Virtual Conversations with Creatives: Adeeba Khan
Adeeba Khan is the co-owner of Shu Shop, known for its array of sakes and Japanese whiskeys, artfully delicious menu offerings, and clandestine ambiance. Shu Shop — and Adeeba — were already beloved downtown mainstays pre-pandemic, but it’s her resourcefulness, adaptability, and dedication to staff and community that has made this nightspot shine brightest during dark times.
Virtual Conversations with Creatives: Bryan Johnson
Bryan Johnson is a brand narrative photographer who has built a reputation for capturing emotion and telling the stories that connect us and the moments we want to share. Like many others in our creative community. Bryan’s work has been greatly impacted by COVID-19. Social distancing has postponed many of the weddings Bryan would typically be shooting this time of year. Instead, he has found poignant beauty in photographing his quarantined Crestwood neighbors and renewed inspiration
Virtual Conversations with Creatives: Emily Meisler
Birmingham sculptor Emily Meisler shares how shifting during Covid has helped her focus on her art in new ways, how you can check out Magic City Art Connection’s virtual gallery, and why now is a great time to explore your creativity.
Virtual Conversations with Creatives: Salaam Green
Salaam Green is a community activist, educator, spoken word artist, and founder of Literary Healing Arts. This week on Virtual Conversations with Creatives, Salaam shares how writing helped her heal, how forced isolation has changed her creative process, and why now is the best time for even non-writers to begin writing for themselves.
Virtual Conversations with Creatives: Hannelore Melville
This week, CO.STARTERS graduate Hannelore Melville of Wild Ginger Personal Chef talks through her pivot and how she has shifted her focus during COVID-19. You can check out Wild Ginger and Hannelore’s blog “In the Eat of the Moment” here.
I Create Birmingham: Kate Orsini and David McMahon
“Being a southerner is a part of my identity. That’s not necessarily true for other regions. We have this distinct tortured history, but we also love our community and each other. That makes for good storytelling.”
I Create Birmingham: Mayumi and Tariq Masri
“Classical music is all around us all the time… We have greater access to music than ever. It can be overwhelming, but there has never been less of a barrier to discovering what you might love.”
I Create Birmingham: Sam Cohen and Jesse Daniel
“The greatest thing I think we can learn from animals is compassion. We see animals as so separate from ourselves… When you can help someone learn to show compassion for animals, they generally show compassion for people too.”
I Create Birmingham: Brandon Bruce
“At this time, when everything is so drastically divided in our culture, it feels important to tell stories that are about empathy, accepting and empowering each other, and coming together. It might sound hyperbolic, but that makes our job to save the world.”
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.”
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
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: Daniel Grier
“It’s more than sustainability. It’s about adding value to what’s already there.”
We Create Birmingham: Cassandra King
“I have the opportunity to spotlight Black artisans and makers through my work… You can’t help what you don’t know, but I can change that.”
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: 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