"Nothing Worth Having Comes Without Some Kind of Fight..."

If you're familiar with this line from Bruce Cockburn's immortal "Lovers in a Dangerous Time", then you've likely already taken on one of the most important lessons for anyone who wishes to navigate the challenges in their path, and follow their dreams to completion; "You've got to kick at the darkness til' it bleeds daylight" is what Bruce said next, and I've got a story that'll show you how and why this is so incredibly true...

This past month I picked up a hammer for the first time in my life, and ended up building a multi-purposed creative space up north in the #KawarthaLakes region of Ontario Canada.

Initially the idea came from an overwhelming sense of anxiety about the state of the world at this particular moment in history, and more precisely, my place within it; Specifically how this pandemic is affecting creative people like myself whose #PrimarySkills have been sidelined because of #COVID19.

You see, I’ve been a #ProfessionalDJ, #Musician, and #MusicProducer for the past 15 years. Sure, I've moonlighted doing side hustles working in #NonProfit and #Fundraising for #CanadianNonProfits, I've worked in #HR and #PeopleAndCulture in the #CanadianTechIndustry, and I've even tried my hand at running #Operations for a #HipHopMentalHealth organization.

The truth is, I'm a creative person who lives in a vibrant cultural metropolis, where rent for a one bedroom basement apartment is more than most people pay for their entire mortgages in a month. I also happen to be a #SingleDad to a beautiful little boy, and to be honest with you, our economic situation isn't looking great at the moment now that I have no way of earning a living from my #CreativeSkills.

For the past year or so before the pandemic hit, I was barely scraping by while working in clubs due to the increased in the #CostOfLiving in #Toronto, as well as the decrease in #AffordableHousing in here.

I have no shame in admitting that imes have been lean, but when this pandemic hit, it shut down all of the avenues (and venues) that people like me have had to pursue making a living doing what we do best for the foreseeable future.

As the initial months of the pandemic unfolded, I adjusted to what they're calling #TheNewNormal; I cared for my son. We invented new things for us to do together under #Quarantine while observing #SocialDistancing protocols. These involved LOTS of time up north in the place of my childhood, making music, painting pictures, going on LOTS of walks, cooking meals, learning new skills, and singing songs pretty much everywhere that we went.

I also focused on doing my creative work as a #MeansOfSurvival; I thought it was best for my #MentalHealth to put my creativity to positive use within the volatile and unpredictable situation that we are all now faced with.

So, I hunkered down and got to task completing a record that I have been working on for pretty much my entire life since I picked up a guitar at the age of 13.

While I continued to work on my music, I started to imagine a very minimal, remote creative space to work in; A place to go without any #Distraction, somewhere that felt safe enough to get deep inside of myself and work through all of the emotions that have been bubbling up under the surface due to the economic, parental, and personal pressures that this pandemic has presented for many of us.

I needed to free the music that lives inside of my head,and find the right words that could authentically express the experiences that I have lived in my life. So, I decided to build a space with what little money I had left so that I knew I would always have a place for my son and I to go.

Without really knowing anything about how to build a studio, I reached out to my network, and I found an old friend who is knowledgeable and capable enough to teach me how to build this thing that I had dreamed up; A rad dude named Joe, who is also a creative soul and an incredible #Builder and #Mentor, who was willing to teach me what I needed to know to make this dream come true.

I immediately got to work on designing the space. I spent entire evenings ignoring my girlfriend in our precious #Covidian non-parenting time while sharpening my skills in a program called #SketchUp. I would draft and redraft possible iterations of the design, while making sure to keep it up to code and under permitting bylaws in the province of Ontario. I learned a lot about the fight for #SustainableHousing in #Canada, and I designed something that I felt was versatile enough for folks like me who have both creative tools and kids.

I also spent a lot of my non-parenting time assembling upcycled materials and tools, while researching and learning everything that I could about how to safely and efficiently build the strongest #EcoFriendly, #SmallFootprint, #UnderPermit structures that could last through all four #CanadianSeasons, and also generate heat from #SolarPower.

As my friend Joe the Honest Home Handyman and I started putting this thing together, I became overwhelmed with a sense of amazement at how incredible the experience of building something with one's own hands is, as well as how totally applicable it is to the creative arts; I saw how the materials worked together like different elements of a composition; I saw that the tools we were using to build were exactly like instruments in a piece of music. I saw how as we built, we were like a band in practice, tightening up the set with efficiency and precision as we continued to work together.

Most importantly, I realized how simple and relatively easy doing work like this is for just about anyone, so long as they have an accommodating working environment, a genuine sense of curiosity, and a kind, capable and patient teacher. Then, what began as an obsession with the idea of creating a place to hide out with my son during the end of the world, had now turned into an idea that I believe can help so many people who are struggling right now...

The idea for creative.isolation.lofts came to me on the second day of our build; I stood up on the loft floor that we had just put in place, and I looked out over the trees feeling very exhausted, with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and pride that I hadn’t ever felt before;

I had a vision and I was making it happen in REAL LIFE! I realized that if I can do this, then pretty much ANYONE can do it.

I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew what I saw in my head kept getting bigger and more detailed as I went along, and so I kept going until I was standing inside of this thing that was born in my imagination, and it felt INCREDIBLE. The only thing like it was #MakingMusic with my best friends when I was 13 years old and we had just learned to write songs together.

I can safely say that outside of mt creative pursuits (and maybe also witnessing the incredible birth of my son right before my very eyes), there was nothing in the world like the feeling I had that day standing on that loft floor. Every creative soul knows this feeling when we've hit our #FlowState; It's fulfillment, it's reward, it's true accomplishment! OMG I DID THAT WITH MY MIND AND MY HANDS AND IT FEELS SO COOOOOOL!

Now that the build is nearing completion, I want to use this story to inspire anyone else out there who wants to learn skills in the trades, and hopefully continue to expand on how to build with them.

The #SkilledTrades are considered #EssentialSkills that are necessary for the #CanadianEconomy to grow out of the current #EconomicRecession.

This of course is not to be confused with the #PrimaryCreativeSkills that our creative communities have been accruing during our #10000Hours of pursuing #Mastery in the #CreativeArts. It's not news that we as artists and creative people have been #Undervalued and #Marginalized for a very long time, but now we're forced into a situation where the #Magic that we weave with our imaginations is no longer even on the table for us to make a meager living from.

My mission is to bring the folks who use their genius to create art, and teach them how to design and build something beautiful and rewarding, that can be of service to anyone who needs somewhere to go, just like I did.

I want us to design and build sanctuaries for our primary creative skills, and provide much needed emotional and creative space to continue to put in our 10,000 hours towards mastering our creative genius. I want to do this while providing essential skills to help earn a living and make some very cool stuff while making ends meet and continuing to pursue our various creative disciplines.

I've seen that there is an #EmergingMarketplace in Canada for these spaces in the wake of the #Covid19Pandemic; I can't tell you how many parents have asked if I can build them one as a #HomeOffice or #HomeSchool or #ClassroomAtHome now that they've seen our #PilotProject / #ProofOfConcept.

I've also been approached by and had some amazing conversations with some amzing and talented #Writers, #Painters, #AudioEngineers, #VideoProduction folks, #Yogis, #Meditators about the potential applications to these spaces. I've also had some troubling and thought provoking conversations with folks who would prefer to find an alternative substitute for #LongTermCareFacilities to ensure that any #Immunocompromized #LovedOnes who need to be in #Isolation can stay not only #Comfortable, but #CloseToHome.

As of this moment, It’s all a dream (I used to read Word Up magazine!) at the moment, but as this first build comes to an end and I get back into my sidelined creative work, I am going to continue to try and find a way to market these customizable spaces to all of the folks who can make use of them (IE: Everyone you know). I want to hire and train the marginalized creative folks whose livelihoods have been yanked out from under them, and teach them something new that appeals to their desire to create. I know it might sound crazy, but this is only the beginning. I’ve got some very cool ideas about how to parlay this idea into something much bigger that will nurture the values that shaped me as a creative person; Creativity / Curiosity / Collaboration / Community.

If you’re into this idea, or know anyone who you think would be, please hit us up; We’re looking for skilled trades people who are interested in mentoring and teaching unskilled workers how to apply their creativity and/or essential skills to this project as it evolves into something much bigger.

We're also looking for talented #CreativeBeings from #AllWalksOfLife who are open to taking on a new skill set, and we're actively looking into how design a working environment that accommodates folks with specific needs and/or requirements.

If you’re a wiz at #Carpentry, #IndustrialDesign, #InteriorDesign, #AcousticTreatment, #ElectricalEngineering, #SolarInstallation, #CivilEngineering, etc. We would LOVE to hear from you! We need your knowledge and skills to learn as we try and find our feet out here!

Also; To anyone out there who is struggling; Please know that you're not alone. This is a heavy time, and we're all in it together, whether we realize it or not.

There are so many amazing brilliant people in this world, and you're most definitely one of them, and we're all going to band together on this one and use it as an opportunity to #DoBetterForEachOther, #SupportOneAnother, and #BuildCommunityTogether.

Remember what Bruce said; "You've got to kick at the darkness until it bleeds daylight". Soon enough when this idea takes off, the clouds are going to part through our collective efforts, and we're going to have built a whole new amazing world, #Together.

Big Peace / Mad Love / Many Thanks for your time and attention!

Mikey C: Founder / Songwriter / DJ / Apprentice Builder at Creative Isolation Lofts.

creative.isolation.lofts