Coworking. Ever heard of it?

The official coworking wiki and blog describe the concept as “a café-like community/collaboration space for developers, writers and independents.” Stumbling across this movement was born out of my own experience during the past two months and I’ve been researching it frantically. (As I mentioned previously, it didn’t take long before I went into withdrawal from regularly being a part of a creative and collaborative environment.)

During this process, I emailed a guy who has a similar-concept group more exclusively for start-ups and entrepreneurs who wrote the following to me: “Another problem with co-working around here is Sacramento is decidedly un-urban. I think that in order for co-working to survive, you need a core of people who live where they work, are working on smaller projects, and have a creative bent. I just don’t see that locally.”

This is a statement with which I whole-heartedly disagree, and, considering that, number one, you’re reading this monologue, and that, number two, at least 20 people within my network and circle of acquaintances are folks with a creative bent, I should think that you would also disagree.

My goal is to personally spearhead a coworking community and eventually establish a space somewhere in downtown/midtown.

So. Here’s the bottom line: I need help.

What I’m looking for:
•a partner. Someone who can commit to working on this project with me. Now, don’t freak. I’m willing, able and quite eager to do the legwork myself. However, we can’t forget my collaboration-withdrawal. That means what I really need is someone with whom I can brainstorm, bounce around ideas and anything else that can be construed as “creatively collaborate.”
•coworkers. Independent workers (freelancers, designers, programmers, artists – anyone who works independently from home, cafes, or a non-traditional office space) in Sacramento with an interest in being part of a grassroots effort on the ground level.
•space. A living room with wifi will work just fine for now.
•web designer/programmer. Coworking Sacramento will eventually need its own Web presence.
•funding. TBD based on need/interest/other variables as they arise.

There’s a lot more I could say about how fabulous coworking is (or sounds, since I’ve not yet experienced it first hand) and about how freakin’ excited I am to start and see something established in a city that I have become very fond of. But pretty much everything I’ve read online regarding coworking resonates in my bones like hearing an incredible tuba solo, so I figure why repeat what’s already been said so eloquently by others? You just might feel it in your bones too, and if you do, I want to hear from you.