I Create Birmingham: Rhea Williams
“Arts need to be a priority in schools and not always be the first line item that is cut in the budget. We as parents, business owners, teachers, and community leaders need to promote the value of arts and culture in our schools.”
I Create Birmingham: Logan Freeman
“What I am hoping I can do as someone who has left, and has come back, and is making a film here, is to make the world bigger for Birmingham – changing the perception of Birmingham on a world stage.”
I Create Birmingham: Brooke Fleming
“I really think anyone who is thinking about starting a business should go through CO.STARTERS. I wish I had!”
I Create Birmingham: Robert Matthews
“The Natural Sand Sculpture exhibit is the culmination of several trips over the past 14 years to Tybee Island, GA. The first time that I stayed there, I was walking around the sand dunes after a rainstorm and noticed some amazing patterns and designs in the sand. I started photographing them and was intrigued by the natural artistry that was apparent along the seashore and in the dunes.”
I Create Birmingham: Alyssa Moore & Shea Washington
“The academy has given me some confidence in my artwork. At first I didn’t really think of it as anything more than scribbles, but now I look at my work as art. It has helped me realize that there are some good parts of Ensley, and people want to change the way their community is viewed.”
I Create Birmingham: April McClung
“Running a business is a lot of work. It’s not for the faint of heart. You may look at your bank account and get discouraged, but just hang in there. Keep working hard and it will pay off. Understand your craft, join a networking group, learn to market and build your brand, work hard & keep the Faith!”
I Create Birmingham: Lauren Hlubny & Carleen Sabusap
“Our main goal was to translate information, not just the scientific components of memory but also the artistic. But we also wanted to provide a platform for people to engage in their own personal curiosities.”
I Create Birmingham: Chloe Cook & Josh Vasa
“Our organization’s commitment to downtown Birmingham and the theatre district has been in place since day one and we’re so happy that our annual event in the district has inspired people to believe in the viability of area.”
I Create Birmingham: T.K. Thorne
“Writing is another way to explore life and offers not only the universe as a tableau, but the fascinating inner worlds and multiple meanings tangled into being human.”
I Create Birmingham: Vincent Rizzo
“Learning to trust yourself and what you’re doing is key, and the rest is about just doing it. All I really need to have is an idea of what I’ve drawn or want to draw, the colors I want to use, and the time to do it.”
I Create Birmingham: Graham Yelton
“Birmingham has a way of growing on you. There’s something so cozy about this city. It’s has changed and grown tremendously, but that comfortable quality has stayed the same.”
I Create Birmingham: Aaron Hamilton
“When I make any kind of art for fun or commission work I tend to get inspired by pop culture or things that I love in general. I like when I see those influences in other people’s work.”
We Create Birmingham: Klein Arts and Culture
We Create Birmingham: Andrea Early
We Create Birmingham: Ashley Woods
We Create Birmingham: Will Mason
We Create Birmingham: Aaliyah Taylor and Gelenda Norman
We Create Birmingham: Jordan Higgins and Jacob Patrick of Electra Film Lab
We Create Birmingham: Cameron Sankey
We Create Birmingham: Dr. Leah Tucker
We Create Birmingham: Tyler Jones
We Create Birmingham: Edina Shrestha
We Create Birmingham: Cristal Laraé Brister
We Create Birmingham: Jessica Moody
We Create Birmingham: Ursula Smith
We Create Birmingham: Anthony Waller
We Create Birmingham: Viola Ratcliffe
We Create Birmingham: Jorge Castro
We Create Birmingham: Anna Foshee
We Create Birmingham: William J. Rushton
I Create Birmingham: Deborah and Alex Stone
“For as long as I can remember, my mom has been my best friend. I admired her work ethic and vision, and I never questioned her guidance. One piece of advice she gave me is, “Let other people’s ceiling be your floor.” She taught me that it was important to learn from others’ experience instead of the hard way or starting from scratch.”
I Create Birmingham: Michael and Nathan Pocus
“We are a millennial business, and we think of ourselves as global citizens. Our consumers share that philosophy and want to have a cultural experience, and we hope to celebrate and educate others about the history, science, and the people behind the coffee… There is something beautiful and artful about the entire process, and we want to approach coffee like wine. No harvest is exactly the same. It’s living. It evolves just like everything else.”
I Create Birmingham: Amanda Storey
“Even before I joined JVTF, I was interested in emergency food needs and the social justice issues that were connected to those needs. Being reactive to those needs and responding is part of our mission. Our ideas don’t always work, but I believe that vulnerability and making mistakes is part of the process of growing and improving, and so far we’ve been embraced by our community and our students.”
I Create Birmingham: Jane Reed Ross
“I’m passionate about building community in the spaces that facilitate the act of community and invite all kinds of people to come together to live, work, and interact. Designing public spaces is about inclusion.”
I Create Birmingham: Carolyn Violi and Royzell D. Walker
“Savage poses the question, ‘What makes a man civilized and what makes him a savage?’ I hope, more than anything, we inspire people to reevaluate how we look at each other now.”
I Create Birmingham: Dick Pigford
“Architecture is not a singular art form. It is about collectively creating spaces, and I love working with clients and colleagues to make environments for community.”
We Create Birmingham: Klein Arts and Culture
We Create Birmingham: Andrea Early
We Create Birmingham: Ashley Woods
We Create Birmingham: Will Mason
We Create Birmingham: Aaliyah Taylor and Gelenda Norman
We Create Birmingham: Jordan Higgins and Jacob Patrick of Electra Film Lab
We Create Birmingham: Cameron Sankey
We Create Birmingham: Dr. Leah Tucker
We Create Birmingham: Tyler Jones
We Create Birmingham: Edina Shrestha
We Create Birmingham: Cristal Laraé Brister
We Create Birmingham: Jessica Moody
We Create Birmingham: Ursula Smith
We Create Birmingham: Anthony Waller
We Create Birmingham: Viola Ratcliffe
We Create Birmingham: Jorge Castro
We Create Birmingham: Anna Foshee