Shipping container
turned SOLO studio.
⌁
As 2019 came to a close, I found myself prepping for the new year and contemplating how to continue on my path of rapid growth.
This led to a distinct, yet subtle, tingly feeling in my gut. That tingly feeling usually triggers a series of decisions that come superglued to a LARGER vision, which takes on a unique life of its own... My wife has described this phenomenon as spacing out, disconnecting - in the truest sense. I am disconnecting, as all my attention is funneled directly to this new thing. New Idea, fresh inspiration.
This has happened enough times over my career to recognize it when it starts. In this instance, it led to the first out-of-home office - 'the BOX'.
Why a shipping container?
It didn't start as a conversion project, but that idea became more and more handsome as time went on. One thing was abundantly clear - It was time to ditch the home office. It was a fun scrappy few years, but I felt ready to spread out a bit and take on a new challenge and perspective. This led to the more traditional route of searching for commercial real estate to lease. Unsuccessful ultimately as I found few available options in the rainy suburbs of Maple Valley - located about 40 minutes out of Seattle, and decided I was not willing to commute that distance and pay the higher fees that come with working in the city.
In 2019, a new trend was rising. Netflix grabbed hold in the form of a series all about.... tiny homes...you guessed it. This sparked a new idea, maybe if I couldn't find a place to lease - I could build an office.
A few phone calls later, I found a builder who suggested they had a shipping container I could buy, and then commission a conversion to a new office. Anything I wanted, while being relatively cost-effective due to the size restraint. That was too exciting to turn down. It was off to the races.
A few strong months of close collaboration, tweaks, updates, and lots of black paint. A really exciting time looking back, and a different kind of project in design. Leaning on the same sensibilities applied to my digital work, I took that and created a space that feels uniquely Reece.
After the office was finished, and the dust settled, the business shifted as a result. This led to a series of exponentially bigger financial years one after the other. I don't have the statistics to connect DIRECT ROI...I know. That said, I've been a strong proponent of taking scary leaps and investing in yourself, and those decisions (if made correctly...) lead to good things in the end.
We ended up moving to southern Utah in late 2020, and the office came with us across the country and settled in our backyard. I have since moved on to a Warehouse office, but take a day a week on average to 'work from home', and absolutely love having this office when I need it. I look back with nothing but fond memories and a full heart. 🖤
Invest in yourself.