Co-Working Spaces, Collaboration & Creative Time Management
Keller Davis, Co-Founder Of Createscape Co-Working
Createscape Co-working is a creative shared space that houses entrepreneurs, freelancers and remote workers. This dog friendly co-working space on the east side of Austin, Texas is owned and operated by Keller Davis, who also runs a video production company.
Any good advice you received along the way during the process of developing Createscape Co-working?
A piece of advice that helped us was being willing to be adaptable in business. There were a few times where we had obstacles that we overcame by having the flexibility and energy to change and evolve. Sometimes this meant expanding what we offered to better match what prospective clients wanted, and sometimes it meant changing what our target audience was. But either way, we were committed to not staying still or comfortable, and rather always be looking forward.
How do you find the time to balance video production, running a co-working space and your personal life? Any time-management tips?
It's definitely a lot to juggle! Createscape has led to a lot of great opportunities for me to meet change-makers and entrepreneurs since we can help them along the way. But it can also be exhausting by itself, and the biggest way I've been able to balance two businesses (video production and co-working) as well as my personal life is by blocking off times in my schedule that make sense.
I use Google Calendar for everything, and with different calendars for all facets of my life. So even when it comes to the number of hours I'll dedicate per day to one job over another, I block off the time for one before the next one starts, and also make sure that little things like going to the movies, happy hours, parties, vacations, and date nights are sprinkled throughout the week too. Checking Google Calendar on my phone and knowing that the events are all synced up is a huge help.
It can feel overwhelming if you're falling behind on things in one area of your life, but being willing give intense focus to the things which you are falling behind in is something that always helps me feel like I'm back on track.
I also use tools like IFTTT and ToDoist to automate certain things and handle task management in list form. I'm I'm always trying to creatively manage my time in a way that works for my lifestyle. That often means being flexible enough to know when things have to be pushed back, and which need to be prioritized.
Best trip you’ve taken and why?
One of my most memorable was an extended stay in Beirut, Lebanon about four years ago. A friend of mine from college had moved there with his wife to do documentary filmmaking, and I was invited by a mutual friend to travel there, stay with him, and see the Middle East. Since my friend who lived there was fluent in Arabic and knew Beirut pretty well by this point, he knew his way around and how to converse with the locals so it was a unique experience and opportunity.
We checked out beautiful mosques and their architecture, had drinks at underground bars, went swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, went for afternoon hikes through mountain forests, and had some of the best food I've ever eaten. A lot of people told me it would be dangerous to travel there before I went and while I respected the concern, I felt like seeing the fairly cosmopolitan Beirut with my own eyes made me realize how different of a city it is than expectations of it. I met a lot of really friendly people and loved every second of the trip.
How do you wear/style your SUAVS?
I like to wear my SUAVS (black high-tops) with shorts primarily, or sometimes rolling up the bottom of my jeans. I think they look best in contrast to a bit of my ankles or legs, and I always wear them without socks since they're breathable and comfortable. I don't like slip-on shoes without laces since they make me feel like a child, so the look and style of SUAVS is great since they can be dressed up or dressed down to match pretty much anything I'm wearing. In the summer, they help my feet not get too hot and they're a great go-to shoe without having to overthink the wardrobe. If I'm doing a lot of walking in a day (which I often do), I know they'll hold up and still be comfortable.
Leave a comment