Building a Culture of Care: Cafes as Catalyst for Giving a Sh*t

I’m face to face with a new reality, and I’m a little scared that I bit off more than I can chew.

See the biggest thing when you start a new business isn’t finding something to do, learning how to do it, or even finding the right tools, gear or education to support your business. It seems like creative people are pretty good at those things, to the point where it becomes a distraction from what really matters. It seems that the most important thing in business is so much simpler than I want it to be: do one thing, do it really fucking well, and tell people about it.

It feels like it took me a lifetime to find my thing. I started my career in cafes, and have opened, operated and consulted for dozens cafes and restaurants. I even had the life changing privilege of owning my own cafe in the Flint, Michigan during the water crisis (a story for another time). After years of doing this work and more, I have finally found my thing and in my opinion I do it really fucking well: I take photos of amazing people doing amazing things in beautiful cafes. The process of learning to combine my passion and experience within the coffee industry is a story for another time, but it feels really great to finally to realize this iteration of my work.

But when you find one thing, that often means you lose another.

There’s a certain excitement to stumbling onto a synergy that connects your experiences of the past with the possibilities of the future. I love living in that dreamy, hopeful headspace, but it’s also scary when it means that you’re changing directions, letting things go and exploring what simultaneously feels like a brand new path and a path that feels so familiar.

Last year I had a small millwork shop and was working with design companies on commercial woodwork (I took a break from working in coffee to learn the design and build process for commercial spaces) and realized the woodshop had served it’s purpose and run it’s course. I shut down that business, sold most of my assets, and decided to go all in on this photography thing.

While some people are saying the best way to make money as a new photographer is to sell your cameras and your gear, I decided to do the opposite and sell all the other things and invest in an industry that seems to have everyone from students to retirees to everyone in between making a go at it. But I’m a stubborn, hopelessly hopeful dreamer, so I’m gonna insist on going all in on this until I can’t any more, and it’s not just because I love taking pictures.

It’s because it’s fucking beautiful

See, I fucking love cafes, and I love coffee, and I love what these two things are to people. I love the busyness, the connection, the solace, and the simple enjoyment of it all. I love the fact that I get to capture these beautiful moments of a barista finding their flow, a couple enjoying their time together, a family connecting with each other. I love that I get to tell these stories and encourage people to take time to prioritize themselves and their connections and their rituals.

I also love the way that hospitality is front in center of this entire industry. It’s an industry has become widely known for supporting each other and collaborating with one another. Their literal job is to make space for people and it shows. It’s care in the true sense of the word. Despite the (inaccurate, in my opinion) trope of the apathetic, moody barista, the people in this industry really give a shit, and they’re excited to.

As we hurry through the line or go quickly through the drive-thru on the way to work, it’s easy to forget that these cafes have such a huge, positive impact on our communities. It’s also easy to forget how much effort it takes to design these spaces with intention, operate with integrity and craft quality drinks with focus; and they do it all a few hundred times a day while smiling. These beautiful places create a true culture of care, a space for inviting and connecting and working together.

So like I said at the beginning of this article, I’m scared as hell. This is a big jump for me and my career. It’s like life is asking me, “do you give a shit as much as you say you do?” and I have to respond with action.

But I’m in good company, and I’m also stubborn and I’m hopeful. And I know that, at least for now, what I’m doing is bringing joy to myself and to others, and it’s such a privilege to get to support these places that mean so much to our communities, so I’m gonna keep at it and I invite you to come along with me.