I Create Birmingham: Nancey Legg
“CO.STARTERS laid a good foundation for my business and gave me the confidence to keep moving forward in planning and problem solving.”
I Create Birmingham: Melissa Turnage
“I am the ‘movement specialist’ using dance and movement as my vehicle to enhance healing.”
I Create Birmingham: Charity Ponter
“You can talk about community all day long, but if you, as an artist, are not fostering your own collaborations then you will get burned out. We have to support each other or none of us will get very far.”
I Create Birmingham: Deidre Clark
“Our goal is to prepare teens to work in design fields so hopefully we can start to diversify the design world. We want to develop and retain the talent that Birmingham has to offer.”
I Create Birmingham: Katie Gonzalez
“When I was first starting to teach last year I had kids tell me that they couldn’t draw a circle. The letter O is a circle, but they had never thought of it that way. Even if my kids don’t become artists, I’m still helping them to think differently and to solve problems differently.”
I Create Birmingham: Andrew Thomson
“The idea behind Birmingham’s Design Week is to be as multi-disciplinary as possible, to inspire those who do creative work, and to educate those who appreciate it. That ends up creating a wide spectrum of subject matter between thoughtful academic lectures and quirky screen printed goods. But I think creative people like to be exposed to a variety of events and are often inspired by professions different from their own.”
I Create Birmingham: Keith A. Wolfe
“This is an opportunity for us to break down the barriers of opera. There’s the misconception that “the fat lady sings” and people may not understand the foreign language. Opera singers today have to be just as good an actor as any theatre performer. Even though most operas are in a foreign language, if you’re watching and following along you’ll get the story.”
I Create Birmingham: Brad Kachelhofer
“My best advice for shaping your brand’s identity (whether you have a start-up, nonprofit, or artistic project) is to treat it with respect and invest in its development.”
I Create Birmingham: Blaine Prickett
“It’s one of the largest Instagram communities for a single city in the country. We’re right up there with Manhattan, San Diego, and Boston.”
I Create Birmingham: Horace Ballard
“What I am learning is that the history of Birmingham is still present and that history is extraordinary. It didn’t just start in the 50s and 60s; it goes back further.”
I Create Birmingham: Carlos Izcaray
“There’s a very vibrant and interesting arts community that I feel gives identity to this city. It sets Birmingham apart from other towns in the region.”
I Create Birmingham: Joy G. Myers
“Art and creativity are really the forerunners for any type of development in a city. If you want to see a thriving community and a city that’s forward thinking then you have to nurture your creative people.”
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: Amanda Blake
“When I see my regular customers and new downtown neighbors who live and work in the neighborhood choosing Sprout & Pour, enjoying the foods and juices, wanting to try new things, and feeling fulfilled and appreciative and excited about what they are consuming, I feel like I’m accomplishing my mission.”
I Create Birmingham: Rosemary Johnson
“People experience culture in different ways. It doesn’t necessarily have to be high art. It is a part of our everyday language, and it comes from different places. Movement tells the stories in our bodies. When we can break it down that way, and encourage others to tell their own stories, it becomes a dance.”
I Create Birmingham: Eric Essix
“I owe everything to those early experiences and have been extremely blessed. My spirituality is what continues to guide me. I constantly read, study, travel, and listen. I find inspiration in my own personal experiences and others’ stories too. I always say, ‘If you live long enough, you’re bound to have something to write about.'”
I Create Birmingham: Robert Clay and Josh Snead
“We are able to film all over Birmingham and collaborate with creative minds and contract all of our cast, crew, prop-makers, and set designers right here in town… The community involvement is incredible. People are always interested and eager to help.”
I Create Birmingham: Randall Porter
“For me, personal style is about more than just clothes, it’s about empowerment. I know when I wake up in the morning, make my bed, and put on something I feel confident in that it’s going to be a good day.”
I Create Birmingham: Kathleen Farrar Buccleugh
“The Birmingham community is extremely supportive of the arts, and Opera Birmingham does an incredible job of programming diverse offerings for everyone to enjoy.”
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