Hub in Ubud… Hubud!

There is an energy found in Ubud that is not quite the same as anywhere else we have traveled this year. It’s not necessarily an energy vortex, though many here will tell you that it is strong and powerful in this sacred slice of jungle in the center of The Island of the Gods. It’s not the collective power of all the crystals and “sacred geometry” people wear, sell and carry around, though the good vibes from the 60s undoubtedly still linger in the special air clinging to the banana leaves and enveloping each of us in a warm, wet embrace. It may not even exclusively be the collective karma that overwhelmingly appears to pile up on the positive side of the globally balanced equation, though the collective goodwill and nature of the natives and guests who have happily marooned themselves in this tropical paradise produce positive karma that can be felt everywhere.

Creativity and Entrepreneurship also abound and seem to sit at the center of this energy, often combining themselves in the most interesting ways. Whether it is an artist merchandising his craft along an idealic path meandering through an even more idealic rice paddy; a Balinese woman thoughtfully preparing the morning’s offerings that festoon every threshold, alter and offering ledge; or a restaurant concept that encapsulates an entire way of life with health, nutrition and wellbeing;  ingenuity and artistry are shared by locals and transients alike. Indeed, the Balinese are renowned for their art and craft, drawing people from all over the world to it’s cultural heart. Which is why, I think, that even though there has been so much change, development and growth since our first visit almost 20 years ago, the Island, and specifically Ubud, continues to be such an energetic, magical place that pulls us in every time.

An unlikely establishment made almost entirely of bamboo, called Hubud, is a great example of how this energy comes together to form something new and unique. Hubud is a co-working space; on the face of it, not much more… Surely, you may ask, there must be a cooler place to highlight in this world-renowned jungle town? Which may be the case if it was just a co-working space, but like everything in Bali, it’s so much more.

 

After ascending the stairs for the first time, kicking off my flip-flops outside the front door, and walking into the small lobby, I felt immediately like I was at home, with my kind of people. The energy of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship buzz and hum as you walk around the main floor, set up with shared worktables arranged in clusters. A glassed in conference room beyond the main work area has a group intently looking at a PowerPoint presentation. Laptops and large monitors set up for the day litter the tables as people work individually and in small groups. Past the galley kitchen, offering free coffee and tea, a swinging door leads out to a garden patio that features a large laptop bar overlooking serene rice paddies, a Living Food Labs raw food bar, where eclectics eat lunch and sip healing tonics, and a grassed courtyard replete with huge beanbag lounges for the more casual thinker and collaborator.

We joined immediately! After all, we fit their mission perfectly. Work-life balance is a hallmark of the entrepreneurial lifestyle in Bali, which is one of the core principals of Project Equator, where Lisa and I connect our family with cultures around the world while starting a new digital media venture. Hubud celebrates this value as a means to success, where so many incubator / shared work environments promote  the opposite, where an atmosphere of a more unbalanced, work-til-you-drop mentality persists.

For the past year, Lisa and I have embodied the concept of Digital Nomad, of which there is a whole tribe that makes up the Hubud family. At a welcome lunch where we sat down with the co-founder of Hubud, Steve Munroe, and a band of global, digital nomads from around the world, we were immediately struck with the diversity of talent, yet singularity of attraction, to this magnetic temple of sustainability. We’ve met several entrepreneurs in and around the Bali community, and the sense of connection and collaboration mirrors the karmic roots of the Balinese people.

 

We all frequented Hubud over the course of our 2+month stay in Ubud. Wescott, Yve and Otto joined, using it as their school library and cool hangout often. Our buddy Ben, a 21-year old entrepreneur who is staying with friends Wendy and Walker, could always be found working on one of three businesses he had conceived and launched in a matter of weeks. Lisa and I had a few late night calls in Hubud’s Skype booths, reveling in the 5G Internet connections we craved for so much of the trip. We joined in on a mixer, where nutritious juices were replaced with beer, wine and pizza, offering a chance to meet many creative, entrepreneurs, designers, bloggers and personalities. It all just felt perfect, set in a perfect place.

Gazing out across the mature rice plants bending gracefully with their almost-ripe grain heads, my laptop keys untouched for the past several minutes, I am struck with a sense of the energy that is, in fact, a collective generation of an unseen vortex, spiritual crystals, positive karma, centuries-cultivated creativity and an undeniable entrepreneurial spirit. It is a collaborative evolution, started and cultivated by the Balinese, and amplified by a fascinating, eclectic, imaginative, grounded, seeking set of visitors. I am powered up, renewed, refreshed and ready to take on the next chapter thanks to a nice pit stop here in Hubud. To all my digitally-nomadically inclined friends out there, here’s a piece of advice: come to Bali, join Hubud and let the creative process begin!