On Task Studio is a nonprofit community space for Toronto creatives, owned and operated by self-proclaimed neurodivergent Alexandra Howell. 

Howell's honest expression of her identity is noteworthy, because her priority is creating a safe space for any creative who has ever felt marginalized or unaccepted. 

The studio name actually derives from Howell's experience as a child growing up with ADHD, but not yet knowing it. Many of her report cards from grade school referred to her as a bright kid who struggled to stay "on task."

If you're an animal lover as well, you'll be happy to know that Howell's two cats, Dennis the Menace and Skittles, as well as her two small dogs, Charlotte and George, all happily trek through the studio. 

Howell hosts all kinds of events in the On Task Studio in order to cultivate inspiration, including vision board parties, support groups, tarot readings, art shows, writing workshops, book and clothing swaps, and artisanal markets.

There's even a tucked-away stage for hosting various performances, including comedy and open mic nights.

The list of events and activities seems to go on infinitely, especially since Howell is always consulting the community about what they want to see in the space. 

As for her own inspirations, Howell has a long history of working in the arts. At only 15, she founded an arts magazine called FreezePeach, and at 18 she paid her way onto the North American travelling rock tour, Warped Tour, to distribute the publication.

 She spent three weeks touring with Billy Talent, Alexisonfire, and Death from Above 1979, and sold the zine in their merch section. 

When Howell stopped producing the magazine in the mid 2000s, she pivoted to band management, then stand-up comedy. In her mid-twenties, she lived in Toronto and spent most of her week in Comedy Bar.

The idea for On Task took shape when she moved to Los Angeles. After being involved in the local arts community for several years and meeting her husband, Howell came across a shop that was in the process of liquidating its inventory. 

In exchange for helping the owner sell her remaining stock, Howell was told she could use the newly-vacant space however she liked. So in February of 2020, she opened the first iteration of On Task. 

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"It's that question, if you had a space, what could you do?" says Howell. "I just started pulling in all of the [creative] people I knew who ever needed a venue. There's an abundance of creatives that are constantly looking for a space to create in. And that was just where it grew." 

Unfortunately, the initial On Task Studio didn't survive the pandemic, and Howell and her loved ones trekked back to her hometown of Ottawa. 

When restrictions finally lifted, Howell felt it was the right time to reconnect with her Toronto community.

She opened the Canadian iteration of On Task Studio on College Street last July. As it happened, there was a reassuring karmic aspect of the studio space she decided to occupy.

"The last issue [of FreezePeach] was released in 2005 [and] had an illustration on the back by a Toronto artist with the initials EGR," Howell explains. The same artists' initials can now be found on a large mural painted on the side of the new On Task building.

"I'm so grateful to be able to really appreciate and come back [to Toronto] again," she says. She's even more grateful that the community has a large appetite for creative programming.  

As On Task approaches its one-year anniversary in Toronto, Howell's hope is to continue facilitating diverse arts programs while giving the floor to anyone who wants to bring their creative ideas to life in her space.  While she hopes to expand into as many spaces as possible, her next step is to re-open the LA studio once the Toronto location is self sustaining. 

On Task Studio is located at 1124 College St. in Toronto.