The Un.Incubator is in full swing this fall. Night after night I see our space full of energy - with this growing community of idealists. Women who intend to change the world, change their communities, bring new perspective or new solutions to life. And the mentors who have come alongside them to collaborate and champion them. Helping bring this creative, flexible, co-creating, nourishing space to life is already a dream come true for me.
I have been blessed to be joined in this effort since the early summer by my co-conspirator, Kim Tidwell. She has brought her extensive background in marketing and branding as well as her big heart and even larger network to the table. Although she won't tell you this when you meet her, she's a pretty big damn deal :) It was her collaboration that has made it possible to launch the founding cohort of the Un.Incubator this fall. To you Kim, an endless thank you, for who you are and how you've continued to show up in this endeavor!
To my great surprise, and delight this fall, I have discovered another co-conspirator in the Un.Incubator, Ben Gibson. Ben is the founder of Youvolution, and my partner in the coworking space we run in Hyde Park. He is also an idealist, like myself, who believes that when given the right resources and community, creators will thrive. He has built a membership of more than 20 independent filmmakers since he launched over 2 years ago, and has seen firsthand how the resources he provides them have helped propel their solo careers.
Recently he and I sat down to brainstorm together and landed on this - we want to expand the Un.Incubator together, to serve both women in impact and creatives of all types. In January we will launch 2 new cohorts; another cohort of women in impact and also a cohort of creatives: filmmakers, designers, maybe illustrators or artisans or others who want to turn their creative skill into a business. They all share a common theme, and perhaps you resonate with this too, or know someone who does.
You have a dream, an idea that is bigger than you, it's personal, and you want to venture out on your own. You want a sustaining career following this passion. You want to know where to start, or you have already started and you need resources along the way. You need a place where the self-sabotaging negativity and doubt is filtered out, and you can see your dream clearly ahead.
The Ojibwe believe that a dreamcatcher changes a person's dreams. "Only good dreams would be allowed to filter through... Bad dreams would stay in the net, disappearing with the light of day. Good dreams would pass through and slide down the feathers to the sleeper." - Konrad J. Kaweczynski
This is a central theme of the Un.Incubator. To be the space which empowers creators to dream big, and to provide the collaborators you need to filter out all the negativity. I think there's no better time than now to expand the Un.Incubator. Let's be un-apologetically idealistic. And let's imagine future generations of creators and dreamers among us, with the resources to sustain, changing and empowering the communities we live in.
If this resonates with you, I'd love to connect. Feel free to reach out to me at liz at impacthaven.com. You can also nominate someone for the Un.Incubator, apply yourself, or get involved as a mentor.