Episode 14: What is your Favorite Element of Creative Work Hour?

In Episode 14 of Creative Work Hour, Alessandra White leads a discussion with Devin, Wai Ling, Hilary, and Greg Shaw about their favorite aspects of the daily creative sessions. They emphasize the importance of connection, community, and routine, with a touch of humor and camaraderie. Greg describes the group as a "family of choice," while Devin humorously highlights Alessandra's charm. The episode wraps up with a focus on responsibilities and work time, showcasing the supportive environment they've built.

Hi, this is Alessandra White. I am the founder and artistic director of Creative Work Hour. I am taking the seat of our dear Greg Shaw, who usually has this seat for running the live conversation that we have. So here is the question that I am putting forth today for our small group of folks that are here. We got Devin, we have Wilding, we have Hilary, we have Bailey, and Greg is on his way back in. But here's the question. What is your favorite element of Creative work hour? I actually will go on this and say one of my favorite elements of creative work. Hour one you want me to pick one? Like I got more than one, you get to do whatever the hell you want. 

Okay, then I'm going to start with connection. You know, and I guess, or maybe expand on that because not only is it just time spent with people, it's creative work hour has attracted creative people. And so now you're around this connection with these like minded people, you know, who are in some way or another, inspired to do something, and then the communal energy to be around that, to help fuel yourself, you know, to intake and allow your energy when you're going strong to fuel others. For me, I'll buy that would be my. And how long have you been coming to creative work hour, Hilary? Oh, goodness. Pretty much from the beginning. From at least in the same class where you started this event even happening. And then I've just. 

You've always been here. I've been here. I was like, this, this I definitely get from this experience. Yeah. And I must get ample because yeah, I'm still here. So it just talking to, you know, somebody else about that. Like I've been in Toastmasters seven years. I must be getting something out of it because I'm still doing it. 

Same thing with the gym habit. I'm getting something out of it and so I can dedicate and develop better discipline for it, because I have the recognition of what I get from the intrinsic motivators. Mhm. You're not having to like energize that yourself. It just it energizes itself. If you set it up right it's not natural. But you can kind of stack things to be in your favor. And I think this environment is a valuable block to stack with for productivity. 

And you can bring your cat or your dog or your pet friendly. We've been my favorite part. Number two, pet friendly. All right. That's my piece. Yeah I appreciate creative hour because of. The stability it gives me because we are meeting on a daily basis. That's the sense of routine. 

I know I can come in and find my focus work and even if we are all virtual, but yet it feels like coming to a group of friends that will meet together for two hours and then we'll go on our way. So I appreciate that routine stability, but I also echo Hilary's sentiment on finding the community. We are a group of very diverse, multidimensional people, which continues to surprise me each time. Whenever someone share what they're doing, and I find that it encourages us to just keep showing up to show who we are, and we don't need to hide those aspects of the other side of us. Thank you. Who else has got a little something that's so valuable? I know a trick question when I hear one. My favorite thing about creative work Our is the host. She is a beautiful and charming and witty. 

I come here every day just to bask in her radiance. Devin, can I have your number? Yes, yes you may. All right, Greg, you're off. You're. You're back, you're back. Yes. I missed the question. I'm afraid the question is, what are your favorite elements of creative work? Our. 

Oh, goodness. Where would you start on that? Okay, well, I did hear Hillary and Wai Ling answer and Devin’s to what is my favorite part about creative work. Our gosh. Oh my goodness. Well, the I get something from it. Like Hillary said, I get a lot from it. The routine. Like Wai Ling said, for me it's become a family of choice. 

It's the one constant that's going to be there every day at the same time, seven days a week. 365 it's very rewarding. I get to hear and join people on their journey. We get to share a little bit of our lives with each other, and even though we're meeting on a computer screen, it does feel like in person. I probably could talk for a long time on this, but I won't. I'll restrain. Are you a fan? Yeah, I'm a fan. Yeah. 

Just in case you're wondering, I'm a fan, and the host is pretty cool too, right? So. Yeah. So she'll do. Yeah. I will add one serious comment. And that is I loved Hilary's term, communal energy. If I had to pick one adjective that really summed it up for me, what is my favorite part? And, you know, sorry. 

Second favorite part. Second favorite part after the host. Lovely. Oh, yes. Hey, everybody. What's your favorite? What's your favorite element of creative work? Our body levity there. Yes. It's respectful. Yes. 

It's communicable. Yes. The people are here to raise each other up and. And be vulnerable when vulnerable is appropriate. But there's a levity to it all that has to be founded in respect and care for each other. It would never work if that wasn't the foundation. We can laugh at the most weird things, like, you can't, oh, you can't laugh at that. And yet we will. 

There's something like a little bit of dark humor that we have. Sometimes it's a little twisted, so it's a little twisted. You know, I think I think there are tidbits of Andy Rooney in this space, and there are tidbits of Monty Python and every other similar thing from around the world. And we have the most expensive machine that goes Bing, bing. Oh, Devin's got something. He's got that look on his face. No, I was just laughing with Greg said, I love the machine that goes ping. 

Thank God for the GoFundMe account we were able to raise the money for it. 

All right. Is Bailey there? Bailey may have stepped away. We are not afraid of dead air. Are we, Greg Shaw? No. That's what editing is for. Yeah. So maybe that's a wrap for us today on this Thursday. And I will as soon as we are done and close this room, I'll convert the file and I will pull it over into our Google Drive. 

And then I'll share that with Greg. Devin said he heard us on Spotify yesterday. Well I had my daughter is in England and she she has an Alexa. Right. And I was like, just try and experiment for me. I don't know if that'll work or if it'll only do it here in the States. I said, ask Alexa to play the creative work, our podcast. And it started playing right. 

Oh damn. That's cool. All right, well, I know we are all here because we have a job to do. At least one Devin has three for if you can't miss a boo. Yeah. So it's time to go. Heads down. I'll turn off the recording.