Exploring the Pros and Cons of Coworking Spaces: Is It Worth It?

Introduction: In recent years, coworking spaces have gained immense popularity as a flexible and collaborative work environment. Entrepreneurs, freelancers, and remote workers have embraced the concept, but is coworking right for everyone? In this article, we'll delve into the pros and cons of coworking spaces to help you decide if it's the right fit for your professional needs.

Pros of Coworking Spaces:

Networking Opportunities: One of the greatest advantages of coworking spaces is the potential for networking. By working alongside professionals from various industries, you can expand your professional network, collaborate on projects, and even find new business opportunities. Coworking spaces like Studio IX ( www.studioix.co ) foster a vibrant community that encourages networking and collaboration.

Cost-Effectiveness: Renting a traditional office space can be expensive, especially for startups and small businesses. Coworking spaces offer cost-effective alternatives, allowing you to access fully equipped workspaces, including amenities like Wi-Fi, meeting rooms, and communal areas, at a fraction of the cost. This affordability makes coworking spaces particularly attractive to budget-conscious professionals.

Flexibility and Convenience: Coworking spaces provide flexible membership options, allowing you to choose plans based on your needs, whether it's a day pass, part-time membership, or full-time access. This flexibility is especially beneficial for freelancers and remote workers who require a workspace on a temporary or project basis. Moreover, coworking spaces often have convenient locations in central areas, saving you commuting time and providing easy access to amenities and services.

Cons of Coworking Spaces:

Distractions and Noise: While the lively atmosphere of a coworking space can be inspiring, it can also lead to distractions and noise. Shared spaces mean there will be conversations, phone calls, and movement around you. If you thrive in a quiet and focused environment, coworking may not be the ideal choice for you. However, some coworking spaces, like Studio IX, provide designated quiet areas to cater to the needs of individuals seeking a quieter workspace.

Lack of Privacy: Coworking spaces are known for their open and collaborative nature, which means you might have limited privacy. This can be challenging when handling confidential client information or engaging in sensitive discussions. If privacy is a critical aspect of your work, it's essential to consider private office options within coworking spaces or explore other alternatives that better cater to your needs.

Is Coworking Worth It? Determining if a coworking membership is worth it depends on your specific circumstances and work requirements. Consider the following factors:

Nature of Your Work: Coworking spaces are ideal for professionals who thrive in a dynamic and collaborative environment. If you enjoy networking, seeking opportunities for collaboration, and drawing inspiration from others, coworking can significantly enhance your productivity and professional growth.

Budget and Cost: Evaluate your budget and compare the cost of a coworking membership to other workspace options. Calculate the potential savings and the value you'll receive from the amenities and networking opportunities offered by the coworking space.

Features That Entice People to Join Coworking Spaces:

Modern and Ergonomic Workspaces: Coworking spaces that offer modern, well-designed workspaces with comfortable furniture and ergonomic setups are highly appealing. Professionals appreciate environments that prioritize their comfort and well-being while they work.

Amenities and Services: Coworking spaces that provide a range of amenities and services, such as high-speed internet, printing facilities, refreshments, and access to meeting rooms, add value to the membership. These features make the space more convenient and functional for professionals.

Conclusion: Coworking spaces have transformed the way we work, offering numerous advantages such as networking opportunities, cost-effectiveness, and flexibility. However, it's essential to weigh the pros and cons based on your specific needs and work style. If you thrive in a collaborative environment, enjoy networking, and seek a cost-effective workspace, a coworking membership, like the one offered by Studio IX (www.studioix.co), could be a worthwhile investment in your professional journey.

Remember to thoroughly evaluate the features, benefits, and costs of coworking spaces before making a decision. Ultimately, finding the right workspace that aligns with your goals and enhances your productivity is key to your success.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: CHAPMAN MUNN

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

My name is Chapman Munn, and I am a transportation software developer and consultant. I build digital tools and solve problems with software and data for transportation agencies across the country.

What do you love most about the work?

I get to help the folks who are trying to help folks get from A to B. Transportation impacts almost every aspect of our lives, and the requirements and needs placed on our local, state, and federal transportation systems are increasing. The difficulties placed on our networks are widespread and undeniable. Failures can be catastrophic. I enjoy building tools to help planners, engineers, and decision makers leverage data, geographic information systems, and machine learning technologies to streamline the decision-making process and separate the wheat from the chaff.

How did you arrive at this point in your work? What’s your backstory?

My professional path to now has been a windy road. In data analytics and software development capacities, I’ve worked in education, financial technology, and now transportation. After getting an MBA from VCU, I had an Excel based job that was extremely repetitive. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I decided to automate my work and learn to code. The rest is history! VBA -> Base SAS -> SQL -> Python -> JavaScript -> ReactJS.

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally along the way?

Less a light switch moment and more a gradual grind to not feeling like a total imposter.

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

I’m wrapping up development of two web applications currently. One is being used by a southern DOT to collect candidate project data from across the state and the other is being used by a very large metropolitan planning area to analyze web-based spatial data for planning purposes.

I’ve been leading out companies’ geographic information systems (GIS) and computer-vision business lines for the past couple of years. Those areas are exploding, and it is very exciting to be a part of it.

What values drive your work each day?

I’ve got a two-year-old and a five-year-old. I do it all for them now.

Anything we missed that you might care to share (closing thoughts)?

Come say hello to me in my corner.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: MEREDYTH SANDERS

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

I’m Meredyth! I have a degree in Urban + Environmental Planning and work for a Transportation Planning + Engineering Firm called Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

What do you love most about the work?

Two things: 1) Working on street redesign projects that improve safety and comfort for people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities. 2) The people I work with.

How did you arrive at this point in your work? What’s your backstory?

I first learned about urban planning when I was an undergraduate student at UVA. I was pursuing a degree in environmental thought and practice because I wanted a career that would help mitigate the impacts of climate change. The curriculum included a class on urban planning – and that single class convinced me that I needed to change my major. Since graduating I have lived and worked in Northern Virginia and Boston, MA. I have been lucky enough to contribute to projects in Virginia, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., California, Florida, Idaho, and Oregon. 

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally along the way?

The experience that profoundly emphasized the importance of “walking a mile in someone else’s shoes”: surveying bus riders while actively riding the bus in Orlando, FL during a summer thunderstorm.  

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

Working on: Quick-build bike lane designs for Cambridge, MA

Excited about: The vast amount of safety funding that is currently available to communities across the U.S. (included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law)

Looking forward to: Helping communities to submit grants for safety funding, develop safety action plans, and implement safety projects over the next 5-10 years 

What values drive your work each day?

Empathy and curiosity! 

Anything we missed that you might care to share (closing thoughts)?

At IX you can usually fine me sitting catty-corner from Brandi Carlile’s show poster. I love chatting about cooking, music, and fun places to run/hike in and around Charlottesville. 

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: ROBBIE SAPUNARICH

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

I'm Robbie Sapunarich. I’m a husband and father who's called Charlottesville home for the last three and a half years after moving here from Southern California. I work as a software developer for my day job, currently with Lone Wolf Technologies. I also write about faith and culture, do volunteer ministry work, and lead a DIY liberal arts education book club called The Gap Year.

What do you love most about the work?

I'm a curious person and enjoy learning about new things. Working with software, words, and people gives me ample opportunity to do all of that.

 How did you arrive at this point in your career? What’s your backstory?

I was an English major in college. After graduating, I considered pursuing a career in academia (I even looked at some UVA's grad programs), but was discouraged by the diminishing employment prospects. I did a programming bootcamp when I learned that I could have a thriving career in software without a CS degree. My first job was with a real estate tech company called W+R Studios (which would later be acquired by Lone Wolf Technologies). After moving to Charlottesville, I had the chance to work for a couple of local startups, Everactive and Lumin. Those were exciting opportunities, and I got to work on really interesting problems with some great people. Last year, I followed my mentor from W+R Studios to another real estate startup, but my team and I were laid off in November 2022. Thankfully, we both landed on our feet at Lone Wolf, and I'm getting to revisit code I wrote a few years ago.

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally along the way?

I've experienced a few of those the last few years. The first was the birth of my daughter, Etta, this past year. Watching her grow is truly magical and hard to put into words. Secondly, I've become more deliberate about developing secondary vocations around writing and ministry. Finally, the collective turmoil we've all experienced over the last few years put a lot of priorities in stark relief to me. I'm trying to better love and appreciate the people I encounter every day, both my family and my village.

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

 For work, we're almost done with migrating all of our applications from a data center to AWS. I am very excited about finishing that. Our book club is about to start reading St. Augustine's Confessions, translated by Sarah Ruden. I also have a few personal essays in the works that'll be published online. Those interested can find links to my writing here.

What values drive your work each day?

Empathy and integrity. Trying to do what's best for the people around me.

Anything we missed that you might care to share (closing thoughts)?

My workout group (F3 Cville) helps to put on the Haven 8K, and we need volunteers to help direct and cheer on the runners! You can sign up here if interested.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: KATE KOGGE

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

Hi there! My name is Kate and I have been living in Charlottesville on and off for the past 12 years. I'm currently contracted to work with various agencies on education initiatives for teachers and students in the DC region. The position is remote for the most part, although I do have some on-site programs from time to time.

What do you love most about the work?

I love making weird science more accessible for students, and this role gives me a unique opportunity to bring resources and opportunities to underserved communities. I have a great deal of creative freedom here, which means that I get to work with teachers on projects that they actually want to bring to the classroom. It's a neat balance between formal and informal learning environments, which is the direction I think (and hope) more schools will follow in the future.

How did you arrive at this point in your work / career?  What’s your backstory?

I had been working in clinical labs since I was an undergrad - it always seemed like that was a reliable, safe career path. While the structure was really beneficial at the time, I missed being in a classroom environment and meeting new people. A friend suggested I fill in as a substitute teacher at a nearby school and I was instantly hooked.

I went back to college to get certified, and then I taught middle school science for seven years, most recently at Community Lab School in ACPS. It was the hardest, busiest, and most rewarding experience, and I loved being so connected to this community. I was also doing a million other things to stay afloat, but I'll spare you from my side hustles.

Last summer, I was selected as an Einstein Fellow within the Department of Energy, and I spent a year with the education team at the National Air and Space Museum. I loved working in a museum and living in D.C.- even taking the Metro was a joy. My fellowship led me directly to the position I have now.

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally along the way?

Oh gosh, making the decision to go from full-time employment to full-time student teaching was TOUGH - I went from having a steady income to taking in just a couple hundred bucks a month. It was a huge risk, especially since I didn't have a guaranteed teaching job when I left, but I'm grateful I went for it. My student teaching placement was in Augusta County and I felt this incredible warmth every time I stepped in that classroom. The drive was long, I had no money, I was absolutely exhausted, and I was 100% where I needed to be. 

What values drive your work each day?

Empathy plays a huge role in what I do - I often work with teachers and students in Title 1 schools, so it's important to meet folks where they are. I also need a lot of patience and flexibility; federal initiatives always take way longer than you expect them to, so you need to be able to make adjustments on the fly.

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

 I'm thrilled to continue working with the folks at the National Air and Space Museum this summer; my office asked me to start a teacher leadership program there before the 2023-2024 school year begins. Building something like this from scratch is exciting (and terrifying), and I hope it becomes a lasting resource for these educators.

Anything we missed that you might care to share (closing thoughts)?

I'm excited to *finally* have a work community again - it's been a while. Looking forward to meeting each of you.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: BROOKE RAY

Could you tell us a bit about who you are and what it is that you do?

I'm Brooke. I recently created my own business, Redbud Consulting. I help agents of social and environmental change to thrive. I am a Jill of all trades, and help organizations and business on a range of projects based on the skills I've gathered over the years mostly as a program and business manager. Right now I'm supporting grant writing, philanthropic research, and operations management.

What do you love most about the work?

All of my clients are working on addressing big challenges in the social and environmental sphere - food aparteid, biodiversity loss and climate change, international ethics...they are shouldering enormous workloads. I love being able to show up and lighten that load, and bring fresh energy and perspective to their work. I love this behind the scenes role and the ability to work with so many interesting people and projects.

How did you arrive at this point in your career? What’s your backstory?

My background is in international development and food and agriculture. I worked in that sector for a long time. Most recently in Charlottesville I was the Senior Manager of Food and Agriculture Programs with the International Rescue Committee, and worked to establish urban farming and food programming with the refugee and immigrant community here. And after that I was the Operations Manager at the Global Policy Center at the UVA Batten School. But I've worked as a natural builder, an event planner and many other things. I side gig as a gardener and use my house as a place to keep learning about plants and ecology. I love geeking out on soil.

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally along the way?

Definitely finally working for myself has been a turning point. My partner has always said I should work for myself (maybe because I'm so bossy?!) and, like most things, he was right (don't tell him I said that). But yes, making my own schedule, picking clients, and reaping the fruits of my own labor has been a great fit. All the more so now that I have the IX as a part time landing spot.

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

My newest client is Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs and it's been so fun to dive into their world and get acquainted with topics that are familiar to me, like climate change and displacement, through this new lens. I'm also helping a new client based in Scottsville, called Climate Investment Partners, to get off the ground. After working for a while in the nonprofit world, it's been eye opening to see what an incredible impact the for profit sector can have in protecting biodiversity and indigenous communities. They work in nature-based solutions, particularly around reforestation and deforestation prevention as well as carbon finance. I'm also interested in systemic issues around the "polycrisis" and hoping I can break into that space in some way, maybe by developing localized community learning and action cohorts. While it's a heavy topic, I think there are a number of existential threats building momentum and I am intrigued by the idea that there are common attractors to these problems rather than the idea that they are all unsolvable and totally unique. I want to support people dedicating their time to understanding the potential patterns across these issues.

What values drive your work each day? How do they manifest?

I'm motivated by a sense of responsibility and love - to and for the world and life on it. On a personal level, I'm highly relational. I draw meaning from personal connection and feeling appreciated and useful. Also chocolate.

How’s it been working here at Studio IX?

I love it! It's so nice to put real pants on and see humans face to face!

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: JOSHUA VANA

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

I'm Joshua Vana, Director of ARTivism Virginia. We provide a supported connection between artists and activists in the fight against new fossil fuel (primarily fracked gas) infrastructure in Virginia and the region. My best attempt at distilling who I am is that I'm a musician who happens to be a justice issues person, and so I try to lend my skills to advancing the efforts of folks fighting the Big Machine in its myriad of forms. With ARTivism, we try to take those types of individual efforts and coordinate them so that there's organized help – a network, or better, a community – to strategically assist campaigns to fight projects like the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), for example. 

So across mediums, with the help of a bunch of different artists, we've been working primarily on supporting the coalition fighting MVP (year nine of resistance, year five of unfinished construction to 56% completion) and its Southgate Extension project (year five of resistance, unconstructed), whether through messaging strategy, tactile visual arts, film, music, event production, a little graphic design, etc – a lot of the things that need a bit of a boost when your coalition partners are working so hard to cover all the other bases, playing offense and defense at the same time. ARTivism, having started out as a labor-of-love project of Kay Ferguson here in the Charlottesville area, is entering its sixth year of coordinated effort, and this year we've been really blessed to begin a working relationship with Virginia Organizing as a Joint Plan of Work group. MVP hasn't been our only focus though, and working in our lane with a priority on advancing environmental justice efforts, often with frontlines folks in the region, we've also helped defeat the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, Chickahominy Pipeline and Power Station, the C4GT power plant and other not-so-brilliant ideas of the fossil fuel and finance industries. 

What do you love most about the work?

I really like being part of a community of fighters (they're lovers, too, you could say) who are looking out for each other and making a better future happen. I love to see these folks grow their power, see the fruits of their labor, feeling good about it – seeing the threads of new community and power building come together in a fresh and beautiful patchwork. 

I also love watching the pins get yanked out of the machinery that's abusing people and then witnessing that machine start to bury itself in dysfunction and the muddy mess caused by its own design flaws. It may be the opinion of others that sharing this is in bad taste, but I'd be lying to ya if I said this didn't provide a little confidence-building fuel and satisfaction. I take no small amount of pleasure in the visible astonishment on the faces of the cogs of the Big Machine (lobbyists, consultants, politicians, financial managers, those weaving in and out of the public-private revolving door, etc) when they realize that because of their failure to ram through their pipeline or compressor station or whatever, they now have to consider the fact that their ill-conceived plans were not inevitable, that they do not control everything, that they are not the masters of us. I mean, I'm guessing that might be what eventually goes through their heads. Maybe not. Maybe it's wishful thinking. Whatever's going on in there, there seems to be some amount of surprise when grassroots community organizing and advocacy wins. 

I get to work with a ton of fearless, kind, badass folks who I look up to, and who are changing things in no small way. That helps. I've heard a number of friends in our work say that it sure would be nice to not have to fight multi-billion dollar corporations to protect communities, homes, wild places, the planet, etc – but – you just meet the best people. That's true for me and I know it's true across other communities brought together in pursuit of some kind of justice. This year in particular, I've had the great pleasure of meeting folks from all across stolen land, from the Gulf Coast to the West Coast to the Great Lakes and further, learning about their awesome work and culture, how similar our struggles are, and how close we are bound by those struggles.

If I'd have to sum up the better parts of the work, it'd be the feeling of solidarity. Remember solidarity, y'all? The Big Machine hasn't just yet stamped all that fire out.

How did you arrive at this position / point in your career? What's your backstory?

I've mostly been a working musician and a small collective restaurant worker and worker/owner in the Shenandoah Valley. Around 2015 when I caught wind of the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline project (rest in pieces ACP, 2014-2020), I started to get connected with folks in Augusta & Nelson Counties and elsewhere who were organizing against it – which led me inevitably to learn about MVP and the folks further West/Southwest fighting it. Two evil-cousin, 42" fracked gas pipelines totaling more than 900 miles was not gonna fly, in my opinion, and I learned there were hundreds of others who shared that opinion. I had started to become aware of the worst effects of the so-called Shale Revolution and did not want to see its infrastructure buildout come through the mountains and valleys and rivers around us and destroy everything in its path. With the help of my friend Lara Mack, who was the Pipelines Field Coordinator for Appalachian Voices at the time (and others of course), we started a solidarity group in Rockingham County through which I learned a lot about advocacy and my role in it. Still learning.

Juggling that activism, being away on the road playing music professionally and restaurant work eventually became too much to balance, so I decided to try and meet the moment and stick around my own neck of the woods in hopes that I could find ways to support the ACP/MVP fighting coalition on a more consistent and sustainable basis. Shortly after making that change, I was invited to participate in ARTivism's SUN SiNG Collective project, and things gradually progressed from there into further opportunities for me to plug in, take a leadership role or two, and support Kay's concept of healthy creative advocacy. I co-directed ARTivism with Kay from 2020 to the spring of 2022, and was handed the baton this year as Director when Kay took a well-deserved bow after years of hard-driving direct coalition support.

What values drive your work each day? How do they play out in what you do? 

I think when my former Co-Director Kay was asked this question, she said, "love, justice, and service". Brevity can be in good service too, and acknowledging the length of my previous responses, we'll stick with this wise distillation. We try to prioritize listening to what frontline organizers need and then propose ideas that go with the grain of their efforts, and compliment and amplify the work of the larger coalition, often asking how we can welcome more folks into the work and provide that supported connection mentioned above. 

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

Lots in the works here at ARTivism HQ. We're reflecting on our first six months as a Joint Plan of Work group with Virginia Organizing and planning for what it might take to help beat MVP and MVP Southgate in 2023. We recently held a block printing workshop with awesome artivist and wonderful collaborator Jan Burger here in the Gallery at Studio IX, and we're hoping to build upon that learning and ready those materials and more for whatever opportunities arise. 

We're also doing our best to support our growing coalition in a "search and destroy" mission – cue Iggy & The Stooges at considerable volume – to defeat the next iteration of Joe Manchin's Dirty Deal (first attempt bill killed in late September), which would weaken environmental protections throughout the United States, throw frontline communities under the bus, provide lots of disgusting handouts to the fossil fuel industry as if more are needed – in addition to using congress to legislate a magic parachute for the criminal MVP and its joint venture partners by essentially reinstating all its illegal permits and insulating it from any further judicial review. Isn't it nuts that the some of the most powerful sectors of both major political parties want this? Plenty of them claim the climate is very important to them, and they want your money, by the way.

I'm looking forward to building new relationships with artivists in the Charlottesville area, continuing to create and/or support programming and projects that revives the long fighters out there and welcomes new energy, and – hopefully in 2023 – witnessing the incredible and inevitable cancellation of the big, bad, boondoggled Mountain Valley Pipeline and its Southgate Extension. A congressional rescue party signals desperation, and we want safety and health more than they want their precious profits. So approaching Year Ten of resistance, you can bet we're ready to win. Probably more ready than we know.

If you could take one book with you to a desert island, which would it be?

Well that's a tough one. You're gonna probably be disappointed by an answer lacking in creativity, or failing to nod to the finer works, but us "creatives" can be practical too. I'm sure there's a book out there that sufficiently outlines How to Survive On a Desert Island, and I'll go with that. There are probably dozens at this point. I'm not gonna check. I pride myself just a little in having some tiny manner of self-sufficiency, but assuming this desert island scenario involves the typical "it's just you and you're a thousand miles from anywhere in a beautiful but dangerous tropical paradise providing no shelter from the elements and where threats to survival constantly lurk" features, I am in no way sufficiently prepared for that, and I'd be perfectly satisfied to rely on the tactics provided in the text to eventually return alive to a place where I can read all I want. While I'm out there on the desert island I can make up some songs and stories to keep me creative company, and also add notes to the book in the margins that I can be hired to employ in the Survivor's Choice Edition. Upon my return to so-called civilization and during my tour of morning TV spots and late-nite talk shows (if they're still around), I can plug the that second edition while also suggesting some of the ways in which we can help ourselves not turn our own island into a giant desert island where nearly every single person is saddled with the burden of individual survival. This is sounding closer and closer to describing our society in the era of the Neoliberal Scam so I'll stop before this gets too real. 

Anything we missed that you might care to share (closing thoughts)?

I don't know if everybody else out there's feelin' it, but doesn't it just seem like crises are coming from all sides these days? That's why that solidarity (remember solidarity, y'all?) is so important. The burden gets spread out and it feels like we all need that. Less burden per individual. More collective effort. As one of my heroes, Mavis Staples, will sing, "You are not alone". "I'm with you", she'll say. We got big fish to fry, friends. Let's get organized and stay organized. Anything is possible. 

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: CHECKING IN WITH JEFF DION

You’ve had some exciting developments since we last spoke. Care to share?

Yes. A wild summer! The company I worked for when you last interviewed me is in the business of helping startups raise capital from everyday investors. Well, given the financial slide we've been in, Wefunder had to cut 35% of the team; mostly all the remote folks.

But it was a blessing in disguise as I immediately started my own investment strategy business -- CCQB (yourccqb.com). Not in competition with Wefunder, but as a compliment to their offering.

What’s that transition been like?

Liberating and fast paced.

I had a personal reflection about 3 weeks into the project, before I had even signed my first founder:

The three times in my professional career that I have felt most in control of my future were when I was running my own business. I seem to have trouble working inside organizations. They always feel too constricting, yet too demanding, all at once. Having the freedom to press the pedal when I want to, and the brake when I want to, fits my 'extremes' personality well.

I'd be remiss to not thank you and James for making this unpredictable transition a lot less stressful this summer. Your unquestioned support in allowing me a place to work while I got my life sorted out was priceless. Literally...

What do you enjoy most about the new position?

Genuinely feeling as though I am making a positive impact for people. Running a business is often your whole life and many times founders have put a lot of their own money on the line. At the same time, raising money is something a founder only has to do a few times, at most, when scaling a company. The intersection of these two things means I am working with people who are often at one of the most vulnerable yet critical times in their personal and professional careers. It's been powerful to watch them have success this Fall, and get positive feedback on how I made a difference in their success.

Last time we spoke you expressed an interest in ultimately moving away from being bound to a screen and getting back outside. Care to manifest your future and share what that will look like when it comes?

Way to keep me honest and on track, Greg. I'll lean on my Greg Buddhist teachings and say that the future is right now. With this new business I make my own schedule and I also make enough money to afford to finally work a bit less. Now that my first batch of founders are raising, I am gladly taking on clients at a slower pace, so that I can spend less time at the computer and more time in the mountains and on the water.

But im not a Buddhist, yet, and so my near sited goal is to build a startup in the rowing space over the course of the next 18 months, and then transition my role to more of a traveling vice president of sales at boathouses across the country. Happily paying someone else to manage the spreadsheets, projections, and HR issues.

I'll also be honest in that I think this entire 21st century technology career thing is a massive rat race that has lead to creating solely for the purpose of creating. We already have everything we need, and it'd probably suit us well to turn around and then take five steps forward. But I'm still not enlightened on a safe path off the wheel for myself and my family. I'm sure you can help me here .

What are you currently working on / excited about?

My kids are getting to the age where we can do all kinds of fun outdoor stuff together. I'm pretty excited to take our oldest skiing for the first time this winter.

I'm also learning to bow hunt and harvest my own food this winter, which im pretty stoked about! This has preoccupied a lot of my current reading & audiobook time.

What’s on the horizon?

Who knows! Hopefully the aforementioned rowing startup -- ScullPass.

And finally -- if you could take only one book with you to a desert island, which would it be?

Beyond The Horizon, by Colin Angus. My whole adult life I've only read/watched true stories, since I personally look to them for inspiration. Colin's story is one of my favorites. Through massive mental and physical highs and lows he becomes the first person to circumnavigate the globe using only human power.

Great dessert island book because after a week or so of napping, reading, and eating coconuts, I'd be looking for creative ideas and will power to get the heck off that island!

***

Jeff Dion | LinkedIN

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: ANTHONY HARO

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

I'm Anthony Haro and I'm the Executive Director for Blue Ridge Area Coalition for the Homeless (BRACH, formerly known as TJACH). We aim to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring. In order to accomplish that, our work is focused on collaborating with communities and service providers to help individuals and families achieve housing stability, financial health, and improved quality of life.  We don't provide services directly to clients but work to support direct service providers in the community like The Haven, Region Ten, PACEM, Families in Crisis, On Our Own, SHE Shelter, Virginia Supportive Housing, and Salvation Army. I support through grant writing, providing funding directly for projects, organizational development, and policy development to support coordination of homeless services across the community. 

What do you love most about the work?

I believe it's everyone's birthright to experience peace and contentment in their lives, and as elusive as that journey may be on its own, without the stability of a safe place to call home it can be that much more difficult. I love that I help people find that foundation in their lives. 

How did you arrive at this point in your work? What’s your backstory?

After I graduated from UVa in 2009, I was interviewing in Chinese for IT sales jobs and while I loved the prospect of using Chinese and Japanese (which I had studied at UVa) my heart was just not in it for sales. On a whim, I quit my temp job I had at the time and moved to live with my girlfriend in Charleston, SC. I had no job and barely any money, but I did have some clarity on the simple fact that I wanted to be a part of some kind of service to the community. I ended up finding a job on Craigslist (sketchy, I know) as a database manager for a homeless shelter in Charleston, and the rest was history. I loved being a part of something greater, and while I had no previous history with homeless services, I quickly realized how impactful the stability of housing is in people's lives. I saw incredible transformations in people, things I once thought impossible I now knew were possible. I've been working in homeless services administration since that first job in Charleston in 2010.

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally along the way? 

Working in homeless services you are confronted often with the reality that you cannot make people change. You can provide the opportunity and support for change, but you can never control another person's thoughts or behavior. Really understanding this has helped me both professionally and personally, as it allowed me (or forced me) to create more healthy boundaries with work in general, with expectations of other people, and with expectations of myself. 

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

Professionally, I've been working quite a lot lately on the Premier Circle project which is currently a 90-unit emergency shelter program operated by our partner PACEM, but will shift to be the site of a future 80-unit permanent supportive housing development, creating 80 safe and permanent homes for formerly chronically homeless individuals. It's been an incredible project to be a part of, and one that has and will continue to significantly shift the homeless service landscape in our community for the better. 

In my personal life, I've been working a lot with my friend and creative collaborator, Gabe Gavin, on our music project called Bhakti Boyz. Songwriting is an incredibly fun, fulfilling, and therapeutic outlet for me and something I'm endlessly grateful to have in my life. 

What values drive your work each day?

Be the change you want to see in the world. Truth is one, paths are many. Be good, do good. Serve, love, meditate, realize!

Anything we missed that you might care to share (closing thoughts)?

Housing ends homelessness! Simple as that.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: ROGERS HELLMAN

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

My name is Rogers Hellman, and yes, that is an 'S' on the end of my first name. A cross my parents saddled me with. I've developed a computerized medical records system for use in rural settings within developing countries. Locales where challenges make that task more than a tad-bit daunting.

What do you love most about the work?

I do get to travel often. Or did, prior to Covid. I love the friendships and the opportunities to see a world decidedly different from the one I typically inhabit. My hope and expectation is that now that Covid is abating, I can resume my activities.

How did you arrive at this point in your work? What’s your backstory?

When this all started, 18 years ago, I had been successful in the world of high-tech. My career as a programmer led to executive positions. Even high-level positions within internationally known companies.

However, I had stepped aside from the world of technology with the idea of spending extra time with my daughters. They were of high school age and their time of living at home was limited. When I was ready to return to work, the business side of the technology world was in a down-turn and I continually encountered the words 'over-qualified'. We were comfortable financially, so my wife and I looked to other activities. That led us to travel to Guatemala to assist a team of Canadian physicians. What I learned is that doctors and engineers think differently. With collaboration between these mind-sets, the quality of care could be improved.

It also occurred to me that disease outbreaks typically originate in rural settings due to the nexus of people to animals. Further, with modern travel increasingly available, inevitably disease outbreaks would lead to epidemics and possibly pandemics. Stopping an outbreak as early as possible became one of my goals.

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally along the way?

As a Westerner, I could not possibly anticipate the challenges involved. Only by trial and error followed by persistence have I reached this point. There is more work to be done. Actually quite a lot, but now I can set up a working clinic in challenging environments. As patient records are captured, that information is replicated to a cloud server. From there, Ministries of Health can see and act on disease alerts, typically in real-time. Using analytic tools, patterns can be seen that should lead to strategic solutions of health problems. Pills are not always the answer.

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

After 16 years of hard work. Most of that time, seemingly alone in my concern for pandemics and alone in concern for rural inhabitants across the globe, things are changing. I've been invited to the United Nations offices in Uganda. Hope springs eternal. Perhaps my lonely quest is about to end.

BARISTA SPOTLIGHT: THE JBIRD CREW

This month we took a moment to check in with a few of our beloved JBird Supply barista’s. Thanks to Luke, Laura, Jennie, Derick, Liz, Julie and Reed — for keeping the café lively and real — & for serving up the best coffee in town, year around.

***

What’s your name and where are you from originally?

Luke R:  I'm Luke! Born and raised in Cville.

Laura: Laura McGehee. Silver Spring, Maryland.

Jennie: Jennie, originally from North Dakota.

Derick: My name is Derick. I was born in Singapore, raised in Modesto, California.

Liz: or Lizard, or Lizzr, and sometimes Lizeree-depends who's trying to get my attention. I'm from Charlottesville in a roundabout way.

Julie: I'm Julie -- originally from Lanexa which is in New Kent County, VA. I moved to Richmond when I was 19 where I spent the next 16 years. Then I moved to Louisa County with my husband about 2 years ago. 

Reed: Reed Harmon - originally from Concord, NC

What do you love about working at JBird?

Luke R: Y'all of course!

Laura: Sweet nutty smell of freshly roasted beans, soothing buzz of the espresso grinder, talking with people who come in for the coffee but linger for the meaningful eye contact, working with the best team of smart and kind weirdos, Jon and Cheryl's shared capacity to cultivate vibes in the shop that are like the signature Whirly Bird drink (frothy & punk & ingenious & delightful & radical)

Jeannie: The fact that it’s part of a bigger community – Cheryl and Jon are so intentional about connecting the space to other people and events in Cville, which is just such a cool feeling.

Derick: Love the people, love the space. Somehow we make coffee feel both fancy and chill.

Liz: First of all, best coffee in town, hands down. Second of all, we're a big family and a relatively functional one that makes the best coffee in town. Can't think of much better than that. 

Julie: I love the people I work for- Cheryl and Jon are extremely considerate and friendly. Cheryl is one of the nicest, most forgiving and compassionate persons I have ever met. I am so grateful to know both of them. I also really enjoy working with the people who work at the shop. I'm very new to coffee but everyone has been so kind and patient with me. 

Reed:  I love the community. Jon and Cheryl are incredible and my co workers really are the best. I love the people I get to meet and the simple joy of making someone’s day just a little bit brighter with a good cup of coffee. 

What have you learned?

Luke R: So much about coffee. Like way more about coffee than I thought it was possible to know.

Laura: How to ask someone what they want and for that to mean 1) to drink and 2) in life, how to steam milk while continuing discussion of the nature of reality, how to describe coffee through tasting notes and actually mean it.

Jennie: How to make better latte art – ever since my last stint in coffee, I’ve been haunted by misshapen latte hearts I have served. Now is my shot at redemption.

Derick: How to run and how to talk to strangers.

Liz: That dry, ground coffee can smell like celery and that no matter what job you work, attitude is everything.

Julie: I'm still learning- but I'm excited about learning a new trade. It's going to take some time but I'm looking forward to being a part of the coffee world. 

Reed: That an americano is a far more popular drink than I imagined. But more seriously I’ve learned about how to talk about the individual coffees we offer, their differences and guiding people to something they’ll really enjoy.

What's your favorite coffee?

Luke R: Our Ethiopian Sidama is rocking my world right now.

Laura: Naturally processed El Salvador on pourover.

Jennie: The Columbian we have on espresso right now is straight fire.

Derick: Beans: The Betty. Drink: Hot Fancy Mocha (Mexican chocolate) w/ Keithmilk.

Liz: I'm always rotating through our different beans, but I'm growing to love a floral Ethiopian like the Guji. My favorite cup of coffee is always hot and black.

Julie:  JBird Coffee, of course! I particularly like the El Jefe dark roast blend.

Reed:  I love a good cappuccino. 

What's your favorite band?

Luke R: Car Seat Headrest.

Laura: Still to this day nobody captures the midnight angst like Sleater-Kinney.

Jennie: I love too many bands to have a favorite, but I’d say the band that gives me the most nostalgia is Poets of the Fall.

Derick: Mohsen Namjoo.

Liz:  I could never choose one. Ask me any day I'm working and the answer will change with my mood, the weather, and who I'm around.

Julie: That is an extremely difficult question for me...there are too many great bands and musical artists for me to choose.  I love pretty much most genres of music so my musical taste is a bit eclectic. It may be a cliche but my favorite album of all time is Weezer's Blue Album, but they are definitely not my favorite band.  Lately I've been listening to a lot of 60s easy listening and jazz like Bert Kaempfert, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Ray Conniff, and James Last which may seem boring to some...but I love it!

Reed:  Not exactly a band but Irish singer/songwriter Dermot Kennedy

When you’re not making coffee, what are you up to?

Luke R: I'm making art, thrifting, looking for rocks and collecting clowns.

Laura: Avoiding writing my novel through full and busy days of biking, walking, reading, looking, thinking, sitting, being, constructing sense of self just to tear it down reflexively in workplace questionnaires. Recently I discovered collaging and now I'm fulfilled for the rest of my life, so that's a relief. 

Jennie: I help my brother vend at farmer’s markets, I hang out with my niece and nephew, and I sometimes get around to editing gigs.

Derick: Reading and resting (or resting and reading)

Liz: This list is long. I am a full-time Phd student at JMU, I teach undergraduate and graduate courses in psychology and counseling at JMU and UVA, see a few therapy clients a week, teach yoga, write songs for my cats, and run, a lot.

Julie: I usually watch way too many movies and true crime documentaries...But I enjoy cooking, gardening, listening to and playing music. I'm in a band called Doll Baby, which I write songs for,  and sing and play rhythm guitar in.  After a brief 2 year hiatus, we are going to start playing shows again this Fall! I'm also hoping we will finally make a full length album, which we've been talking about for a long time now.  I also love working on home projects with my husband, spending time with friends and my sister, and hanging out with my 3 cats. 

Reed: Reading or gabbing - often trying to get people to gab with me about books and reading. 

Who would you love to have a coffee-date with, historically / currently?

Luke R: Ecco2k

Laura: Historically? Virginia Woolf. Currently? At least half of the people on the other end of the aforementioned meaningful eye contact. 

Jennie: I think I’m more inclined to pick either my grandmother or my great-grandmother, both of whom died a long time ago, than any public figure. I wish I knew more about their lives, which would make it easier to celebrate them and their legacy within my family.

Derick: Alejandro Jodorowsky / Shakira

Liz: Frank Zappa

Julie: I would have loved to have had a coffee date with Gilda Radner.

Reed: C.S. Lewis or Vitoria Schwab

What is Cheryl’s middle name?

Luke R: Coffeebird

Laura: Cheryl "Big Vibes Bigger Heart" Robison

Jennie: …a bird? Raven? Wren? Lark??

Derick: bird

Liz: Moira!

Julie: I'm not sure what Cheryl's middle name is....I know her maiden name is Mora!

Reed: Oh gosh, maybe a trick question I’m going to say she doesn’t have one…

What should Jon’s next tattoo be?

Luke R: My face (photorealistic).

Laura: An immensely detailed full-back portrait of a lil' dog on a biiiiiiiiiiig skateboard poppin' a kickflip over a graveyard with two tombstones that read "YOUR" and "MOM".

Jennie: A map of the world covering his whole back with notes on what coffees come from what areas, obviously.

Derick: Joaquin Pheonix

Liz:  An eel holding a switchblade

Julie: My first thought was Beavis and Butthead...not sure why. Then I thought that might be a very silly suggestion so I was going to change my answer. BUT THEN I saw a Beavis and Butthead sticker in the JBird Studio space so I'm going to stick with Beavis and Butthead haha

Reed: Obviously a blue jay

What’re you excited about this season? New roasts? New drinks? New Schwag? New you?

Luke R: Jon's dad's mugs are pretty darn sweet!

Laura: As sultry soggy summer haze leaves us lazy and drained of proper salt content, I'm entering my final year in the MFA program at UVA and looking forward to radically upending interiority in the pursuit of truth and/or my novel, whichever comes first. Also pants! What's more exciting than wearing pants again!

Jennie: I’m always pumped to try new seasonal drinks – new Fancy mochas and new cold brews, especially. Cool t-shirts are also always exciting.

Derick: New Hampshire! (in a tragic/happy twist, I am moving up north this August for a year-long writing retreat. Farewell and much love, until I see ya'll again xx)

Liz: I am so excited about the Lil' Zip which is the perfect, sweet, refreshing drink to get you through your afternoon. I'm excited to keep living this crazy, full, messy, beautiful life with the best people around.

Julie: I'm excited about New everything! New roasts, new drinks, new schwag, new me! The past few years have been a little rough so I'm excited about being at this lovely place and learning all I can!

Reed: I’m loving the new beans we’ve rotated on espresso, the Columbia los naranjos. Also I’m obsessed with all the mugs Jon’s dad makes. I gifted one to a friend and bought one for myself! 

***

Thanks, y’all

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: TORI CHERRY

Could you tell us who you are? And what it is that you do?

My name is Tori Cherry and I’m an artist working here in Charlottesville. I work with New City Arts Initiative at their Welcome Gallery space downtown. I’m originally from Virginia Beach, but I moved to Charlottesville about 6 years ago to attend UVA.

What drives and inspires your work?

My work is inspired by my everyday life and my loved ones. I’m interested in using my art practice as a way to reflect on the events in my life and my connection to others. I’m also really fascinated by composition, form, and color so I am always on the lookout for any combination of these three things that strike me.

How do you approach the work? What's your process?

Once I am inspired by an initial image or scene, I try to visualize what composition feels right, how I can push the colors and shapes that I see, and how to convey my feeling towards the subject. I don’t usually sketch anything beforehand which admittedly leads to a lot of failed paintings, but I really enjoy just going straight in. I think there’s a freshness that’s difficult to achieve when you’ve done too much planning beforehand. A lot of my paintings are the result of intuitive decisions and I really value the genuine reactions that occur during the process.

Who or what has had the greatest influence upon you as an artist?

Personally, my friendships with other artists have had a big influence on me. My conversations with them are always enlightening and affirming and they often have the language for things that I struggle to express outside of painting which I’m very grateful for. They encourage me to think deeply about my practice and help push me to keep going.

What are your interests outside of the studio?

I love to travel, listen to music, try new recipes, and support other artists when I’m not working in the studio.

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point that stands out to you?

I’d say that my Lupus diagnosis was a turning point for me. It came following months of feeling so much exhaustion and despair; not knowing what was going on or if I would get better. I felt really angry at my body for not acting like a 20-something year old body should and keeping me from doing the things I wanted to do. It’s such an awful feeling to have all this creative energy building up and not have the energy or the physical capacity to act on it. After that diagnosis, being able to name what was going on and having a somewhat clear path of how to move forward I could finally envision a future where I could do things because I wouldn’t be in pain forever. I’m just so, so grateful that I’m doing better now and am able to continue doing what I love. I know that that’s not the case for everyone, and that good health can change so quickly so I do my best to make the most out of right now. I will be honest though, I still have that constant anxiety looming that things will get bad again, but I’m trying my best to embrace it and turn it into a productive urgency. If inspiration strikes, I try not to talk myself out of it or think about all the ways I’m not ready to take it on…I act on it as soon as I can.

What are you currently working on?

To be honest, I’m currently taking a break! I’m trying to be more intentional about allowing myself to rest because I think rest is just as important as creating. I’m wary of burn out and so I try to work in ways that are equally fulfilling, but that look different than painting or drawing. I’m reading books I’ve been wanting to read, spending time with people I love, and quite literally resting. My experience with Lupus has also resulted in changes in my energy capacity and so I’m not able to do as much as I used to or keep pushing myself as hard as I was previously able to. This mindset is also about longevity for me; I’m prioritizing rest so that I can continue to make art for as long as possible.

What's your favorite color?

I really love anything in the orange family.

Closing thoughts? Anything we missed?

I’d just like to say thank you to all of my friends and family for continuing to encourage and support me.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: TENZIN NAMDOL

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

I feel incredibly privileged and very selfish when I say that I am just on a journey of curiosity and learning and what better role to do that in but as a researcher. I get to be a life long student and get paid in the process.  I love the chance to dive in and learn more about certain topics so I’ve done research in a lot of different fields from finance to government to tech. I currently study human behavior particularly focused on how people use and interact with technology at Walmart. 

What do you love most about the work?

I love interviewing people and learning about their lived experience. For a while I was focusing on the health and wellness space so I had a lot of opportunities to spend time with people managing various chronic conditions and learn about how they manage them. It’s great to be able to share their stories with my stakeholders to improve existing products or work towards creating new ones. 

 How did you arrive at this point in your career? What’s your backstory?

I have been on this life long journey of going where I can learn more. And sometimes that has meant recognizing when I should take a new opportunity that scares me or should leave a certain career path to go in another direction that has more learning opportunities. And that also means saying yes to failing more often, being more uncomfortable and learning on the job. 

I have also been incredibility privileged to have people around me who have been willing to tell me their stories about their winding journeys and give me the courage to try new things. For example, when I was in my research role in finance, my professor from college met me for some lunch and at the end of lunch told me I needed to leave my job because I have stopped learning. And I knew he was right. I just wasn’t ready to admit it to myself.  

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally that stands out to you?

Honestly, coming to the US as a young child was a major turning point. I am incredibly grateful to my parents for coming to a country that they knew little to nothing about and putting me through school.   

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

Honestly, I’ve been looking forward to my tomatoes growing this season. They’ve been really struggling this summer so I hope they make it through.

Work wise, I am managing a new research area, so I am excited to learn more about my end users in this new space. The fun part of doing research is that not knowing is okay, because learning is part of my job description. 

What drives your work each day? What most inspires you?

I think it’s really important that we create products, systems and policies that address the needs of the people that said product, system or policy is affecting. So what drives me to work is being able to hear the stories of the people who use the product - whatever the feedback may be - and take that feedback back to our partners to make changes that improve their experience.

People’s lived experience and resilience inspires me. 

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: JOSH BATMAN

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

I’m Josh Batman. I develop land, design residential and commercial buildings and build homes, renovations and commercial buildings.

What do you love most about the work?

I love solving problems that involve multi-disciplinary problems and human elements. I get to do that everyday and the problems can range from someone’s light switch location to the use of large pieces of land or designing large buildings.

How did you arrive at this point in your career? What’s your backstory?

I grew up building homes with my Dad and helping with small scale residential development. After I got my degree in Architecture at UVA I did design build with my Dad and then got my Master’s in Architecture from Virginia Tech. I then started Hauscraft with my professor Joseph Wheeler and my sister Natalie. Our first project was Studio IX which we designed and built with James. We designed many of the homes in Riverside Village and built our first prefab house out of a warehouse on Avon called Lake Haus. I then went on to work with Chris Henry to build Stony Point Development Group and built many homes, communities, condos and most notably Dairy Market and 10th & Dairy Apartments. I have now come full circle and am back at Studio IX and working on residential projects and development.

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally and/or personally along the way?

I feel like there are multiple light switch moments in life. Each change in my career has been because of such moments, where I realize I am not growing anymore and then make a change.

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

I am currently working on a few residential projects, research projects and some larger developments. I love working with clients to realize their dreams and dreaming about places people can realize their dreams.

What values drive your work each day? Can you say a bit about them?

Integrity, Value for the Customer, Fortitude, Creativity and Beauty. I believe in being honest and transparent, creating value for my clients, having the fortitude to push through and complete projects with creativity that leads to beauty and brings everyone who experiences the place closer to the divine.

Anything we missed that you might care to share (closing thoughts)?

I am very happy being back at Studio IX and again being completely in charge of my destiny. I look forward to meeting the amazing people in this community and hopefully adding to the vibrancy already in this place.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: JEFF DION

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

My name is Jeff Dion and I've lived here in Charlottesville for 8 years now. I have a home down in Esmont, near Scottsville, with 2 acres and quiet neighbors - life is good. I'm a father of two little girls, husband to a driven and exceedingly beautiful wife, student of the natural world, and avid outdoor enthusiast. In my professional life I help entrepreneurs access a more equitable form of business capital; raising money for their growth from their customers, fans, and community. The company is called Wefunder.

What do you love most about the work?

Personally: It takes me awhile to disconnect from my work each day, so the freedom to build my work schedule around my family schedule and my own goals, makes this a more sustainable career. Professionally: Wealth across this country over the past 40 years has been wildly disproportionately skewed to the top 10%. I love that this tool of community rounds can actually usher in generational community wealth, for everyone!

How did you arrive at this point in your career / work? What’s your backstory?

Originally from New England, my wife and I moved to Charlottesville after staying here for three days on a road trip. Right before we relocated, we spent six months in South America, traveling and learning to make wine in Argentina. Back on US soil, here in VA, I started selling wine. Selling wine got me into restaurants, and for a few years I thought I might work in restaurants forever. But restaurants led me to food, and food to local food. I started going down this massive rabbit hole of local economies, and long story short, that led me to a role at Wefunder helping founders raise capital from their community -- supporting local entrepreneurship and growing our community’s overall wealth, one individual at a time. 

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally along the way?

I really enjoy hospitality and the act of taking care of people. I'm not sure that I knew that about myself a decade ago. Now I realize that it is pretty core to who I am. That drives me today, to make sure that whatever work I am doing, I do it with the customer/human at the center of the equation.

What drives your work each day (internally, spiritually, practically....)?  

If I'm being honest, raising a healthy family costs an insane amount of money these days. After working in restaurants for years, and making no money, I'm currently pretty driven by putting some financial cushion in place for my family and myself. While I really value the output of the current work I am doing, I don't plan to be sitting in a chair, looking into a computer a screen, melting my body away, for too much longer. So I guess my main driver at the moment is putting myself in a place where I can consciously walk away from tech-based careers, and back into the outdoors, with the confidence that I can still be providing my family with what they need and desire. While I'm on this path though, I can only get out of bed in the morning if the work that I am doing is genuinely helping other humans.

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

Professionally: I just put on a Community Capital event here in Charlottesville that pulled the greater community together to participate in investing in their local businesses. That was pretty meaningful for me, as I'd like Wefunder to continue to let me roll these communtiy-centered positions out across the country lol!

Personally: recently I've really enjoyed helping my wife move from her long time career towards a role that allows her to spend more time as a Mom. And for me, I've now started taking active steps towards building out a career in which my daily compass is:  nature and craftsmanship.

Anything we missed that you might care to share / closing thoughts?

Thanks for having me at IX, Greg!  I've always enjoyed the laid back and positive attitude here. 

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: MOLLY HICKMAN

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

I'm Molly Hickman, a software engineer/data scientist. I work for a startup called nLine, Inc. that measures electricity reliability in Sub-Saharan Africa. We plug these little sensors into outlets in homes, businesses, and sometimes health clinics, in Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, and soon the DRC and Uganda. The sensors tell us the voltage and frequency and how often folks lose power, for how long. We're a small team, nine people, so we all wear several hats, but I mostly do statistics and back-end stuff.

What do you love most about the work?

I hit the jackpot with this job. I'm doing meaningful work, with awesome people; I get to leverage things I'm really good at; and I have a lot of opportunities to grow new skills. Maybe my favorite part is: I love being able to take strong positions on things that matter to me, and having my thoughts matter to the team. We all bring different skills to the table and everyone's opinions hold weight. I don't have to beat around the bush or bite my tongue; I can just say what I'm thinking. And best of all, if it turns out I'm wrong, I can admit it and we move on, it's fine. Everyone is so compassionate. In my past jobs it's always been a game of, like, what am I allowed to say in front of this group of people? What am I risking by speaking my mind? Is it worth it? It's so nice not to have to worry about that, and we get so much more work done!!

How did you arrive at this point in your work? What’s your backstory?

My background is in national security, specifically anticipatory intelligence, even more specifically crowd-sourced intelligence/forecasting. I did math and linguistics in undergrad, did a little coding toward the end of college, and was very lucky to get an internship and then a job at MITRE in McLean. I enjoyed that work and still try to keep up with the literature, and contribute to forecasting projects when I'm able. I'm currently "pro" forecasting on a platform called INFER, run by U-Maryland's ARLIS (Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security). Anyway, MITRE is chock full of PhD's and there's only so much you can do there with only an undergraduate degree, so I went to Virginia Tech for a masters in Computer Science. My co-advisor Shaddi Hasan connected me with the founders of the startup I work for now. I worked for them as a "guest researcher" while I finished my masters, and I loved the work so much that I made the tough choice to leave MITRE and join nLine.

What values drive your work each day?

I value data integrity. That's taken on an oddly specific meaning in industry, but I just mean I care about creating data that are honest, and also taking care about what we claim based on data. One of the most important things I've learned over the course of my time at MITRE and then Virginia Tech is how easy it is to make the wrong inferences from data. Crazy easy. Whenever you hear someone say "the data show this," be suspicious! First, just the process of creating data always involves choices about what details to record, maybe how often to record them, how to sample, how many samples are enough, etc. But even if we lived in a magical world where we could just collect every detail imaginable with perfect faithfulness, we'd still have the tough job of interpreting the data, trying to glean whether A "causes" B, like, whether an intervention made a difference. Causal inference is a whole amazing problem unto itself that economists and philosophers and scientists of all stripes have thought about for ages. What drives me is I want to get at the truth. The measurements my company makes, the data we create, these data reflect people's realities, their experience of electricity. That excites me, that drives me. I want to tell their story faithfully.

What is the most challenging aspect of the work?

Being remote. Working at IX has been a game-changer, but it's still really hard to work apart from my coworkers. We're split across several time zones, from Berkeley to Nairobi. And I guess also, related to the remoteness, it's been challenging to figure out how to manage each other. We're a pretty young company; I was the fourth or fifth full-time hire, I think. We're all young. For many of us it's the first job, or at least the first job in tech. We're still very much figuring out what kind of company we want to be, how to work together, how to structure project management, all that. It's exciting! I think we're making really good choices. But it's hard, and a little nerve-wracking.

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally and/or personally along the way?

Hm! I'm having a hard time crafting a serious answer to this so I'll give the kinda silly one. My older brother changed the course of my life when I had just finished my freshman year of college. I was studying music at the time. I wanted to be a conductor, or a singer, or write music for puppet shows or something. I still have an ambition to accompany puppet shows. But anyway, my brother had also been a musician, and he basically said: "Don't major in music. All my musician friends are miserable. You should study Business, get an MBA." I couldn't stomach Business, but my eighteen year old brain somehow figured that math was the next best thing. I had effectively flunked precalculus in high school; I don't know what possessed me to give it another shot. But anyway, I wound up loving math! I was never a great student but I had some extraordinary professors who encouraged me. So here we are.

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

I've been designing an interview study for a long time that we might finally get to execute in the next couple months! We want to interview district engineers at the electrical utility in Accra, Ghana, the folks who fix things when the power goes out, so that we can hopefully build a tool that lets them leverage our sensor data to restore power faster. I'm probably going to Accra at the end of this month. I've been studying their distribution grid for almost two years now, but this will be my first visit to Ghana. I'm stoked.

Anything we missed that you might care to share (closing thoughts)?

I'm always frowning at my computer when I'm at IX, but I'm actually fairly friendly! I look forward to meeting other Studio IX members. So glad Sara Surface introduced me to this place.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: KAY FERGUSON & JOSH VANA

Kay Ferguson | Co-Director & Founder, ARTivism

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

I’m Kay Leigh Ferguson. In 2017, I bolted out of semi retirement to found ARTivism Virginia and create a supported connection between artists and activists. Educated as a writer, often employed as an actor and as an activist, I have taught writing, theater and organizing in more and weirder settings than can be named here.  Activist teeth cut in early 80’s with Women’s Action for Nuclear Disarmament.  20 years work with Live Arts Theater as janitor, board officer, fundraiser, actor, director, teacher and founder of their education program.  Only now can I see that the uniting thread is and was always artivism.  Approaching my 7th decade, I’m glad to finally know what she grew up to be. 

What do you love most about the work? 

Giving artists meaningful ways to share their time and talent with causes and communities that need both. Kicking the foul butt of the fossil fuel industry in my home state.  The fierce, wise, diverse characters I have met and learned from along this way.

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally along the way? 

Trump's election lit the fuse that blasted me out of my first effort at retirement.  What to do?  What could I do?  I guess the light bulb moment was to understand that my wealth was the artistic community I was part of, that generally I can talk a dog off a meat truck and that I know how to build powerful volunteer teams.  I wanted to get out of my blue bubble and into rural communities to understand what was happening.  That's when I found out about the proposed Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley fracked gas pipelines trying to destroy this state.  This very close line in the climate change sand picked me up by the back of the neck and hasn't let go since.  

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to? 

Transitioning to my second retirement attempt right now involves taking stock of five years of work and preparing to hand it over to young new leadership.  I can't wait to see what it becomes next.  Also for the Mountain Valley Pipeline to bite the bitter dust.  We're close.  

What values drive your work each day? 

Love.  Justice.  Service.  But it's all love really. 

Anything we missed that you might care to share (closing thoughts)? 

Got three days?

***

Josh Vana | Co-Director, ARTivism

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

I'm a musician who happens to be a justice issues person. I write songs, carry songs, and try to make noise good enough to rattle the system's rafters a little bit – a constant work in progress. I've worked with my Co-Director Kay Ferguson for about three and a half years now in various capacities, all in the valuable service of translating complex information into messaging that moves the heart, the head, and then the feet. ARTivism Virginia has been primarily focused on working with a coalition of largely frontline and environmental groups to halt the fossil fuel buildout in so-called Virginia and the region. That's meant event planning, messaging strategy, music and film production, and a whole host of other stuff. Mostly, as Kay will tell you, it's supporting connections between artists and activists, helping tell the story to the newcomer, and providing invitations for folks to show up ("with full orchestration and five-part harmony and stuff like that", as Arlo Guthrie might say. "And friends, they may think it's a movement. And it is.").

What do you love most about the work?

I love when people discover their power and start to feel like they are somebody to be messed with – not somebody who's gonna be run over. When they find a voice they didn't know they had. It can be both individual and collective. I love watching the floor disintegrate beneath the liars and oppressors who drag communities through hell, only to find that their subjects wanted victory more than a corporation does. I love witnessing the relief and overwhelm when someone in a frontline community finally experiences that victory – having had everything to lose. There is joy in resistance. There has to be. Because when they've got you in despair, they've won.

How did you arrive at this point in your work? What’s your backstory?

I've landed here in my role as Co-Director of ARTivism Virginia (emerging Director, you might say) through years of connecting with other activists and artists in the fight to stop the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines. I began to get educated and active around these issues in 2015 while living in so-called Rockingham County, coinciding with a broader political awakening in support of the first Bernie Sanders campaign for president. I helped form a solidarity group called RAPTORS there in the Shenandoah Valley, and started showing up everywhere I could within the confines of also being a touring musician and working at the Little Grill Collective in Harrisonburg. I've been working with Kay and a growing network of artivists since the summer of 2018, and that took little time to develop into a more full-time partnership to stop ACP, MVP, and similarly stupid ventures dreamt up by the geniuses in the fossil fuel and finance industries.

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally along the way?

After being active in the pipeline fights in our region for a couple years, I found that I could no longer keep the balance with my activism while being a thousand miles away at any given time. The urgency of our moment really started to tear at me. Early on, that moment was framed to me this way: We are in the hallway between extraction and export (speaking specifically to our geography). That essentially means that there is no safe place from the continued shale oil and gas buildout unless you are incredibly wealthy and can keep it out of your backyard. Even then, this latest stage in colonialism will find a way to extract what land and resources do not already belong to those in power. Obviously, when the Trump goons came in, everything hit the fan and they took every opportunity that previous administrations had teed up for them to obliterate what was left of the appearance of environmental protection via the federal government. Then all the permits were issued. They never stop with the permits. My understanding of how local, state, and federal agencies, the consulting class and legislatures cooperate to railroad everyday people has been a steep, continuing education – and it's taught me that the only way to change these circumstances is for us to organize and become ungovernable. In other words, the system is not broken; it's fixed and working exactly as it was designed. And it needs to be broken.

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

We're working on Kay's transition to retirement, and my own transition to steer the ship a bit more in serving the coalition that we're so thankful to be a part of. Conditions shift rapidly in this line of work, and we're fortifying the structures that'll help us stay steady while leaving enough room for agility and creativity as the campaign to stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline enters its ninth year. MVP is in serious distress, as are both the proposed Chickahominy Power Station and associated pipeline project from Louisa to Charles City County, so we're looking forward to the dominoes continuing to fall, and doing whatever we can to see these things go up in smoke. Figuratively, of course.

What values drive your work each day?

I think Kay said it best – love, justice and service.

Anything we missed that you might care to share (closing thoughts)?

Every single day, I say to myself, "We need more people." Apathy is always a challenge to beat back, but I think solidarity isn't as hard to find out here as it used to be (in the so-called USA). If you've got a fire in you that just can't stand injustice, that's potential energy waiting to be used, and boy is it needed. Everybody has something to bring. Everybody.

MEMBERS SPOTLIGHT: SHAINA ALLEN & MIKE ESPOSITO

Could you tell our readers who you are and what it is that you do?

We are Shaina Allen and Mike Esposito, we are filmmakers and the co-founders of Evergrain Studios.

Evergrain is a video production company, creative studio, and container for our creative work, where we tell stories guided by authenticity and a commitment to positive impact.

We develop and produce documentaries, and work with brands and businesses to create more authentic, engaging content. As creatives we also collaborate with other artists and organizations as freelancers - often in a director, producer, cinematographer, or consultant role. Evergrain’s past work has won multiple awards, streamed on Netflix and in-flight on Delta Airlines, broadcast on NBC, and has been featured in hundreds of schools and theaters around the world.

You may have seen us around town with our cameras or walking around the art park with our blue-eyed husky Keiko. Our “wolfpack” loves being outdoors when we’re not creating and collaborating at Studio IX.

What do you love most about the work?

Mike: I’m energized by helping to bring a creative vision to life, and then experiencing the impact that work has on individuals and communities. Our work allows opportunities for collaboration and connection with fascinating people, vibrant communities, and meaningful relationships.

Shai: The creative process. I flow when building story structure and envisioning the scenes and montage builds, storyboarding animations, music, scriptwriting, etc. Production - especially when capturing natural moments, I love being present with life as it’s unfolding. We are capturing stories that aren’t traditionally highlighted in mainstream media, but fully deserve to have a platform. We have seen first-hand how documentaries and character-driven content can build bridges for perspectives and create real impact.

How did you both arrive at this place professionally? What’s your backstory?

Mike: Some highlights of our story:

• We both attended James Madison University in nearby Harrisonburg, VA. We met on a JMU study abroad trip to the Philippines.

• We moved to Miami, worked full time jobs, at one point both at CBS Sports.

• Took a leap of faith, left our jobs to start our own video production business, Shaina Koren Cinematography.

• Started filming a promo video for a local non-profit wheelchair basketball team (which we would end up filming for two more years).

• Built an award-winning wedding cinematography and video production company.

• Edited our first independent feature The Rebound, the non-profit promo had evolved now 3 years later!

• The documentary premiered at 20+ film festivals, streamed on Netflix and on Delta Airlines. It was a big step for us.

• Leap of faith. Dove into the creative process on new projects. Worked on expanding our team, growing the studio and producing a slate of original films. Bootstrapping it all, we trekked out to California and around the country filming for three new projects: Forged in the Fire, Moving Minds, and Para.

• Returned to Charlottesville to calibrate, right before the pandemic took us all by surprise.

We are currently capturing the story of Prolyfyck Run Creww and are still in various stages of the development and post-production on the other stories.

The past few seasons, like for many, have been challenging. We have pivoted, adapted and persisted. We also learned to slow down, to get more clarity and to heal.

We’re open to work. #ItsAllAboutHowYouRebound

Has there been a light switch moment along the way? Something that set you on the course that you’re on today?

Shai: There are a few moments of transformation that have stayed with me. There was a student at a middle school who after watching The Rebound in class told his math teacher that he too is a wheelchair basketball player. He walks but has spina bifida. The organizer asked him if he’d like to participate in the school assembly for the film, unsure he asked, “Can I think about it?”

Flash forward a week as he shined in front of his classmates at the assembly, first for his 7th grade peers and then again when he excitedly asked if he could stay for the 8th grade assembly. I had asked him if he wanted to speak for the first time, “no.” Second time, after going through the first assembly with a Paralympian and local ballers, he nodded at me and grabbed the microphone.

Days earlier his classmates may not have known he was an athlete, a wheelchair basketball player - but after watching The Rebound in class, sharing with his teacher, deciding overnight that YES he’d participate in the assembly - here he was sharing his story with the entire gym full of 8th grade students. Maybe for the first time in front of his classmates, he was able to be exactly who he is and show everyone his abilities.

His mom came up to me a few months later at a tournament and shared how that experience transformed him, he was more confident than ever. Film is a powerful artistic medium. It has the power to transform, bridge connection, and cliche as it is - change the world.

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

Mike: We have several exciting documentary projects in various stages, from development

and fundraising to post production.

Currently, a few of our projects are at the intersection of sports and social impact. A collab with local organization Prolyfyck Run Creww; a set of incredible stories featuring female Parlympians; and a unique look into mindset and mental skills training in the sports world.

I’m also personally excited about bringing our experience with creative storytelling and media to the growing cannabis and hemp industry here in our region. Shai is leaning into creative collaborations with local entrepreneurs and artists who want to expand into video content. We have some exciting new offers for 2022, including heirloom films that preserve the history and stories of elders while they are still here with us.

What’s the single most important value that drives your work each day?

Shai: My personal values are Presence, Growth, Bold, Sustainable, Impact, and Community. Defining our five core values was a practice our mentor Anthony Lee (Heroic Voice Academy) taught us years ago. I have added 1 since then.

Mike: I’m driven by the understanding that our creative work is a form of service, to our partners, the communities we belong to. Filmmaking is our way of using our skills to help make an impact, and lift others up. Through this service, we are constantly learning, growing, and collaborating. And that’s pure energy that keeps us going.

How’s it been working here at Studio IX?

Mike: Studio IX has offered not only a space to create, but also a sense of community. Especially during the past couple of years when we’ve all been met with unexpected challenges. It’s a place where we’re able to establish a foundation for our business here in Charlottesville and gather with our collaborators.

Shai: Amazing! J-bird is the best and IX is a welcoming space with great people; community is never far. I feel at home here.

Closing thoughts? Anything we missed that you’d like to share?

We invite you to check out our work, and reach out to us if you have any questions or ideas you’d like help bringing to life through film and video. Please say hi - we’d love to meet you. Here is our field notes signup to follow along with our journey.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: JORDAN RIDDICK

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

I’m Jordan. I’ve had lots of odd jobs along the way but am mostly a web developer and chef. 

What do you love most about the work?

To be frank, I enjoy the pay and flexibility of web development. There are some gems in the actual job, like vector graphic animation, but I’m mostly just happy to work less and be outside more. 

How did you arrive at this place?  What’s your backstory?

I want to say my first exposure to IX was when the fine folks of Shark Mountain ran the coffee shop up front.  This time around I’d just returned from working freelance and cooking at an amazing restaurant, Blackbird, in Bozeman, Montana.

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally along the way?

 Yeah, probably too many. 

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

 I’m working with some old colleagues out of Carbondale, Co at the moment. I’m excited to move into a senior role and help junior developers grow. 

What is the single most important thing to you in your work each day?

Patience, humility, and humor with myself and others. Oh, and coffee; shout out to JBird for keeping this coffee snob happy. 

Anything we missed that you might care to share (closing thoughts)?

Thanks for letting me hang here! I’m heading back to the rockies after Christmas and am not really sure if it’ll be a month or six before I come back. It’s nice to know there’s a friendly place to set up shop here in my hometown.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: SARA SURFACE

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

Hey! I’m Sara. I’m the Director of Civil Rights Testing for a DC based non-profit called the Equal Rights Center. I send in ‘secret shoppers’ (testers) to see if discrimination is happening in different markets – like in housing, employment, or at government agencies or businesses. Sometimes we can use testing results in court cases, or publish studies about what we found, or use the information to apply public pressure around a certain issue.

What do you love most about the work?

Testing is almost never boring – from trying to figure out how to investigate a particular business to thinking through how testing data might be able to change the conversation around a certain issue  - it’s all exciting. I like being in a position where I am constantly problem solving.

How did you arrive at this place?  What’s your backstory?

A tale as old as time – I worked as an unpaid intern at a non-profit in Richmond until they could find the money to pay me. I stayed there for several years and learned all the ropes of fair housing investigations. Eventually, though, I wanted to have more leadership opportunities and applied to work at the next closest sibling org, which happened to be in DC (they’re few and far between!).

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally along the way?

I used to do sexual violence prevention & response work. At a certain point, it began to click for me that I couldn't think about addressing gender violence without looking at other forms of oppression, especially racism. Now I consider holding businesses accountable for many kinds of discrimination as part of the fabric of violence prevention work.

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

While there’s a lot of fair housing testing organizations nationwide, we’re the only non-profit in the country that does employment testing. I’m currently pitching projects to funders and getting really excited thinking about the impact we could have.

What is the single most important thing to you in your work each day?

Honestly, coffee.  But seriously, I can’t do this work without taking care of myself, so coffee, food, and walking breaks are crucial.

Anything we missed, closing thoughts?

I’m new to the area - I hope you’ll say hey if you see me around. Also, I just joined Rocky Top and would love some climbing buddies!