Bright Cowork

OK…so it’s President’s Day and yes, I’m working…but I’m working in Alexandria today, not Bright Cowork. Which also reminds me of what a great time I had working there this past Friday. Now don’t get me wrong, I really like my Alexandria office as well…but right now I’m having to catch up on paperwork and emails and…well, you get the picture.

So what’s it like at Bright Cowork? Well, it’s not as though you DON’T do the paperwork and emails and everything else that you have to do to run your business or consultancy but it’s all about the value add. And the value add is that at Bright Cowork you get the chance to collaborate with some pretty interesting people. People that have insight into various disciplines, that are smart and creative, and who don’t mind sharing their knowledge and providing guidance.

And this past Friday that’s exactly what the people in the group did…in the form of a brown bag lunch where we got together to discuss the merits of a couple of innovative website ideas. The discussion was lively and the feedback served to clarify the ideas and drill down on some specifics. Besides helping out, I obtained some valuable knowledge during the conversation and also gained some insight into the people sitting around the table…and found out more about their areas of expertise…always a good thing for future exploration.

Can’t wait until the next brainstorm. Who knows, maybe I’ll be the next one to bring a couple of ideas to the table. How about you?

Fridays are now my favorite day of the week. And I don’t mean maybe…or that it happens only once in a while that Fridays are better…or that it’s the end of the work week (TGIF) and therefore the weekend is right around the corner. NOPE! It’s got nothing to do with any of those things. Fridays are now my mostest favoritest day of the week because that’s the day that I get to spend at Bright Cowork…and those days are quickly becoming everything that Corey Brown envisioned for the coworking space at Bright Center.

Collaboration, brainstorming, rapid learning, socializing and networking…these are all aspects of coworking, part and parcel of the kind of participation the space is supposed to foster.  But it’s one thing to plan it that way and quite another for it to actually work.  Well…I’m here to tell you that it’s working splendiferously!

What’s happening at Bright Cowork is precisely what I envision was happening in the Vienna coffeehouse scene of the late 19th century, where otherwise isolated artists and literary figures would come together to hang out, debate ideas and share each other’s work.  The collaboration and sharing of ideas that was a staple of the Viennese cafes, gave birth to some of the most innovative artistic and political thinking in European history.  And it’s all because various talents came together to socialize, network and YES, get things done…and just as in Vienna over a century ago, I expect to see a lot of really great projects and ideas emerge out of Bright Cowork over the next few years.

And BTW, Bright Cowork also comes with an ultra futuristic coffee maker that makes an excellent cuppa joe and there’s always the “obligatory glass of cold tap water” (wikipedia) for those who just want to hang out!