Last night I lay awake for a couple hours. The city was so quiet. My feet were burning hot. Was it the glass of wine I drank at dinner, or the walk to the Castro theater and back in clogs? Thoughts thundered through my head like mustang horses.

In Occidental, I was charmed by a lovely herbal apothecary run by a very engaging, artistic woman who makes tinctures, presents talks and workshops. An adjacent space with a shared foyer that she recently started occupying with a temporary tag sale sent my mind flying. In that space, with its redwood floors and white walls, I imagined a gallery as a complementary venue that supports her work by providing a workshop and presenting space, while I showed art on the walls. My presence there could also give her time away from the shop, to make tinctures and art. I could teach workshops that might appeal to her clientele, like drawing and book making for the botanist. And her presence a couple days a week could spell me as well. We could each do what we love, and if we did it humanely, it could be sustainable. At the center of two parallel paths of entrepreneurship is a vision for independence, creativity and mutual support.