On Task Studio: A soft place to land for Toronto artists
Why this local creative believes it’s okay to not have it all figured out.
“I’m constantly still figuring out who I am,” says Alexandra Howell of On Task Behaviour. We’re sitting in the studio on Atlantic Avenue with Howell’s two dogs, Charlotte and Georgie, on each of our laps. Vendors for On Task’s weekly summer market scatter the studio, accompanied by various painted artwork, ceramic figurines, and crotchet objects on display.
Howell, a self-proclaimed neurodivergent, is the owner of On Task Studio, a non-profit community hub that welcomes all art lovers with open arms. At its forefront, it is a safe space for any creative who has ever felt like they didn’t belong. While the initial vision for On Task began when Howell was just fifteen years old running her own art magazine, it didn’t come to fruition until years later.
“It all starts with an idea,” Howell recalls. “I remember imagining a space just like this but never thinking it would ever be possible.”
By 2019, Howell was living in Los Angeles, a city known for its plethora of creatives and misfits. While walking along Hollywood Boulevard, Howell stumbled upon a vacant shop. Just like that, the possibility of a community art space arrived at her fingertips. After meeting the owner and striking up a deal, the empty studio became the perfect opportunity for Howell’s vision to come to life: a shared space where creatives of all different mediums could create collaboratively.
“I had spent the last eight years or so in comedy and my husband is a filmmaker, and so all of our social circles were based around these creative fields,” says Howell. “And everyone needs a venue, whether it’s a place to film or a stage to perform on, and I saw this empty space as a great opportunity for that.”
After a global lockdown in 2020 and a move from L.A. to Toronto, a new phase of On Task was born. Now located in Liberty Village, the studio is a go-to spot for art markets, creative workshops, and even open mic nights. When asked about the move, Howell emphasized the importance of stepping outside of your comfort zone–whether that be experimenting with a new art style, starting a company, or moving to a new city.
“It allows you to find a version of yourself that you might not have access to when you’re in the place where people have an understanding of who you are,” says Howell, reflecting on living in a new city. “I would really lean into the experience of ‘throwing spaghetti on the wall and seeing what sticks’, you know: figure out what you want to do, who you want to do it with, and don’t feel like you have to rush to find all those answers.”
We students often want to be perceived as adults. With that comes the added pressure of figuring out who we are and what we want to do with our lives. However, we must remember that our time is sacred. Now is the time to experiment and try new things and understand that it’s okay to not have it all figured out.
“Your job as a student is to learn and to figure out what you want to do with your life,” says Howell. “Lean into that as much as possible because there are precious few other times in life where you get to do that.”
That said, if you’re looking for a safe space where you can create, experiment, and maybe just find that new purpose you’re searching for, On Task Studio is the place to be.
You can visit On Task Studio at 15 Atlantic Avenue in Toronto.
Arts & Entertainment Editor (Volume 51); Staff Writer (Volume 50) — Keira is going into her fourth year at UTM pursuing a double major in Communications, Culture, Information, and Technology (CCIT) and Professional Writing and Communications (PWC). When she’s not working or studying, you can find her nose deep in a good literary fiction novel, writing movie reviews on Letterboxd, or even training for the marathon that never seems to actually happen! You can connect with Keira on Instagram or LinkedIn.