The kind of stuff we think about.

I was recently asked about event planning.

I don’t necessarily think of what I do as event planning. I was trained as an architect so I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about where people come together. What I’m more and more interested in lately is why people come together. The programs I work on, which often manifest as events of one type or another, are a response to this. My hope is that things like Solutions Twin Cities, Give & Take, Salon Saloon, and of course, the West Bank Social Center are giving people meaningful reasons to come together and be social.

More and more, I’m finding that doing this successfully means finding new ways to draw inherent creativity and passion out of people. When you give people a good reason to leave the house, you’re giving them an opportunity to build community. Often times this involves dancing and drinking (parties are fun!), but it can also involve making something (art, food, experiences), or sharing something (a skill, a passion, an idea). Something else that’s great about this is that it necessitates collaboration. None of the projects above could have happened without help from others.

Also, it’s addictive. It activates every part of my brain in ways nothing else does. Once you realize that when you work together anything is possible, you want to keep pushing and pushing. It’s great.

-Colin