That's exactly what Katie, a Boston-based brand and creative marketing consultant, did this summer: she worked from The Study in downtown Kingfield while her two kids spent their days at an outdoor recreation camp just fifteen minutes up the road.
For a lot of working parents, school breaks are a scramble. The work doesn't pause for summer, February vacation, or a random in-service day, but the childcare math suddenly gets a lot harder, and "just work from the kitchen table" rarely holds up when you've got clients, calls, and a deadline. Katie's summer is a small preview of a setup that works: kids engaged and outdoors, and a real professional workspace a few minutes away where you can actually lock in.
We're sharing her story now, at the start of the school year, on purpose. If you're a parent, this is the moment to start thinking about the winter version of the same plan: school vacation weeks, half-days, and the busy season ahead. Pairing a plan for the kids with a day pass or membership at The Study means you don't have to choose between being present for your clients and being present for your family. Here's how it looked for Katie this summer.
Meet Katie.
Katie is a
brand and creative marketing consultant with over 15 years of agency experience and 8 years building brands in-house. She partners with startups and established organizations to define their brand, find their voice, and deliver campaigns and creative that resonate — and she's passionate about mentoring creatives and building collaborative teams.
Before you found The Study, where were you actually getting work done when you came up to Maine — and what wasn't working about it?I usually work from my sister-in-law's house or a coffee shop when I visit. In a previous life that was fine — it was more about catching up on email while out of office. But now that I'm consulting full-time, I really need a space to lock in and get work done for my clients when I come up to Maine. I need a second monitor to multitask, and I didn't want my conference calls to ruin the vibe in the coffee shop.
You're a creative director — your output is only as good as the head-space you bring to it. What changed once you had a dedicated professional workspace for the day?I worry sometimes that clients think I'm not 100% focused when I join from a random location. The Study gives me the same setup I built for my home office in Boston, which helps me be more productive — and gives me a more professional backdrop for my Zoom calls.
Your two kids were at an outdoor recreation camp while you worked. How did knowing they were happily occupied nearby change your day?Oh, it's the best. I love that they're just fifteen minutes up the road, so I can maximize my time at The Study and bounce when I need to grab them. And having coffee right next door and a grab-and-go market across the street for lunch between calls is perfect. I also love the new pop-up in the entrance — I can grab a pair of earrings or a card, all sourced locally.
For another freelancer or remote professional who's on the fence about a day pass instead of just working from wherever — what would you tell them?Don't overthink it. For people passing through like me, you'll get so much more done and be so much less stressed if you just carve out a little time at The Study. And for people who live here? It's the perfect change of scenery — whether you usually work from home alone and want to see people, or you work in an office and just don't want to see *those* people. It's your office away from your office.
Thinking ahead to winter — parents, this one's for you.Katie's summer worked because two things lined up: her kids had somewhere great to be, and she had a real professional workspace minutes away. As the school year gets going, it's worth looking ahead to the next stretch of school vacation weeks and the busy winter season — because the same setup works just as well when there's snow on the ground.
We're actively exploring how The Study can support local families through the winter breaks, and we'd love to hear from you.