We Create Birmingham: Andrea Early
“There is no perfect way to taste and experience wine. I want people to feel transported by wine. And that’s what I want to bring to Birmingham. I think of wine as togetherness.” Andrea Early
We Create Birmingham: Ashley Woods
“I think that human beings inherently create connection, and that’s what theatre offers. Even when things get difficult, there is still going to be that desire. It’s unique to live theatre, and that’s the hope we hang onto.” Ashley Woods
We Create Birmingham: Will Mason
“Music is just innately human. Our heart is literally beating inside of us, rising and falling with our movement, every day. Like our heartbeat, music is just essential to our survival. We should stay more focused on things (like music) that inform our mental health and well-being.” Will Mason
We Create Birmingham: Aaliyah Taylor and Gelenda Norman
“Whenever I feel like I need to refine myself to be like others, I have to remember that I have purpose in who I am. I am unique, and it’s important to remain true to you. And by doing that, you remind others to stay bold and authentic.” Aaliyah Taylor, Exalting in Beauty
We Create Birmingham: Jordan Higgins and Jacob Patrick of Electra Film Lab
“When you’re shooting passively on the phone, you can be taking pictures, but when you have a film camera, you’re photographing actively. It’s the activity you’re doing. Similar to the rise of vinyl records. I’m listening to music. That’s the activity.” Jacob Patrick
We Create Birmingham: Cameron Sankey
“I always go the extra mile because you don’t know when that opportunity comes to you. You never half-do something. You always go full force. It’s always better to be prepared.”
We Create Birmingham: Dr. Leah Tucker
“Jazz is democratic because everyone has a chance to add their own voice to the music. I want to keep passing that on. It’s the only original art form created in this country and now it’s celebrated in so many countries around the world. If it’s not passed down it may disappear.”
We Create Birmingham: Tyler Jones
“We don’t want to add noise. We want to put something in the world that moves someone. We want to be thoughtful in our work, not just reactive.”
We Create Birmingham: Edina Shrestha
“My design is inspired by my culture. We are deeply spiritual people, and I can see myself in every customer.”
We Create Birmingham: Cristal Laraé Brister
“When you know what you want, when you know who you are, regardless of the space, it makes it a lot easier to be able to navigate life and do what you need to do.”
We Create Birmingham: Jessica Moody
“I’m immediately invested in people’s success. Everything that I already am has helped me help others. At Create Birmingham, it’s just been improved because now I feel like I know more people to connect you to.”
We Create Birmingham: Ursula Smith
“I can’t just teach dance. I use dance to teach life.”
We Create Birmingham: Willie Williams of Studio 2500
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: Fairfield Black Art Collective
“Artists deserve to feel valued. We want to support living artists. We want them to be able to pay their bills with their gifts. We don’t want to be appreciated once we die.” Erika Mixon
We Create Birmingham: Annie Bryant of Bib and Tucker
“Come on in. We’ve got a place for you. Nothing is wrong. If you don’t know how to do it, just ask. We’ll show you. We don’t know everything, but there is usually somebody who knows a little bit more than you do, and we’ll help you in any way we can.”
We Create Birmingham: Carey Fountain
“This work can be very emotionally charged. It never loses its impact. Art has a way of inspiring people and inviting them into a deeper and uncomfortable conversation.”
We Create Birmingham: Daniel Drinkard, Owner of Seasick Records
“I wanted this place to be a more inviting space than many record stores tend to be…. Our goal is to be a space that makes people feel comfortable and welcome, purchasing whatever music they love. That’s why we make an effort to host community events that connect us to the city at large, more so than just being a retail store.”
We Create Birmingham: Willie Williams of Studio 2500
“Black artists are already underrepresented, so for me to own a fine art gallery as a black male and artist, I’m trailblazing and setting a precedent for generations now and to come.”
We Create Birmingham: Klein Arts and Culture
“I think that is the thing. Issues of trust. What is going on, and what is it really about? The longer that we go along, the more likely it is that people will say ok. We just have to do what we’re saying without hidden agendas. We just have to do that with time. Time and consistency are going to help.” Theo Perkins
We Create Birmingham: Willie Williams of Studio 2500
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