It all started when I went over to Wendy's house.
While I was there, Wendy was on the phone with another friend. I wasn't really paying attention to the conversation until I heard her say something along the lines of:
"We're gonna make this happen."
When she got off the phone, I asked her what she was talking about.
She told me that she and eight of her very neurospicy friends were thinking about starting a collective — or something like that.
At the time, I jokingly called it a hippie commune.
But I was interested.
Many years ago, I had tried to get some of my own friends interested in an idea like this. Nobody ever quite pulled the trigger.
Then Wendy mentioned that our mutual friend, Adrian, was completely on board with the idea too.
From a Crazy Idea to Something Bigger
Later that week, Adrian and I met at his house, and we started brainstorming.
At first, the idea seemed fairly straightforward: create a place where people could live, work, create, and build something together.
But as we talked, the idea started changing.
We realized that we didn't just want to create a homestead.
We Didn't Just Want a Homestead
We wanted to create a space that allows people with different ways of thinking and different ways that their brains work to express their creativity and their passions.
A place where people don't have to worry about being judged for being different.
A place where each person brings something special and unique of their own.
Each person brings a unique piece of themselves — and the whole becomes stronger because of it.
A Place Where People Can Be Themselves
That's really at the heart of what we're trying to build.
Neuro Spicy Collective isn't about creating a place where everyone has to think the same way. It's almost the opposite.
We want different kinds of minds, different personalities, different experiences, different skills, and different passions to have a place where they can come together.
We believe those differences can make a community stronger rather than weaker.
Why Community Matters to Me
There's also a very personal reason this idea matters to me.
I'm taking care of my autistic brother, and I've been doing that pretty much my whole life.
One of the things I've come to understand is just how important connection can be.
My brother loves talking to people. He loves being recognized by people. He loves knowing that he belongs somewhere and that people know who he is.
And that's something I feel like we're missing.
Here in the Portland area — and honestly, everywhere I've looked — I haven't found the kind of community I'm imagining.
Community isn't just about having a place to live. It's about having people who know you, recognize you, and want you there.
That's one of the things I hope this collective can help create.
This Isn't Just for Neurodivergent People
There's something important I want to make clear.
Neuro Spicy Collective isn't meant to be a place that's only for neurodivergent people.
Neurotypical people are welcome too.
What matters to us is that people are willing to be tolerant, respectful, curious, and non-judgmental about the ways other people experience the world.
We're not trying to create a community where everyone is the same.
We're trying to create a community where people don't have to pretend to be the same.
So... What Are We Building?
Honestly?
We're still figuring that out — and even the search for a physical home has become part of the journey.
We have ideas. We have conversations. We have a growing group of people who are excited about the possibilities.
But we don't have everything figured out yet. And I think that's okay.
WHAT WE KNOW
We want to build a community where people can connect, create, contribute, and belong.
A place where different minds can bring different strengths.
A place where creativity is encouraged.
A place where people can find connection without having to fit themselves into someone else's definition of normal.
This Is Just the Beginning
We don't have all the answers yet.
We're figuring it out as we go.
But we know we want to build something different.
Something welcoming.
Something creative.
Something where people can show up as themselves and discover what they can build together.
That's Neuro Spicy Collective.
Keep it spicy!