The studio farewell — details, rain date, and how to take part from home.
A photo montage of the studio. From the top and moving clockwise: the wooden table with a mug of pens on top, close up of a typewriter, a row of books nestled together in a bookcase, and a wooden container with Firefly brochures.
Hello Dear Heart.
It’s been a gorgeous five years at 1898 Danforth. We have wept and belly laughed, experimented and failed, congregated and disbanded over and over. It would be very hard to find 850 square feet that were more loved.
And now it’s time to lock the door one last time, and keep following our dreams towards their next beautiful incarnation. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than on that journey.
Will you help us close this chapter with tons of love?
Monday, Nov 1, 7-8:30pm, you’re invited to gather in East Lynn park, across the street from the studio, to chat and snack and reminisce and love up this moment.
Here’s what we have planned:
A clothesline of Firefly nostalgia strung from tree to tree, and a writing station so that you can add your memories and love notes.
A chance to walk around the studio and say goodbye in small groups between 7:15-8:15pm.
A big card for the future new tenants that you can sign. (I’ll hand-deliver it when they move in.)
Our new light box will be up, where we’re leaving a message to the community, with help from artist Hana Shafi.
Optional “Connection cards” to help you start new conversations and make friends. I know — we’re total nerds.
Snacks from our beloved neighbours at The Samosarie, and the last of Bree’s famous cookies, which have been stashed in my freezer forever! (Don’t worry, I’ll taste test them first.)
If you’re there at 8:15pm, we’ll close the evening with sparklers and wishes to call in the new chapter of Firefly.
Loot bags for everyone!
If you have specific needs, let us know. If you have extra welcome in your heart, you are invited to join our welcome team, who will wear firefly buttons and make sure everyone who arrives gets a warm hello and knows where everything is.
Yes, you can join us from home! :)
If you’re too far away or just feeling anxious about gathering — we get it. You can be part of this meaning-making from anywhere.
Our plan is to end the gathering by moving our focus to the future. We’ll gather in a circle to light sparklers and share wishes for this beautiful community moving forward.
Take part from anywhere! At 8:15, or whenever feels good, light a candle and make a wish for the next chapter of Firefly. Share your wish with us, and a photo if you can. You can send it direct to us or tag us on social media.
Gathering together or not, it means a lot to us to move forward with you all.
Just owning it — gathering makes me a little nervous. You too?
I haven’t been in a more-than-5-person group for over a year and a half. I’m an anxious host to begin with, and I’m very out of practice.
But I also know how important this is. Groups matter, goodbyes matter. I want to feel the hum in my bones of people gathered in one place to simply say, “Something happened here, and it mattered.”
It will be perfect and imperfect, incomplete, joyful, honest and real. Anxieties are welcome, but please don’t feel a shred of pressure to join us in person if you’d feel better staying home.
Yes, we have a rain date!
There’s some big rain moving through Southern Ontario this week. Luckily, Heather got us 2 park permits, just in case. If it’s drizzling on Friday, we’ll meet Monday November 1st instead, same time, same park. We’ll send an email if we’re making the change.
A note about safety…
If you’re coming to the park, here are our requests:
Please don’t come if you have Covid symptoms. You can see the self-assessment on the Ministry of Health website here.
Please wear a mask. Even though we’ll be outside and we don’t technically need to, we are making this a requirement. We’ll have a box of them there in case you forget. (There will be a “masks off” side area for snacks.)
Air hugs only please. <3
Thank you for loving this sweet space with us. We made something there that has never existed before. And now it’s time to start to build towards something a thousand times better.
Here’s to Friday, whether you’re with us in person or not.
Here’s to sitting in the beauty of letting go.
Here’s to grieving and celebrating all the changes of our lives.
Here’s to every next brave step, yours, mine, ours, all of it.
In it with you,
