JoshMob
In March 2024, I embarked on a series of in-person casual community conversations that investigated what might happen if we convened without an agenda, not centering any one individual experience or story, not driven nor facilitated by anyone, with a low barrier of participation and no expectations for anyone to show up. Yet show up they did!
I kicked off the series in Boulder and Denver; in June, I toured up the east coast, visiting blood family and friends, and convening in Washington DC, Philly, New York City, Providence, and Boston; in September that year I popped up in Raleigh, connecting two friends formerly of the Bay; and in December I was in Los Angeles to kick off a vacation and conclude the first year. The series has continued since — February 2026 brought a second NYC gathering, and April marked a first in Seattle.
Initially announced as the awesomely alliterative Creative Community Coffee Conversations (see what I did there?), an old friend Kristen Paulson suggested — in person, in Boston — that they be dubbed the JoshMob. (Boom, done.) Building on my three decades of leadership and service in AIGA — once the oldest and largest professional association for designers — I came to know lots of folks in lots of places. And clearly, I like to travel. Weeks before arriving, I’d find (or ask for referrals for) cool, ideally non-chain, queer-friendly and/or minority-owned coffeeshops, and claim a table or two for 2–3 hours. I bought lots and lots of coffee and pastries for folks — a small effort for a huge reward supporting my experiment in community building. Friends I hadn’t seen in a decade, friends I’d known for decades. I met folks in person I’d previously only chatted with inside our virtual rectangles.
Here’s what I learned — and a few delightful highlights:
1 — It’s extremely rewarding to introduce people in places that they live — even if I don’t live there or previously did. I saw lots of phones bumping to exchange contact info. Community connectivity: created.
2 — Folks crave the free-form space to surface whatever is on their mind: Politics. Movies. Teaching and teaching online. Writing and publishing their next book. Fundraising their next venture. Life goals. How long they’ve lived in / their favorite local spot in [insert city here]. Their particular pastry or coffee order.
3 — One common thread I saw pop up in a few of these was the How do you know Josh? game. Lots of smiles!
4 — In DC, after thanking everyone for a spirited conversation, bussing our table, and then heading towards the Metro, I returned to the café for a brief bathroom break. Only afterwards did I emerge to discover Maxine — a friend from Design Twitter whom I’d never met in person — looking for the gathering. I’m so grateful to have intersected with her because we talked for an additional two hours!
5 — Snehal, an alum from the MDes program at CCA, had just moved to Boston after accepting a role with the MBTA. “I’m new here and don’t know anyone,” she said. “Here’s a dozen of my favorite Boston people,” I replied.
6 — Friends I knew from our Boston days — who happened to be in Providence looking at apartments — joined that gathering. Ken, a friend, former colleague and client, connected them with an apartment they ended up accepting.
7 — Friends I brought together for the most recent gathering in Seattle had known about each other but hadn’t ever met in person. Neighbors realized they were neighbors. And one person even recognized the other by the dog they were walking (pictured)!
Big big thanks to each and every one of the fine folks that came out — whether it was for a few minutes or a few hours. Your time is valuable and your participation was meaningful.
Creating these spaces for possibility and connectivity is extremely gratifying to me, and I feel very lucky to know so many amazing smart talented beautiful diverse people in so many beautiful places. And since one critical component of business is networking, you can expect to see more JoshMobs over the years.
