Are you curious about what “The Space” is, how it came about, and what it can be used for? In this post I’ll answer all of those questions.
But first let’s talk about butterflies.
When I was in preschool, we caught a caterpillar, put it in a little glass aquarium, fed it, and then watched it form a chrysalis. One day, the chrysalis started breaking open. We all got to take turns walking up to the glass box and watching the butterfly emerge.
I remember thinking that the caterpillar had gone into the cocoon, fell asleep, and sprouted wings. But that’s not really what happens. What actually happens is that the caterpillar turns into a soupy mess of cells. The caterpillar “digests itself, releasing enzymes to dissolve all of its tissues”.(https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/caterpillar-butterfly-metamorphosis-explainer/)
So inside the chrysalis, for a little while, there’s actually just a formless ooze of goop. The entire structure of the caterpillar breaks down. Only certain cells survive the digestion. They’re called imaginal cells, because it’s their purpose to ‘imagine’ -- or create -- new body parts that don’t yet exist. From these imaginal cells, a new structure emerges… The body of the butterfly forms.
What does this have to do with “The Space”?
Let me tell you.
When I first walked into The Space, it was an abandoned dentist office. What I saw next was the breakdown of the old structure, and then the formation of a new structure that looked entirely different. While that process was going on, I couldn’t help but think of the imaginal cells. Their job is to create something new. That is what I feel “The Space” is all about.
How The Space is New and Unique
The Space is unlike any organization I’ve ever been a part of, or even heard of. It’s new in many ways. For one thing, all of the classes, events, and services offered are donation based, which is a pretty radical departure from the normal business models we’re used to seeing.
Secondly, it’s new because of the nature of what it is offering. It’s a physical space, dedicated to three values: healing, creativity and service. That means it can be used for so many offerings including sound healing, nutritional coaching, fitness classes, personal training sessions, community potlucks, speaker series, book signings, meditation gatherings… the possibilities are endless.
The third way that The Space is completely different and new is in the way service providers are paid. If The Space is used in a service provider/client situation, the provider gets to keep 80% of what the client donates. This is also a departure from typical business models, where the client pays a flat rate and the provider might get paid an hourly wage.
Radical Transformation
The point of imaginal cells is that they are not building on or modifying old structures, they are involved in radical transformation. Check out this quote about imaginal cells and their purpose within a butterfly: “At first these Imaginal cells – the seeds of future potential, which contain the blueprint of a flying creature—operate independently as single-cell organisms. They are regarded as threats and are attacked by the caterpillar’s immune system. But they persist, multiply, and connect with each other.”
At first, a really different and new concept about what a business can look like might seem confusing. When we don’t have any other businesses to compare it to, it’s hard to judge how it measures up. But because The Space is offering something that many of us really need right now -- a safe place for healing, creativity, and service -- it can persist and grow.
The Space started because John Peralta wanted a place to meet up with others and teach his own style of group and one-on-one workouts. Before leasing The Space, John held these group workouts in his home, in a bike shed, at the park -- anywhere that people could get together and move.
I went to some of those early workouts, and had a lot of fun. But it was clear that he needed a permanent place for equipment, and a bigger space when it was cold out (many, many months of the year here in Summit County, haha). As a massage therapist, John also wanted a space that he could do massage in, without excluding people who couldn’t pay conventional rates.
John, with help from friends and the community, renovated an old dentist office (like I mentioned above), and The Space was born! It includes a big open area with two-inch mat flooring, which is great for movement-based classes like acroyoga, PreHab, and personal training. It also has a room with a massage table, which can be used for massage, reiki, or other healing modalities.
I try to be a pretty positive person. I don’t like to dwell on problems. Instead, I want to focus on solutions. The Space is the most exciting, new, solution-focused, innovative project I see in my world. I love that it’s here, and I can’t wait to see what kinds of beautiful things can grow out of it.
Thanks for reading our story. Do you want to be a part of this project? Please reach out:) This is our space. Let’s persist, connect, and keep growing...
