During our project in Guadalajara, I posted up in a small, upscale coffee shop in a nice neighborhood. I sat at a table and began planning out my day. Across the room, I noticed the woman behind the counter, confined to a small 6×4 foot rectangular space, barely big enough for her to move freely. Her workspace seemed like a tiny, constrained box, while I sprawled out in the open space reserved for the patrons.

At first glance, I felt a pang of sympathy for her. All day long, she’s stuck in that little box, making coffee after coffee, repeating the same motions in the same confined space. This is her world for most of her day.

I felt bad for her…until I remembered that I spend most of my days confined to a tiny box too. My box just happens to be a MacBook screen and an iPhone screen. But as I watched her work, I realized my initial sympathy was misplaced. There was an invisible dimension to her role that I had completely overlooked.

Physical vs Social Architecture

While the architecture of her space limits her ability to move around, the social architecture of that space is anything but. She interacts with every single person who comes in here—people with influence, people with connections, people with opportunities (this is in a well-off neighborhood, remember?). I noticed that she made a great americano with impeccable service; I’d wager that her regulars notice and appreciate that as well.

In a way, her small space behind the counter isn’t as limiting as it looks. She may not have much room to move physically, but her role gives her constant access to new faces, each interaction an opening to something more.

In Austin, where I’m from, it’s not uncommon to hear of attentive baristas landing gigs at tech companies. A founder notices their knack for remembering orders and nailing the details, and suddenly slinging espressos has opened new chapters in a career.

Takeaway: When taking stock of your work, make sure you examine it through the lens of the connections and interactions happening around you.

Your immediate space might feel limiting, but the social architecture—the network of people you engage with daily—could be what opens doors.

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