The Coworking Dreams of My Gypsy Geek Soul

Let me be the first to say, I am sick and tired of working alone!

Yes, I do get out of this office. I will make my way to Starbucks or Panera Bread, grab a cup of coffee and silently wonder who else is there, right now, who likes web design, development and programming, or is fascinated by the internet or blogging or mobile apps. So far, I’m only finding jobless folks, sales people and MLMers. They are interesting, for sure, but I couldn’t really see myself working in the same room with them for very long – I’d end up just as isolated as I am now!

Yes, I’ll venture on to Twitter and catch up with @slant, @msjen or other cerebrally stimulating folks who get it when I mention HTML 5 or CSS or Merb. Between you and me, I’m living vicariously through my friend Jen whose global adventures with her Nokia speak to my gypsy geek soul.

But let’s face it – that is NOT face time! I’m no social butterfly but nothing matches the gestalt of a group of people with similar interests who work alone, together, in a funky space. I drool over places like Beehive Baltimore and Citizen Space.

Accelerating Serendipity

This desire isn’t new for me. Off and on for the past two years, I’ve been having coworking space dreams. I’ve envisioned workspace utopia: geeks like me working independently together, accelerating serendipity (thank you @chrismessina). (Maybe it’s not fair or accurate to say “geeks” anymore because as far as I’m concerned, we are the normal ones…)

I drive by abandoned office buildings, with faded “For Sale signs”, and I ask myself, “Could that be the space?” I see photos of office space in magazines and critique the light, paint scheme and furniture for compatibility with my vision. I daydream about common areas, floor plans and bringing people with similar interest together for work and fun.

I know, I’ve got it bad.

So there I was this afternoon, forcing Google into overdrive looking for co-working space in Boca, Deerfield Beach and Fort Lauderdale when I found this video: the perfect explanation for coworking space; the reason that resonated with my soul.

Enjoy! And if you are interested in coworking or contributing to my psychosis, go ahead and feed the beast: leave a comment!