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Author: Denise Brennan

Coworking BC goes Legit!

Coworking BC goes Legit!

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One of the exciting projects I’ve been working on in the last while is a collective for BC’s coworking industry. Excited to announce that our website went live today! Check it out at www.coworkingbc.ca We’re launching a Coworking Passport that gets you a day free at all of the participating spaces. We also have a Coworking BC Facebook page, I would be grateful if you roll over there and liked it. Next week is #coworkingweek across Canada, there are a bunch of fun events going…

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Sometimes, you gotta stand up.

Sometimes, you gotta stand up.

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I’ve been refraining from comment, putting off what I know I need to say. Because it makes me vulnerable. First it was because of a possible job. Then it was because of the potential impact to my business. But this has to be said. Maybe I’m the most intimidated by the thought that my opinion will mean little, and cost me lots. But there is an opportunity right now, to protect a special kind of culture, that I believe is…

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Why I do what I do

Why I do what I do

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I feel like I’m overdue for my bi-annual gratitude rant. So here it is. I spend a good portion of my time thinking “why do I do what I do?” It’s not lucrative. It’s labour intensive. It’s repetitive in some ways (though not as much as some other ways of earning a living, admittedly.) And then sometimes, I get an epiphany about how important and special it is to work towards providing space. Just that. Giving space, holding space. Whatever…

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Sleeping Out!

Sleeping Out!

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So TONIGHT is the NIGHT!! Lisa So and I will be grabbing a piece of cardboard and a sleeping bag and #SleepingOut in support of Covenant House Vancouver. Why am I doing this? There are many reasons. I have experienced first hand the hopelessness and helplessness that is trying to support a loved one with mental health and addictions issues. There are so many brick walls and obstacles. It’s so hard to know how to help. I spend a majority of my time in…

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To call or not to call

To call or not to call

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Must be a full moon, the neighbourhood is lively tonight. On my walk back to the studio, there were two guys bent over a man on the sidewalk, checking his pulse. “He’s fine, just drunk” one of them told me. I decided to call it in anyway. He was bleeding. Notably, he was missing his index finger, long since healed. When the ambulance arrived, they managed to get him upright. At which point he proclaimed “You’re an asshole!” to the…

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Shared Experiences

Shared Experiences

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Snow is both annoying and awesome. It’s the same with all local universal changes in weather, and other things. It really intensifies the social fabric. Yesterday I was in a major hurry (me? no.) and was having trouble getting out of a parking spot and a guy jumped out of his car and offered a push. Today a car rolled through an intersection and would have smoked me, except it was kind of in slow motion so I had plenty…

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Full honest

Full honest

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I had an important thing this week, that might have been better to apply some – creative re-envisioning – of my skills, or my proficiencies. But I decided to go full honest. It’s an important enough thing that I think that’s important, and called for. I’ve been thinking we lose out on a whole bunch of gain, for fear of loss. And if you’re doing it right, people will find out exactly who you are, sooner than later. Another cheesy…

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First & Last

First & Last

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A note about firsts and lasts at this time of year. Sometimes we receive the blessing of premonition, and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes that’s an awesome thing, and sometimes, not so much. The marking of time is a funny thing – we log our “bests” and our “worsts” – years, seasons. All dependent on a mostly arbitrary noting of time. My mom had a remarkably cheesy woodcraft sign that said “these ARE the good old days” that she referred to…

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Being and Seeing

Being and Seeing

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I’m struggling right now, with an ethical, conceptual dilemma. A few weeks ago, I had an idea for a photo exhibition. I wanted to showcase community, as it occurs, within the walls of my studio, but also within the boundaries of my neighbourhood, my community. I learned that there was a photographer that lives a couple of doors down, who has been documenting the space outside of his window for the last couple of years. I went to see his…

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On Being at the Centre

On Being at the Centre

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Long before mom died, or grandmas, or grandpas, or any of the friends I’ve lost, I’ve always thought of grief as a sort of apex – an event most profoundly affecting people closest to the centre, with complicated concentric circles radiating out, that include a vast network of connections, all tangled up. A discovery of closeness that you didn’t know existed, and a realization about how far away life can take you. This is the closest I’ve personally been to…

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