Texts for a new time: The Art of Coliving by Gui Perdrix
An introduction to a whole new way of life hidden in plain sight
Today’s text is a challenge to our assumptions about how life should be. Today’s text is possible answer to our yearnings about what life could be. Today’s text for a new time is The Art of Coliving by Gui Perdrix.
In recent years, as a location-independent knowledge worker, I’ve been thinking about where and how I truly want to live. I have been examining my assumptions about what my ideal home looks like. Here are some questions I’ve been asking:
What is the perfect lifestyle to support my work, which thrives on a mix of social stimulation and aloneness, novelty and routine, aesthetic enjoyment? I love solitude, I need my private time and space. How much do I need, when, and under what conditions? What is the difference between solitude and isolation?
Do I really want my home to be only for me and my partner? Why would I want to live in a place where it’s an uphill battle to socialize, where it takes effort and planning to share a meal or a walk with someone who’s not immediate family? Is there a way have it all: personal space, couple space, and community space — in the same building?
Would I actually want to own a whole house? Being a homeowner sounds like a lot of work that I am not at all interested in. Why would I choose to be responsible for maintaining and provisioning a physical building, when I have no skill at that?
I’m not a parent, but it seems to me that children and their parents have complex needs that aren’t fully met by nuclear family homes. What kind of lifestyles haven’t yet been fully explored for young families in our culture?
How can the way I live be a benefit to others, to the world around me, and to the Earth — bearing in mind the environmental impact of a globeful of single-family homes?
In living into these answers, I’ve been drawn to the lifestyle of coliving. We’re currently exploring it in a variety of ways: living in a group house, learning about the movement, studying other communities. In my research I was so grateful to discover Gui Perdrix’s The Art of Coliving, an incredibly practical handbook for anyone else who might be asking the kinds of questions I am.
The book is an introduction to a whole new world hiding in plain sight, a glimpse of utopia grounded by practicality and continuous personal growth. The comprehensiveness of the book is extraordinary, providing useful frameworks for both the business and human side of coliving. The design is attractive and frames the material in a way that’s easy to digest. And, it includes dozens of examples of exciting coliving communities for further research.
The author shows a depth and breadth of perspective that kindles trust. He is at once a savvy operator thinking carefully about growth and scale; a visionary reflecting on the potential world-changingness of an exciting new sector; a heart-centered citizen who is emotionally literate and aware of the importance of interpersonal facilitation; a skeptic with eyes wide open for the hollow promises of pseudo-community.
This book helped me feel affirmed that this lifestyle makes sense and is growing — it’s not just a weird fringe thing! I felt excited about the future of the intentional HAAS (housing-as-a-service) industry and motivated both to be part of it and help it grow.
If you are curious to explore coliving but not yet ready to read a whole book, here are some other ways in:
The Conscious Coliving Handbook, a wonderful and succinct resource that highlights the importance of community facilitation in coliving experiences.
Check out some examples of intentional coliving experiences currently in the world, like OpenDoor and LifeItself.
I am looking forward to more conversations about coliving in coming years, and to what comes about as a result of those conversations. But for now, I’m off to carve pumpkins with my housemates.