Yesterday, I did something that was quite surprising for me - I attended a co-working event in Create Cafe at the Wakefield One building, organised by Wakefield Jelly. Doing anything of that kind is pretty difficult for me but I was determined to push myself and I'm glad I did. I met some brilliant people and got a lot of work done. More importantly, it got me away from the endless grandmother calls that stop me working well at home these days.
If you haven't been to Create yet, I really recommend it. It's a light, airy place downstairs at Wakefield One with gorgeous cakes and excellent staff. It's the perfect environment to meet new people and I have to say I enjoyed it.
There's a 'but' though. Of course there is - it's me. It has nothing to do with the event itself, just a personal problem that I grappled with. I'd decided the day before that I was going to take the fifth draft of a novel manuscript with me and I'd packed it before I started over-thinking. I was worried about what turn the conversation would take if someone happened to ask me what I was working on. It's not that I'm ashamed of the fact that I write lesbian fiction - it just may take a bit of explaining to someone who doesn't know me and, me being me, I like to avoid potential pitfalls. So I unpacked the novel and took some PhD secondary reading instead. In hindsight, I know no one would've pressed about the novel but that didn't stop the fear bubbling up. Very little stops that with me.
So, in answer to the initial question, yes, I think co-working is for me. But I have to battle with that self-confidence thing I've been struggling with for most of my life. I will attend another Wakefield Jelly day but it may not be the October one - I only get back from holiday that day!
Wakefield Jelly takes place on the fourth Wednesday of the month - more information can be found here.
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