Life is not all sunshine and light for younger creative people who have chosen not to take the seemingly easier path of employment – ‘getting a job’ in an established organisation – often choosing a trade-off between becoming cogs in a larger machine, with its seeming security of work and pay, and a risky freedom to pursue their own dreams. Not to say many don’t find satisfaction in being part of a larger enterprise, understanding they are contributing their own part to a bigger vision. But change is afoot.
Education and a higher standard of living have created frustration with the industrial paradigm, where those with the capital have been able to call the shots and utilise the working masses for their own profit-making ends. Many educated younger people are wanting to follow their own aspirations. They want to make their own contribution, not someone else’s. They are choosing a path that values quality over quantity, creativity over the mundane, responsibility over obligation, and trust over micro-management.
If Celine is representative of many individual younger creatives who are done with big companies, WeWork might be representative of how she finds community.
All over London old buildings are being refurbished to create collaborative workspaces for this new generation. But not just bland office space. To buy into a space one buys into a lifestyle and a cultural aesthetic. Hundreds of autonomous individuals or project groups live synergistically in a setting that maximises networking and collaboration. It’s an exciting place to get on with ‘doing your dreams’. No wonder the saying, ‘Thank God it’s Monday!’
Our son, Nick, has just gone into business on his own. He rents a desk at WeWork London Fields for 300 pounds a month.
This is a large multi-story old building. On the ground floor there is Reception – the receptionist sits inside a renovated old Renault van. Book yourself in at the iPad nearby and the person you want gets a text message to say you are downstairs.
The rest of the ground floor, separated from the WeWork reception, is a cavernous restaurant.
It leads to outside seating. But also in the same space there are some ‘pop up’ stores, a wine shop (presumably to wine and dine clients) and a Podcast studio.
The upper floors contain a number of different kinds of spaces for people to work and meet, and even soundproof booths for important phone calls. There is an open kitchen anyone can use. Free craft beer and good coffee are provided. Everything a Creative needs is provided – including super fast internet!
24/7 Building Access. Global Network. Craft on Draft
Business-Class Printers. Micro-Roasted Coffee. Office Supplies
Bike Storage Private Phone Booths. Mail & Package Handling
There are three full-time cleaners in the building and the management are always providing inspirational seminars, workshops and support.
Buying into WeWork puts Nick in touch with the WeWork network, whether he needs a logo designed, graphic work done, a film made or collaborators on a project. It also means he runs into other creatives as he goes about his work – sources of inspiration and possibilities.
I am told that WeWork are now the second largest property holders, after the government, in London. This represents a huge shift in the way work is being undertaken. It seems to confirm Frederic Laloux’s proposition that a new organisational paradigm – soulful organisation – is emerging.