Columbus is home to many talented and bright people. Often members of the “creative class” work independently, but it is becoming common for them to combine forces as a collective group. This way they are able to advance as individuals, but also raise the profile of the collective group to open more opportunities for each other. There are several groups that have formed to bring their members’ energy together in a variety fields. Very broadly, many of these people can be classified as artists, but they focus on different areas.
The Couchfire Collective is coming up on its third anniversary. The group officially began in July 2006 to share studio space at Junctionview Studios. Today, their mission has developed into a way “to provide artists and art patrons with diverse opportunities to make connections and become active participants in the local arts scene.” With the success of the Agora events and other events happening year-round at Junctionview Studios, they are doing very well to raise the profiles of local artists and artists in Columbus as a whole. Adam Brouillette is one of the founding members and has found that being a part of Couchfire has really shaped his life, “much like I imagine other people use church as a way to communicate with people like themselves, be a part of something bigger than themselves, and find purpose in their lives.”
PANEL is a writers and artists collective that started in 2002. Member Dara Naraghi tells us a bit about their purpose: “Our goal was to get like-minded comic book creators together as a sort of writers/artists group, offering support, critiques, and motivation to each other. We were tired of working in a vacuum, and thought it would be both motivational and fun to get together every other week and look over everyone’s projects and works in progress, share tips and tricks, etc. Over the years, the group grew to include self-publishing our own anthology twice a year.” You can find out more by visiting their website.
A newer group is Collective Independence Design. Cody Holland started the group last summer “as a way to offer more services than I can provide on my own, and as a way to get business for and from other designers I have worked with in the past.” He, as well as many of the members are graduates of CCAD. They have skill sets ranging from advertising, illustration, photography, web design and industrial design. They are able to work with any kind of budget because they have little to no overhead and a wide range of skill sets and experience. The group is “working to change the client-designer relationship and make it a more casual, friendly and enjoyable collaboration.”
Daniel Sadd has been building the Salon Lofts brand since he bought the concept in 2003. It seemed like the “purest business model” he has ever seen –Â “everyone working for themselves, in a collective environment, but mainly relying on their own performance.” The concept has been popping up all over Columbus and has recently expanded into Cincinnati and Tampa, Florida. Working in this kind of environment where everyone is talented and dedicated to providing the best beauty experience to the client, while being able to do it your own way is very rewarding.
If you are thinking about starting your own business, but are unsure of all of the uncertainties, you may look into becoming part of a collective. Being with like-minded individuals will help bring out the best in your own work.