, Kenneth works exclusively with analog photography methods. The group of images represented in this exhibition focus on alternative processes, polaroids, film and gelatin silver printing.
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