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Moving out, moving on, warehouse space
I am moving out of C7. I gave them my notice a few weeks ago, with the move-out date set for the end of this month. Theres a chance I'll couch surf there or elsewhere or ask for an extension for a week or two depending on how some financial timing works out, but for all intents and purposes this is my last month living there. I've mostly enjoyed staying there, and met a number of rather interesting people, but a number of concerns have begun piling up that have inspired me to move on.
If you're a future prospective member of C7, either for food or work or a studio, don't abandon those prospects just because of what I'm writing below. Many people are perfectly capable of functioning in the environment that C7 presents, and on an absolute scale it's still one of the better places I've stayed and worked. My standards have just gone up a lot lately and I'm looking for something that is a relative improvement in some specific ways.
Some of the reasons I'm moving are related to C7 as a living space. We tried for a while to only fill the space with people who would contribute positively to the various projects that are going on there. People who would find themselves interested and involved in something like Bethany's soap-making, or the foundry operation, or the various model and mold making activities that go with the aluminum pours from the foundry, or perhaps the scooter or computer repair operations that tend to get slightly underway every couple of months. Unfortunately we never could find enough people with the right skills and interests to make that work. We ended up opening the doors to people who were simply reasonably good housemates. Then even that failed, and we started trying to make ends meet with less good housemates, and that led to various typical roommate problems involving dishes and chores and romance and drama and things going astray. I've never enjoyed that sort of thing, and even less so when it's not quickly dealt with.
Some of the reasons are related to C7 as a collective and workshop. In that respect it continues to function, but not as smoothly as I want or need. Despite repeated attempts, we have never implemented an organizational system for tools and equipment and supplies that more than one or two people can keep track of. This leads to 30 minute projects turning into 90 minute projects, frantic searches for misplaced tools, trips to the hardware store to re-buy lost supplies, etc. I'm not blameless in this, finding myself misusing equipment just to get a job done after the correct equipment has gone missing, or misplacing tools due to my own forgetfulness or a lack of a system by which to figure out where to store them. I'll even find myself frustrated to the point of being counterproductive, only realizing afterward that I should have quit while I was ahead.
And the biggest reasons are specific to me. I have both business and personal reasons to get my own space. On the business side, a few of my plans, including a storage warehouse, webcam studio, photo studio, and a some others, require me to have my own space. On the personal side, as accepting as my roommates are, it's awkward to have a girl over when my room adjoins a busy living room, a loud neighbor or two, and an active workshop. It's less awkward to have other guests, but still occasionally inconvenient in one direction or the other.
Since I made up my mind, I've looked at a few places. Mostly other units in the same complex, but also a couple of spaces on the east side of Atlanta. I've decided to stay where I'm at for a number of reasons, including price and great proximity to work, Colab, Freeside, C7, and various other places I like to hang out. Within the complex I've seen a variety of units, ranging from automotive repair workshops to very residential spaces to huge warehouses and everything in between.
That said, what I'm doing for the next few weeks is spreading the word that I'm looking for folks who are interested in some piece of a large warehouse space for... whatever. One of the units I'm looking at has 11000 square feet of mostly empty space. The space is not partitioned, and I can't add rooms with ceilings, although some walls can be arranged. I've got ideas for the space that involve commercial storage, photo and video studio space, art and light mechanical workshops, etc. What would YOU do with some number of 10'x14' sections of a warehouse, alongside a dozen other folks with the same, and how much would you pay for it?
If you're a future prospective member of C7, either for food or work or a studio, don't abandon those prospects just because of what I'm writing below. Many people are perfectly capable of functioning in the environment that C7 presents, and on an absolute scale it's still one of the better places I've stayed and worked. My standards have just gone up a lot lately and I'm looking for something that is a relative improvement in some specific ways.
Some of the reasons I'm moving are related to C7 as a living space. We tried for a while to only fill the space with people who would contribute positively to the various projects that are going on there. People who would find themselves interested and involved in something like Bethany's soap-making, or the foundry operation, or the various model and mold making activities that go with the aluminum pours from the foundry, or perhaps the scooter or computer repair operations that tend to get slightly underway every couple of months. Unfortunately we never could find enough people with the right skills and interests to make that work. We ended up opening the doors to people who were simply reasonably good housemates. Then even that failed, and we started trying to make ends meet with less good housemates, and that led to various typical roommate problems involving dishes and chores and romance and drama and things going astray. I've never enjoyed that sort of thing, and even less so when it's not quickly dealt with.
Some of the reasons are related to C7 as a collective and workshop. In that respect it continues to function, but not as smoothly as I want or need. Despite repeated attempts, we have never implemented an organizational system for tools and equipment and supplies that more than one or two people can keep track of. This leads to 30 minute projects turning into 90 minute projects, frantic searches for misplaced tools, trips to the hardware store to re-buy lost supplies, etc. I'm not blameless in this, finding myself misusing equipment just to get a job done after the correct equipment has gone missing, or misplacing tools due to my own forgetfulness or a lack of a system by which to figure out where to store them. I'll even find myself frustrated to the point of being counterproductive, only realizing afterward that I should have quit while I was ahead.
And the biggest reasons are specific to me. I have both business and personal reasons to get my own space. On the business side, a few of my plans, including a storage warehouse, webcam studio, photo studio, and a some others, require me to have my own space. On the personal side, as accepting as my roommates are, it's awkward to have a girl over when my room adjoins a busy living room, a loud neighbor or two, and an active workshop. It's less awkward to have other guests, but still occasionally inconvenient in one direction or the other.
Since I made up my mind, I've looked at a few places. Mostly other units in the same complex, but also a couple of spaces on the east side of Atlanta. I've decided to stay where I'm at for a number of reasons, including price and great proximity to work, Colab, Freeside, C7, and various other places I like to hang out. Within the complex I've seen a variety of units, ranging from automotive repair workshops to very residential spaces to huge warehouses and everything in between.
That said, what I'm doing for the next few weeks is spreading the word that I'm looking for folks who are interested in some piece of a large warehouse space for... whatever. One of the units I'm looking at has 11000 square feet of mostly empty space. The space is not partitioned, and I can't add rooms with ceilings, although some walls can be arranged. I've got ideas for the space that involve commercial storage, photo and video studio space, art and light mechanical workshops, etc. What would YOU do with some number of 10'x14' sections of a warehouse, alongside a dozen other folks with the same, and how much would you pay for it?