you know what? go to your local library.
nobody cares if you just want to read Twitter with the free wifi. in fact we’re ecstatic you’re there.
don’t be afraid to touch the books. hell, taking them off the shelf and leaving them on shelving carts is one of the main ways the library counts usage and foot traffic, so don’t reshelve them yourself and don’t be afraid of looking at them!
most libraries now allow covered drinks, and many have special areas where you’re allowed to bring something to eat. have your lunch there, it’s quiet!
lovely large tables for crafts or art? they have you covered!
magazines and periodicals so you can read the newest events or pick up a new recipe? check!
you can even just watch a DVD if you have the appropriate portable screen and courtesy headphones.
GO to the library. LOVE the library. USE the library. you already paid for it!!
I’ve *literally* been writing most of Family Lore and working on art comissions at the local library.
Things Libraries have that are awesome if you’re a creator:
- Wi-Fi. Really, really good Wi-Fi
- Mine doesn’t just allow covered drinks- it’s got a whole-ass coffee bar.
- “study rooms” you can camp in for free (but you have to move if someone books them) OR that you can book for a couple hours on certain days FOR REALLY CHEAP
- like literally i pay $15 for 3 8-hour days a week and i get my own room, a bigass table, great light, the free wifi, AND I CAN RENT ANY REFERENCE MATERIAL OR ART SUPPLIES I NEED
- OH
- YOU DIDN’T KNOW?
- YOU CAN RENT ALL KINDS OF SHIT FROM YOUR LIBRARY
- FOR FREE
- I RENTED A MANGIFIER, DRATING TOOLS AND A BUNCH OF ORCHID BOOKS FOR A PROJECT
- I RENTED A GODDAMN SEWING MACHINE ONCE
- F O R F R E E
- it’s like all the benefits of renting an office space but for SO MUCH CHEAPER also you CAN GET ALL KINDS OF SUPPLIES
- THEY HAVE A 3-D PRINTER
Things Libraries DON’T have that are ALSO AWESOME if you’re a creator:
- I 100% understand the appeal of woking in coffehouses- they’re spaces that are designed to be comfortable and if you have ADHD like me the background chatter is actually a good stim but there’s also frequently THAT GUY.
- You know, the guy who sees you working and waves at you until you take your headphones off then he wants to tell you all about how He’s A Writer ™ or a Cinematographer ™ working on a novel or whatever and he just sucks up your time talking about himself and then he wants your contact information because he thinks that because you haven’t actually thrown the overpriced coffe in his face he’s sucessfully seduced you?
- That Guy?
- Is NEVER at the Library.
- Because it’s a quiet space so he can’t talk about himself becuase the hyperstressed college students will literally axe-murder him
- Also I forgot in the earlier section but sometimes The Society For Creative Anachronism does events there and there are actual axe-weilding valkyrie women present.
- that’s very distracting
- but in a good way.
- Your local library ALSO does not have that a rented office space, coffeehouse, or your kitchen table does: missionaries, telemarketers, the couple having a loud and messy breakup at the next table, the nagging sensation that you should be doing housework instead, that one jackass that thought the polar vortex was an ideal temperature and adjusts the thermostat accordingly, your cat jumping on table and spilling stuff on your work, crap wifi, Mandatory overpriced coffee, Office Dress Codes, Or a building manager that “forgets” to pay the utilities becuase they’ve been embezzling everyone’s rent to support thier cabbage patch kids addiction.
Libraries be good shit yo.