Hello @rwbpet ...
Sorry to see that your question has been sitting out here for so long without a response. I am a little confused by the subject line of your question. Commons is a repository of thousands upon thousands of shared content items (full courses, modules, pages, assignments, discussions, etc.) that Canvas users share with the community. Commons is not a place where you design course pages and build your content. That is all done first within a Canvas course shell. Then, when you are ready, you can then share any or all parts of your course to Canvas Commons. You can share those pieces of your course with other Canvas users around the world, with only people at your school, or privately (so you are the only one who can access it within Commons).
Since this topic is more than three years old, you may have already found help and have figured things out. But, if not, and if you still have questions, please come back to this topic to let us know here in the Community...thanks!