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Friday, January 6, 2017

Happy Birthday, Affinity CoLab!

A Note from the Editor

Resolutions. This word is the theme of January's co-sponsored Story/Poetry Slam with Steel City Coffeehouse. It is also my personal eleven character curse word. Why? Because self-sabtouge is my forte. Nearly every resolution, goal, personal deadline, desired achievement for myself has combusted before its realization. Now, professionally, I get the job done for other people. I work for the proverbial "team." I am the kid you want for the dreaded group class project.  It's really just my own desires and dreams I feel can be shelved, halted, or completely abandoned. I'm sure there's a term out there on the tip of any life coach or therapist's tongue who might happen to read this, but for now let's just call it, The Prevailing Fear of Success and Sh*t.

All this to explain what you, dear reader, cannot see. The wide smile on this writer's face. The shaking hands as I type this post. For Affinity CoLab started out as a January 2016 resolution to write and get my friends writing on a regular basis for a year. Just that. AND WE MADE IT!!!!

Were there times I wanted to give up and close Affinity CoLab's site for good? God, yes. BUT... the contributors to/supporters of Affinity CoLab kept me and this awesome project going. In one year, there have been over 25 contributing artists, over 100 posts, and over 6,000 views. As founder and editor, I have met incredible authors, musicians, painters, filmmakers, etc. Affinity CoLab also had the privilege of establishing a relationship with revered Steel City Coffeehouse and its incredible owners, Ed Simpson and Laura Vernola. Every 4th Sunday, Affinity CoLab has a spot on the Steel City marquee--and it's an honor every single time.

When this project launched, I couldn't stop saying the royal "We" whenever mentioning Affinity CoLab and what was happening with its mission to promote emerging artists and share art without politics, costs, or strings. People teased about that royal We, but I've finally figured out what was happening whenever "We" instead of "I" slipped out. Affinity CoLab isn't MY project, MY site, MY work; it never was. Affinity CoLab is the collaboration and home to everyone who has ever contributed and everyone who ever will.

So happy birthday, Affinity CoLab, you're the first resolution I've ever kept, and you're also the best. Thank you to all our contributors and readers!

As ever yours,
Katy Comber

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