8 DEC 19 | PASSION

8 Values : 1 Vision

8 VALUES >

1 | ARTISTRY
2 | COLLABORATION
3 | EXPLORATION
4 | INTEGRITY
5 | LEADERSHIP
6 | PASSION
7 | SUSTAINABILITY
8 | VIABILITY

1 VISION >

Inspire, enrich, and transform lives through great design.

6 | PASSION

We define PASSION as “approaching each project with unbounded enthusiasm, commitment, and impassioned dedication to amazing design.”

Today we explore PASSION and how it is integrated into our culture and our work.


Alex Parulis

“Lunch breaks … what’s that?  Late nights … who’s ordering Pad Thai?!”. These thoughts occur frequently at The Candy Shop Creative Offices (that’s the name of our office building, which you’ll learn about in the near future); rather than seeing overtime as a sacrifice, we see it as an opportunity to go the extra mile. Putting in extra time can often be out of necessity, but in the end, it’s because we are passionate about what we do.”

Megan Stanley

“Feeling passionate about the inspiration and philosophy that forms the base of a new project can mean the difference between good work and great work. Feeling passionate towards the work that we do comes naturally from within, and at WORKSHOP8 we strive to make it a part of our culture to encourage the development of the ideas or concepts that we find joy in. Passion is the thread that keeps us attached and committed to our original intent of the work, through the most frustrating or exhausting moments of the design process.”

Ivan Patino

“Passion – the misunderstood value! Passion is difficult to describe because everyone experiences feeling differently. For me, passion is a recipe that brings together obsession + investment + emotion + desire + need + perfectionism + relentlessness with a splash of love + hatred. As I write this, I see why passion is often used to describe love. Passion at WORKSHOP8 is the value that drives us to think and say, “Good enough is not enough”.”

Chelsea Semelka

“One of my favorite things about working at WORKSHOP8 is how passion is fostered and encouraged. We are passionate about design, down to the most minute details. We are passionate about our clients; there’s nothing better than doing good work for good people. Most importantly, we are passionate about humanity and we all want to make the world a better place through design.”

Cesar Gellido

“I believe that life experiences determine the filter that we see the world through, and because WORKSHOP8 has a diverse group of passionate people, both in their ethnicities and in work and life experiences, this enhances the perspectives that inevitably affects how a building is designed.”

Maris DuBois

“Passion is what binds all the other WORKSHOP8 values; we are passionate about artistry, collaboration, exploration, integrity, and leadership. We are also passionate about the projects that we choose to work on, and therefore tend to and care for each project as if our own.”

Joseph Vigil

“Feeling strongly about something is critical to doing that something really well. Who among us are good at something without trying, or without practicing? Passion is what gives us humans the drive to stick with something long enough to really be good at it. I am not saying we have achieved perfection (I personally do not believe perfection exists), but passion is what keeps us coming back for more and striving to constantly try to improve what we do and how we do it, from our design process to our production methods and how we communicate. Passion is what keeps us striving!”

Brandy LeMae

“Passion, the value I love to hate! For real. . . after artistry this is my favorite value because without passion, what is life? I infuse passion in all aspects of my life from the food I eat, the love I share with my family, to the hobbies I participate in. At work, as Alex alludes to, this passion leads to late nights and zero lunch breaks. It also leads to less profitable projects on our end because we want to re-work that detail, find a better product, investigate a fifth/sixth/seventh/eighth design option. C’est la vie!”

Marcel van Garderen

“Passion for the projects we do is contagious to our team. Passion will drive people to do their best. A passionate team will go above and beyond what is required and deliver projects of higher quality. Of course, passion can be something that we need to be aware of. For instance, our passion can lead us to be so engrossed in design that we keep making alterations to improve the project. This can lead to exceeding our allotted project hours and consequently loss of profitability on our end. However, in the end we would rather provide the best service and best outcome for our clients.”

Sydney Angel

“Architecture is what we love to do, and we will do it no matter what. I’ve seen everyone in WORKSHOP8 put so much effort into their work because its what we are passionate about. The reasons behind our passion for architecture varies, and that is what fuels our creativity, diversity, and work ethic as a group.”

Matthew Murray

“Passion is a very important WORKSHOP8 value. Our passion for great design and creating special spaces for all of our clients is what drives us to go the extra mile on projects. Without passion, we wouldn’t stay late or come in early to design a project but we do because we love it!”

Omar de la Mora

“When you feel passion for a subject, naturally you dig deeper into the details. More passion means a greater interest in exploring the subject. It leads to better end results for having explored and considered things that others may not when they aren’t driven and passionate about their work. At WORKSHOP8, we become experts in our subjects through passion.”

FEELING THE LOVE?!

December 10th will mark the 10th anniversary of Colorado Gives Day! This year, we’re asking for your support to raise funds for one of our favorite local non-profit theatre troupes, The Catamounts!

The Catamounts is a Boulder-based performance group that pushes the boundaries of traditional theatre, delivering innovative performances by integrating music, movement, food, and drink. They also offer educational opportunities and workshops where children of all ages can create original performances, utilizing multiple disciplines of musical songwriting, movement, and dance.

The Catamounts You may have heard of them through our previous blog posts, where we’ve attended their super fun annual fundraiser events, such as “Into the Woods” and “A Galactic Adventure.”

Follow this link to the Colorado Gives website to make your PASSIONATE donation today!

Thanks for reading!

Maris DuBois | Studio Manager
08 December 2019