The Creative Collective
by Starcat

Inspired by the local food movement, we’ve been thinking of ways to do more with our local community and encourage creative people to pursue their callings. We know so many amazing people who are extremely creative, yet are often limited by the amount of time they can dedicate to their craft because they need to make a living. So we want to begin finding ways for people to come together to share their resources and support each other.

During a recent brainstorming session, we came up with the idea of a community kitchen. We know many folks who would love to offer their homemade foods and beverages, but can’t afford to have a kitchen set up to state law specifications for catering. So we thought of building a free-standing kitchen, all up to code, no pets allowed, and available for community use. Bakers, chefs, brewers and others could use it, and could either make a donation towards the support of the kitchen (electricity, heating, etc.) or barter with us to help with those costs. And that’s just one example!

Other ideas might include: creating a website where local folks can sell their products and services; sharing the cost of a table at craft fairs and art shows; doing cooperative shows at friendly local galleries; presenting a festival showcasing local art, food, dance, and music; and sharing the marketing costs for small businesses with a similar customer base. We’re sure there are many we haven’t thought of yet! Please chime in!

You can check out our recent PawedCats Podcast discussion, episode 222, for more about the creative collective idea. If you want to add your feedback, please get in touch with us via the contact page. Please share your ideas and ways you’d like to get involved, or how you’re working on this in your community. We’re also on Facebook, so you can connect with us there. We look forward to hearing from you!