Next month will be two years since we started working for ourselves. We were motivated in part by a debilitating illness and burnout. We were also moved to see if we could build other ways of working that didn’t perpetuate illness and burnout.
We’ve learned in the time since that leap that building something new creates the extra work of breaking old patterns. In our case, that meant becoming accustomed to the “feast or famine” element of working for ourselves that many of our friends warned us about. Work ebbs and flows dramatically when you’re not part of a system designed to constantly churn. This can mean occasionally having wide open spaces and feeling tempted to fill them with worry. The old ways of working warn us to worry.
What’s surprising about those wide open spaces, though, is the possibility they offer. To break the worry habit, we’ve been using those spaces to make connections to other people that are building something new. It’s such a luxury to have space to seek out and work with people whose values align with ours. That’s rarely truer than it is with Read and Write Kalamazoo (RAWK).
RAWK is a youth literacy center in downtown Kalamazoo, but more than that it’s a space where people’s voices, perspectives, and stories are heard and supported. RAWK youth create, share, publish, collaborate, conspire, and bring change.
When RAWK approached us about collaborating, they had some very specific requests that aligned with their values and ours. This piece was:
conceived and directed by youth in RAWK’s programs
designed around the planets the youth had already painted
completed on a flexible budget and timeline that respected their needs and ours.
It was an absolute pleasure to disappear into our little pod and make a joyful, whimsical space, and to hear the positive feedback of the youth who dreamt up this sweet scene. We always feel grateful to do this work, but connecting with RAWK’s energy fed us every time we stepped in the door. If you haven’t been there yet, go check out their new storefront — The RAWK’n Shop — where they have all sorts of RAWK merch and the wares of youth entrepreneurs.
We continue to learn that building something new is complex layered with entitlement and with existing systems of power — what created them, and what sustains them. Work continues to ebb and flow, but a constant for us has been reiterating and following our values of humanity, community, and creativity. The joy we got from working with RAWK is just a fortunate byproduct.
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