We Create Birmingham: Min Sun Lee
“When I moved to the States to live with my dad, art connected us. He drew every day, and I began to draw with him. It was a way for us to bond after all this time apart.”
We Create Birmingham: Eryka Perry
“CO.STARTERS helped me understand my value and figure out how to grow… I think financial success and emotional fulfillment are often sold as being mutually exclusive, but we get to choose our realities, and having both is possible.”
We Create Birmingham: Deanna Sirkot
“In my family, there were a lot of artists, artisans, and art lovers. So, it’s always been a part of who I am… I knew I wanted to be a part of connecting art and community.”
We Create Birmingham: Irene Latham + Karim Shamsi-Basha
“One small act can create change… That can happen anywhere.”
We Create Birmingham: Katherine Cobbs
“Moving here and immediately being immersed in the food scene with local chefs allowed me to really get to know Birmingham, Alabama, and the South through this culinary lens. It was indoctrination by food!”
We Create Birmingham: Eric Wallace
“Having the opportunity to connect through a shared passion can radically change how you see the world and navigate your life moving forward.”
We Create Birmingham: Mary Fehr
“I’ve always felt that we all are deserving of great love. It might not look how you or someone else imagined or it might take a long time to find. Sometimes, it might not be the first time. But I really do believe there’s a fairytale for everyone. My work is about telling those stories.”
We Create Birmingham: Jon Osborne
“My inspiration comes from listening to music, being a part of a support group, and volunteering. I try to be present in the moment, to focus on my craft, and allow inspiration came and go.”
We Create Birmingham: Kevin Key, Jamie Cottle, & Kyle Roberts
“Legacy is about doing what it takes — recognizing something inside you that drives you beyond your current circumstances.”
We Create Birmingham: Paul Janeway + Jesse Phillips
” I think that’s how creative people cope. When life is disrupted and you feel weird or anxious, you just go create something because that’s what you do to feel fulfilled or keep yourself busy… It’s part of our DNA.”
We Create Birmingham: Jorge Castro
We Create Birmingham: Anna Foshee
We Create Birmingham: William J. Rushton
We Create Birmingham: Meghann Bridgeman
We Create Birmingham: Keith Cromwell
We Create Birmingham: Kiwi Lanier
We Create Birmingham: Buddy Palmer
We Create Birmingham: Darlene Negrotto
We Create Birmingham: Daniel Grier
We Create Birmingham: Cassandra King
We Create Birmingham: Min Sun Lee
We Create Birmingham: Eryka Perry
We Create Birmingham: Deanna Sirkot
We Create Birmingham: Irene Latham + Karim Shamsi-Basha
We Create Birmingham: Katherine Cobbs
We Create Birmingham: Eric Wallace
We Create Birmingham: Mary Fehr
We Create Birmingham: Jon Osborne
We Create Birmingham: William J. Rushton
“I look for subtlety. Being able to capture the feeling underneath a calm exterior is challenging… and that’s what I aim for — to capture personality and emotion that isn’t always outwardly expressed.”
We Create Birmingham: Meghann Bridgeman
“I strive to leave something better than I found it. And if I can do that in any small way, here in Birmingham, that’ll be an accomplishment.”
We Create Birmingham: Keith Cromwell
“We, the arts, are having an enormous economic impact on the success and vibrancy of this city… We are literally creating jobs – and in a field where it’s so hard to find an artistic home.”
We Create Birmingham: Kiwi Lanier
“I want to encourage curiosity and make sure our programs are as accessible as possible… The online film or Film Twitter community can sometimes feel insufferable — there’s lots of gatekeeping about knowledge and taste. My personal mission is to burn that to the ground.”
We Create Birmingham: Buddy Palmer
“Looking back, it’s easier to see the moments that were crystallizing for me…. One friend asked me what I was going to do, and I said, ‘I don’t know, but I know I want to make a difference.'”
We Create Birmingham: Darlene Negrotto
“I think about Vulcan’s pose a lot and how it aligns with how I feel about my role. He’s looking up and towards the future… He’s a symbol of what can be accomplished through hard work and a link from our past to our future.”
We Create Birmingham: Jorge Castro
We Create Birmingham: Anna Foshee
We Create Birmingham: William J. Rushton
We Create Birmingham: Meghann Bridgeman
We Create Birmingham: Keith Cromwell
We Create Birmingham: Kiwi Lanier
We Create Birmingham: Buddy Palmer
We Create Birmingham: Darlene Negrotto
We Create Birmingham: Daniel Grier
We Create Birmingham: Cassandra King
We Create Birmingham: Min Sun Lee
We Create Birmingham: Eryka Perry
We Create Birmingham: Deanna Sirkot
We Create Birmingham: Irene Latham + Karim Shamsi-Basha
We Create Birmingham: Katherine Cobbs
We Create Birmingham: Eric Wallace
We Create Birmingham: Mary Fehr