Welcome to the newly refreshed Big Calm website!
If you’ve ever gone through a website redesign, you know it’s about a lot more than just picking new colours and updating photos. It forces you to sit down and really think about how you talk about what you’re doing. For us, putting words to the vision for Big Calm’s Phase 2 project meant doing a lot of soul-searching about community, connection, and the future.
During this refresh, a few specific (and slightly uncommon) words kept bubbling to the surface. They felt so perfectly aligned with what we are trying to build that we wanted to take a moment to define them and share why they resonate so deeply with our next chapter.
Here are three words shaping the future of Big Calm:
1. Kith (and Kithship)
Definition: noun | familiar friends, neighbours, or acquaintances.
You’ve probably heard the old phrase “kith and kin,” where kin means your blood relatives, and kith means your close friends and neighbours. We actually stumbled back onto this word while reading Chris Smaje’s thought-provoking book, Finding Lights in a Dark Age: Sharing Land, Work and Craft.
Smaje discusses the underused concept of “kithship,” and it hit us right in the heart. It’s the profound notion of a chosen family. At Big Calm, especially as we step into Phase 2, we aren’t just looking to build adjacent houses; we’re looking to foster kithship. It’s the idea that the people you share land, work, and daily life with become an anchor. You choose them, and they choose you. It’s a beautiful, intentional way to live, rooted in mutual care rather than just shared genetics.
2. Convivial (and Conviviality)
Definition: adjective | (of an atmosphere or event) friendly, lively, and enjoyable; (of a person) cheerful and friendly.
If kith describes the people, convivial describes the vibe. Conviviality is a wonderfully playful word that perfectly conveys the deeply underrated social environment we are aspiring to cultivate here.
Current events are depressing and modern life can be incredibly isolating, even when we’re surrounded by people. Conviviality is the antidote. It’s the warm hum of shared meals, impromptu porch chats, laughter over garden chores, and the simple joy of being around people who are glad to see you. It’s not forced or mandatory socializing; it’s a natural, lively warmth that makes a physical place feel like a true home. As we design the physical and social spaces for Phase 2, cultivating a convivial atmosphere is right at the top of our priority list.
3. Cooperative
Definition: adjective | involving mutual assistance in working toward a common goal.
noun | a farm, business, or other organization that is owned and run jointly by its members, who share the profits or benefits.
Most people know the literal, everyday meaning of being “cooperative” – playing nice in the sandbox and working together. And while we definitely want that, for Big Calm Phase 2, the word takes on a much more formal, structural meaning.
We are organizing and pivoting to incorporate as an equity housing co-op. This means we aren’t just cooperating in spirit; we are adopting the formal structure, security, and historic values of the cooperative movement. By utilizing a co-op model, we can ensure that our community remains financially accessible, legally secure, and democratically governed by the people who actually live here. It’s a proven, resilient way of organizing a community that protects our shared vision for the long haul.
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As we launch this refreshed site and take our next steps into Phase 2, these three words – kithship, conviviality, and cooperative – are a few additional north stars. They remind us that we are building a chosen family, cultivating a joyful environment, and securing it all with a foundation of shared ownership.
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash.
