CONVERSATIONS
I Create Birmingham: Sarah Mason
“What began as a creative and emotional outlet has become more than a career. It’s part of my identity, and it’s how I can connect with other people who might have felt the way I have at some point. I like to think that’s why people purchase my work — they see a part of themselves in my paintings. They hang my art on their wall, and it grows with them.”
I Create Birmingham: Les Nuby
“The joy I get out of facilitating creativity is immeasurable. I love having the chance to motivate others — to see something special in them that they don’t necessarily see or believe about themselves.”
I Create Birmingham: Avani Patel
“I think relationships are integral to the design process. Jewelry is the most personal thing we wear. Clothing trends come and go, but fine jewelry is something we put on our bodies every day or on our most special occasions for the rest of our lives. We pass it down through generations. That means something.”
I Create Birmingham: Chris Hastings
“I was just a kid and didn’t know what my career would be, but in hindsight, [my summers around Pawley’s Island] was teaching me how to be a chef — how to think about where food comes from, the hope of that food — gathering it, cooking it, and sitting at a table with my family to eat it.”
I Create Birmingham: Andrea L. Taylor
“All of us were on this pilgrimage to advocate for positive social change… and in a way it became a touchstone for making future commitments geared toward finding ways that I could make a difference in my community.”
I Create Birmingham: John Scalici
“Everyone wants a purpose. Sometimes, it takes a while to find it and sometimes you haven’t had the opportunity to develop it, but it’s there. I like to call it ‘finding your personal rhythm.'”
We Create Birmingham: Thank You Books
“Birmingham is full of writers, readers, literary people, people with amazing taste, and people who want to have hard conversations. A bookstore can hold all of that in a really special way.”
I Create Birmingham: Carlton Bell
“We crave connection, and I think that is what theatre is all about — connecting stories to audiences and, more importantly, finding the common experiences and emotions that connect us all.”
I Create Birmingham: Randi Pink
“There’s nothing wrong with having a career in a non-creative field, but if you are unhappy and pining for something else, that’s what you should be pursuing…. [my mom] said I was brilliant and didn’t need to fit the same mold in order to be brilliant and engaging and successful.”
I Create Birmingham: Shelly Ann Edge
“Inclusivity is important. I’m really proud of how diverse our group is and that our girls get to experience diversity on all kinds of levels: gender identity, socioeconomic status, religion, and race. They are building relationships with others they may not have connected with under ordinary circumstances, and we volunteers get to watch those relationships grow.”
Virtual Conversations with Creatives: Duquette and Morgan Johnston
Virtual Conversations with Creatives: Adeeba Khan
Virtual Conversations with Creatives: Bryan Johnson
Virtual Conversations with Creatives: Emily Meisler
Virtual Conversations with Creatives: Salaam Green
Virtual Conversations with Creatives: Hannelore Melville
I Create Birmingham: Kate Orsini and David McMahon
I Create Birmingham: Mayumi and Tariq Masri
I Create Birmingham: Sam Cohen and Jesse Daniel
I Create Birmingham: Brandon Bruce
I Create Birmingham: Sarah Mason
I Create Birmingham: Les Nuby
I Create Birmingham: Avani Patel
I Create Birmingham: Chris Hastings
I Create Birmingham: Andrea L. Taylor
I Create Birmingham: John Scalici
We Create Birmingham: Thank You Books