In the midst of preparing for our big move to Colorado this summer I wanted to take time to reflect on the past year of being part of what I'm claiming as the best thing to happen to Dallas in the last 25 years, WELD. From stumbling upon the space one day with a friend, to working alongside some of the most talented/caring people in the world, it has truly changed my perspective on what it means to work alongside others.
From the Beginning
Austin had sent me an email a week or two before I first stepped foot in the door and I didn't even have time to respond to him. But cut me some slack, I had just started working for myself and was super focused on my work. So on the day that I met Austin at WELD it may have been awkward had he been any other kind of person but awesome. Instantly I felt at home and knew that the space I was standing in was something really special. That was also the same day I was reunited with Trey Hill.
Within a week of meeting Austin and seeing WELD for the first time, we were already dreaming up a plan to paint this huge mural in the entryway. Austin has this certain fervor about him that's infectious. He's definitely a doer more than he is a talker. Personally, I'm more of a dreamer so it was awesome to meet somebody like Austin and begin to move forward with the mural right away. And then, just like that, in the matter of a single day I sketched, scanned and painted the mural while Austin filmed it. There was something magical in the air.
Fit like a glove
There really wasn't any sort of awkward "fitting in" period like you might find in some other co-working spaces. It all just felt really natural. Everyone that was there before me, and even the new people that started to show up, were all super awesome. Being at WELD just fit like a glove. The spirit of collaboration was definitely in the air. When you step foot inside WELD, even to this day, there isn't that competitiveness that's so prevalent in our society (especially Dallas). Instead, you're greeted with warm smiles and hot delicious coffee.
Now I could go on and on about all the wonderful perks of being a member, but I'm not a salesman. Instead, I just want to share the most important part about being at WELD, the relationships. It's not even really so much that everyone is a talented creative person, which they are, but more that everyone is down to earth and warm hearted. Before finding WELD, Dallas has left a bad taste in my mouth with how segregated it all seemed. But that taste was soon replaced by delicious friendships with people like Austin, Tiffany, Trey, Paul, Esther and Tyler. It's simple, learn to invest in people and the rest will work itself out.
Onward and Upward
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, my family and I will be moving to Colorado this summer. Without going in to too much detail, we feel this is the next step for us and believe whole-heartedly God calling us there. Hence, onward and upward. But I know in my heart this isn't the end for my relationship with WELD. I have great peace about things in the future with WELD and me and Colorado.
I am excited to be a part of bringing WELD to probably one of the more unassuming parts of Colorado. But that's the thing I love about it. For example, if you didn't live in Texas you would probably assume WELD should have been started in Austin, right? Well the proof is in the pudding over this past year that WELD doesn't exist because of what city it's in, but more because of the people it draws and the community it builds.
Call to Action
WELD has just launched a new campaign to GROW outside of Dallas. Check out the website, grow.weld.co, and help create WELD in your community. You can also check the hashtag #WeCreateWELD by following @WELD on twitter.