The Brooklyn Flea and The Workroom

That’s a stretch – the title, but inspired by a great Saturday in Brooklyn on our New York trip, and by the fact that The Workroom was always in my mind while we were there.

On a chilly but sunny day, our trail boss (younger son) figured out the subway and walking routes so we could explore Brooklyn neighborhoods, then walk back across the Brooklyn Bridge – a walk crowded with people and an ongoing view of the Manhattan skyline.

The Brooklyn Flea (a “curated” flea market) is in a school parking lot with aisles of vendors offering vintage clothes, jewelry, 50s furniture, dishes, glassware, and crafts – handmade clothes and hand-printed cards.

And food! So many gourmet choices – sopas, fish tacos, delicious grilled corn on the cob, a made-in-Brooklyn product – almond or cashew milk, subtly flavored with vanilla. One vendor simply offered grilled cheese sandwiches and chocolate shakes.

The sweet bride debated and debated about a dressy clutch purse with a decorative chain, put it down reluctantly, turned away, then reconsidered – but already it was gone. And at a stand full of letters from old printing presses, I bought the letters to form the words “The Workroom.”

This fall session of The Workroom is over now, but what a pleasure it was to feel the excitement, enthusiasm, and energy of the group, read about their projects, and watch progress. The participants did form a supportive community as they made individual postings on their pages, and commented thoughtfully on each other’s creative endeavors – beading and biography, writing and watercolor. Joining in from scattered geographic locations – from Alaska to Wyoming – they did meaningful work and discovered commonalities amongst themselves.

For the weeks of the class, I enjoyed offering a daily post to support them as they learned to navigate The Workroom’s blog, about list making and time management, and ways to present their work in the wider world. Each Friday I was delighted to see the completed “assignments” on their pages – read of the struggles and pleasures in doing their work – then comment on their pages full of images and writing.

In case you are curious about what the participants thought, with their permission, I’ll post some of their reactions to The Workroom on katygilmore.com. I lean toward offering a winter session in January – it was a pleasure.

And now – thanks to a day at the Brooklyn Flea – I can stamp “The Workroom” on my three-ring binder full of six weeks of posts about creativity.