Two Years of Growth with Fostr Collaborative

Gather round kids, it’s story time… 

About two years ago, a very dear friend and wonderful artist Kristin Gaudio Endsley, told me that a mutual friend of ours, Laura Metzler, was interested in opening a studio space similar to the dream I had always had of opening a creative work space. 

Well, fast forward just 3 months later, Laura and I were building shelves, hanging shelves, putting tables together and getting ready to open Fostr Collaborative on May 7, 2018. 

While celebrating our 2nd Anniversary distantly, the future of our members’ businesses and the uncertainty of how we can use our beautiful studio moving forward given the global pandemic, I find myself reflecting on what Fostr Collaborative has meant to me in the last two years. 

When we opened the doors of Fostr, I was a year and a half in to Elizabeth Carberry Creative, wedding planning, content creating, photo styling and managing social media for several clients. At that time I was hoping to use Fostr to work day to day, grow my business, and maybe host some amazing events for my clients and community. 

In building Fostr, Laura and I built so much more. We grew our business and work together, ramping up to 2-3 shoots a week most weeks. We welcomed at most 22 members within the space that used it creatively in ways that inspires us daily, and in those members gained 22 friends. We have been able to host events and workshops that have been fun and so educational for us and the community. We’ve learned how to juggle multiple teams and businesses (which has been the hardest part). 

Sure, there are plenty of other collaborative work spaces, some of them even dedicated to female entrepreneurs and creatives, but I know that what we created has so much more value. It is truly a space to collaborate on projects, ideas, fun, business, family and life. I am sincerely looking forward to the next two years, whatever they may bring. 

Thank you Fostr Collaborative, our team, its’ members, Kristin and Laura for sparking this genius that has brought more to my life than I ever thought possible. Cheers to 2 years!