Evelyn Greene

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March ’s Theme is Corruption.

Corruption can start innocently, like favoring someone you know over someone you don’t. Or recalling a gift they once sent, and repay them with a project for that sweetness. Corruption is a spectrum, rewarding social connections and financial advantages over the rules of fair play. It exists in every society and every institution. 

Some people survive through corruption, the labyrinthine bureaucracies where they live making it literally impossible otherwise. But while they survive, others perish. Rising plumes of toxic chemicals, collapsing buildings not constructed to code, we owe the calamities all around us to those who cared more about profit than people and gain over the greater good. 

As social anthropologist Lucy Koechlin notes, “A world without corruption is a powerful idea. But it doesn’t appear out of the blue.” It takes courage to speak out. To demand transparency and accountability. To strengthen whistleblower protections and the rule of law. To break up corporate concentration while organizing coalitions of people to reset the balance. What will you do to hold power to account? Our Monterrey chapter chose this month’s exploration of Corruption and Violeta Hernández illustrated the theme. 

EVENING POP-UP!: Start Your Personal Revolution with Jake Jorgovan

June is #REVOLUTION and a month of big firsts for CreativeMornings/Nashville. Not only are we having our first music industry talk by Jay Miller of United Record Pressing on June 26 (tickets go live on Monday, June 22 at 9:00 AM. Register here)…

But, we are also holding our FIRST EVENING POP-UP EVENT! Jake Jorgovan will be talking Personal Revolution with us on Wednesday, June 24 at The Skillery. Tickets are already live, and free as always, so go register before they run out!

Jorgovan is a Creative Strategist, helping creative entrepreneurs improve and grow their business. He’s the mind behind the Working Without Pants podcast for creative entrepreneurs, and he also offers a number of books and courses on his site. Definitely, check it out!

Register for Personal Revoluton with Jake Jorgovan
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/revolution-pop-up-tickets-17425975562

Spotlight: Michaela M. Powell, CMNSH Photographer

You likely know that CreativeMornings/Nashville is an all-volunteer endeavor, and that we rely on a team of dedicated, perennially-positive morning people to make the magic happen each month. 

Now we’d love for you to also get to know our volunteers. First up, meet Michaela M. Powell, our Event Photographer extraordinaire. 

Most days, you will find Michaela at one of our favorite spots, The Skillery, where she works as a concierge lending support to fellow creatives and entrepreneurs. She is also a creative assistant, freelance photographer, baker of breads and other treats through her company Goose Lemon, and an experimental doodler with Dr. Terror Art Therapy. 

CMNSH - How long have you been living/working in the Nashville-area? How does our community impact you or your work?

Michaela - I have been involved in the Nashville community since 2010, but have lived here since 2012. Surrounding myself with other creatives keeps me accountable on the work I am making. If I see my friends burnin’ that midnight oil on their side projects, it’s a small kick in the pants for me to pick my camera back up, keep the water colors out and make stuff.

CMNSH - What unexpected twists have you experienced in your career so far?

Michaela - Ha! There are always twists. I think all things that have happened to me in my career for the past 5 years have lead to the next thing. I can say, all have prepared me for the next leap.  I went from being a full-time graphic designer in Texas to loading my car and moving to Nashville to attend a show at the Ryman (The Civil Wars). I actually ended up working for a doggie bakery (See Spot Eat) and ice cream shop (Pied Piper Creamery) for about six months while pursuing Photography Assisting. During that time I accepted a job offer with Hatch Show Print.  After I left Hatch I worked for another company and they fired me, that was something I didn’t see coming.  However, it allowed me to really consider what I wanted to offer a company and what type of work I wanted to be doing. I decided to label myself a Creative Assistant, because I enjoy working with creatives and making sure they have all they need to stay focused on the work they are creating. Shortly after I did this, I found a job which was exactly what I wanted and they happened to want me to trailblaze an idea of a position for their space (The Skillery). 

CMNSH - What keeps you inspired? How do you get yourself out of a creative slump or block?

Michaela - What keeps me inspired? A lot of things. My own story is always a great place to start. I write for myself, it’s something I have been doing for a handful of years. Whenever I don’t feel creative I refer back to what experiences I have lived through and remind myself this, whatever ‘this’ is, will work out with time.

BONUS ROUND - What’s your favorite animated gif?

Michaela - I dream of dressing like a tap dancing bumble bee when listening to No Rain by Blind Melon…

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You can learn more about Michaela M. Powell on her web site (michaelampowell.com), or by following her on Instagram. Interview by designer + infographer Angela Gasparetti.

CMNSH at Porter Flea

Porter Flea is coming and of course CreativeMornings/Nashville will be there. Be sure to stop and visit our partners, speakers, and team members selling their fantastic work at this season’s market: Saturday June 6, from 10am - 5pm at Track 1!

AMARANTHUS PAPER & FLORAL ( instagram )
Colorful paper bouquets by CMNSH Color speaker, Miranda Eastburn 

BEARDITION ( instagram / twitter )
All natural beard grooming company. Beardition is a repeat partner and co-owned by Chief Morning Officer Kristin Schleihs.

MONKEY INK DESIGN ( twitter )
Gorgeous sceenprinted posters by CMNSH host Alicia W. Binkley and Master Printer Drew Binkley.

STERIC DESIGN
Beautiful furniture from the maker of our sweet wooden event signage.

STRAW CASTLE ( instagram / twitter )
Block Prints by Derrick Castle, designer of our rad CMNSH t-shirts!

For those (not) about to shave, we salute you

Beardition is an all natural(ly) awesome men’s beard + grooming products company here in Nashville, as well as one of our repeat partners! 

The company itself was born both out of need and a passion to create. In early 2012, Mark Williams (local financial analyst + company CEO) came back from a month long hike on the Appalachian Trail only to start developing his own beard grooming products, needing to keep his newly fuzzed face in check. 

A pitch to his designer neighbor (co-owner + chief creative lady, Kristin Schleihs) to brand the company, and it was a go. Today, Beardition proudly offers men the finest in 100% all natural grooming products, specifically targeting the bearded fellas but not discriminating against the not-so-fully-bearded, or clean shaven. Giddy up + beard on, friends.

[CMNSH] Since Nashville is Music City, what’s your go to playlist or podcast to listen to while you work?

[Kristin] Podcast: Nerdist + WTF  |  Playlist: 90s jams

[Mark] Podcast: Dan Patrick Show  |  Playlist: Blackberry Smoke

[CMNSH] How long have you been living / working in the Nashville-area? How does our community impact you or your work?

[Mark] Ventured over from Dallas 8 years ago.

[Kristin] Migrated down from Wisconsin nearly 10 years ago. Nashville was the perfect place for us to launch a business of our type. Not only is our target market here (cool, bearded fellas) but it is also a phenomenal time to be a small business owner here. With the explosion of creative entrepreneurs in Nashville, the love for local and the shared passion to create something worthwhile, we’re driven each and every day to connect with more and more awesome people. For me, being a member of The Skillery this past year (co-working space) and helping organize our local CreativeMornings chapter has completely changed the way I work, not to mention helped me get our brand out there… and love our city even more.

[CMNSH] What is your favorite project you’ve ever worked on? What would your dream project be?

[Mark] I’ve been on the financial side of the healthcare industry my entire career, so running the business side of my own company is my passion. Though my day job is still in the corporate world, we hope to grow Beardition to the point of it supporting us both full time and beyond. Dream project? Hmmm… I may turn into a serial entrepreneur, so we’ll see what comes next!

[Kristin] This company has no doubt been my favorite project thus far, with CreativeMornings a close second. I’ve worked at a few corporate design jobs, but being my own boss and working out of a co-working space really seems to suit me best. I still do freelance design as my day job, but it’s pretty cool to get to watch a company you’ve created grow, and see people interact with your products. I really love having an outlet to be able to add an extra bit of happy to our followers/customers everyday lives. Dream project? Maybe create a sister brand to Beardition… for the ladies! 

[CMNSH] What are you most excited to share right now?

1. We’re gearing up for our first time being a vendor at Porter Flea this weekend! We’ll be in the new Porter Parlour. Come by and say hey… we love high fives.
   
2. We just packed up a few boxes of our beard oil to share in the nominee/performer gift bags for the CMT Awards happening next week here in Nashville. We love any fun ways to help enhance the beardliness of our fine city.

BONUS ROUND - What’s your favorite animated gif?

(Top: Kristin's fav; Bottom: Mark's fav).

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You can learn more about Beardition on their web site (beardition.com), or by following them on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Interview by designer + infographer Angela Gasparetti.

Spotlight: Susannah Felts, The Porch Writers' Collective

The Porch’s Susannah Felts (right) and Katie McDougall (left).

Always-sunny morning person and native Nashvillian Susannah Felts is an accomplished writer, teacher, and editor. We could go on for days about all the amazing things Susannah has done… Her first novel, This Will Go Down on Your Permanent Record, was published by Featherproof Books in 2008, she’s won several awards and fellowships, and her work has appeared everywhere from The Oxford American to (one of our favorite’s) McSweeney’s Internet Tendency.

But, today, we’re talking with Susannah about one project in particular — The Porch Writers' Collective — which she established here in Nashville along with co-founder Katie McDougall.

1 - Can you talk about what The Porch Writers’ Collective is and what you provide for the writing community?

Sure! The Porch is a nonprofit center for writing (aka, literary center), and we exist to support, educate, and connect writers and anyone passionate about the literary arts in the Middle Tennessee area. We do all of that in a bunch of ways: We offer classes in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, taught by well-qualified instructors; We provide regular panel discussions that help writers learn more about the business of writing and publishing; We host free monthly write-ins at The Skillery; We hold twice-yearly writers’ retreats in Sewanee, TN; and, We organize innovative public events around literature and writing.

2 - You are a Tennessee native, correct?

Correct! OK, almost. I was born in Little Rock, AR, but my folks and I high-tailed it to Nashville when I was a year old.

Your personal story states, "There were encampments in Connecticut, Atlanta, and North Carolina; a deep settling in Chicago; a sojourn in Birmingham, Alabama." You’ve lived in quite a few different places. Can you tell us a little bit about how your endeavors in other locales influenced your writing and the desire to found The Porch?

My years in Chicago are the most relevant in answer to your question. I received my MFA in Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, then stayed and taught there while also freelancing. During those years, I witnessed the blossoming of a vibrant indie literary community, with new reading series and publications popping up all the time. It felt like a period of emergence and great energy. Being a part of that community of writers was something I took very much for granted until I left — and realized just how precious and useful it had been.

By the time I moved back to Nashville, I was aware of a number of existing literary centers in other cities, and at the same time, I saw creative growth here that reminded me of what I’d observed of the Chicago literary scene years earlier. Stir in the population growth in Nashville, and boom: Was there ever a better time to start a center for writing here? Nay, there was not.

I’ve seen so many smart, passionate folks bring ideas here from other cities. It feels good to be a hometown girl who’s trying to do a similar thing. In fact — and I love this fact — my Porch co-founder Katie McDougall is also a Nashville native. We both left town for many years, and I’d say we both dig the fact that we’re creating something new in the city where we were raised up, which was, of course, a very different place wayyy back in the day.

3 - Here at CreativeMornings/Nashville we have a multitude of unique creatives including illustrators, designers, psychologists, dancers, writers, photographers, and programmers. Where do writers fit into the creative landscape, and what is the truest thing you could say about the writing community in Nashville?

Writers fit right in to that lovely list you’ve made! These days, there’s a lot of chatter about the power of story/storytelling in commercial creative culture (advertising, marketing, branding, etc). That makes me smile.

Writers understand perhaps better than anyone else the primacy of story and the power that comes with knowing how to wield words. Nashville has a strong literary history with deep roots, but in recent years our contemporary literary scene has been a bit quieter, or less cohesive, than what we’ve seen in other areas of the burgeoning local creative economy. That’s changing for the better, though. I also want to see the literary arts increasingly engaging with the visual and performing arts in Nashville. There’s so much room for fabulous collaboration.

One true thing about the writing community in Nashville: it’s growing. Oh, and like no other writing community elsewhere, it always has to distinguish itself as not songwriting… 

4 - What have you accomplished this year with The Porch, and what do you plan on tackling in the next year?

I’m going to let co-founder Katie McDougall step in and answer this one, since she’s been a critical force behind the Porch’s accomplishments. Take it away, Katie…

Katie McDougall: In our first year and a half, we’ve run about 35 writing workshops, held 25 unique literary events, hosted three successful weekend writing retreats, and engaged in creative writing outreach with Time to Rise, Nashville Adult Literacy Center, Oasis Center, and Martha O’ Bryan Center. We’ve also acquired our 501c3, established a membership program, held a successful inaugural fundraiser, co-hosted a city-wide teen writing workshop, and put together a strong board of directors. In other words, we’ve been busy!

Our plan for this next year involves basically more of the same. Additionally, we plan to expand our teen program, Nashville Emerging Writers (N.E.W.), by offering monthly workshops year-round in hopes of further developing a vibrant youth literary citizenry.

5 - Where can folks follow you and find out more about how The Porch is helping support local writers?

Our website is porchtn.org, we’re on Facebook (ThePorchWritersCollective) and Twitter (@porchtn), and we’d love for you all to sign up for our monthly newsletter.

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Interview by graphic designer Stephen Jones.

Spotlight: Allen Laseter, Director/Illustrator/Animator

Have you seen the beautiful #CMNSH animation we unveiled at our April/Humility talk, yet? If not, drop everything and watch it now, because we’d like to introduce you to the amazing artist who created it: Allen Laseter, freelance director/illustrator/animator and one of our favorite morning people.

1 - What types of projects have you been working on recently? How do clients utilize your motion design and animation talents to tell their stories? What type of work would you like to do more of?

I’ve been doing a whole lot of explainer videos lately. With the growing number of companies and start-ups that need visual content, that kind of thing seems to have exploded in the last few years. This has been great for someone like me who is a bit of a newcomer and still trying to find their voice, and these kinds of projects can also be pretty fun to work on, but I’m definitely itching to branch out into more music video and narrative-based work. 

Pictured: Allen Laseter and a still from Allen’s piece “Flex Connect” for Autosoft.

2 - You graduated with a Film Degree at Watkins College of Art, Design & Film, correct? How did you transition from film to motion? Was it a natural progression?

Yeah, I studied directing and cinematography in school. Straight after graduating, I began freelancing and was just taking on any sort of video project I could get my hands on. I didn’t have much experience with animation other than goofing around with it here and there for fun, but somehow a motion project just kind of fell into my lap one day. I naively took the job thinking my very limited experience would qualify me, but I quickly found myself in over my head. It was a bit of a nightmare at first, but being backed into a corner forced me to learn very quickly, and once I finally started to get the hang of it, I realized that I got a satisfaction out of illustrating and animating that I couldn’t get out of live action. I was using the directing and cinematography training I got while in school for this different medium that was very new to me, and that was exciting. Now that I work exclusively in animation, I still do that and I try to use it to my advantage.

3 - There are many creative partnerships among our members here at #CMNSH. Your fiancé is a designer as well. How does having a creative significant other influence your process and your work? 

It’s amazing! My fiancée, Lindsey Armstrong, is a badass designer. I feel super lucky to have someone who works in a creative field that is ultimately pretty different from mine but still has a whole lot of overlap with it. She’s able to give me great feedback on the work I’m doing because she has a great eye and lot’s of formal design training and experience. But, since she doesn’t deal with motion day-to-day, she’s able to assess my work without getting distracted by the technical details of animation and can instead give me a fresh perspective on the more important aspects of a project like concept, visual structure and mood. It’s easy to lose sight of those things when you’re scrambling to finish a project, so it’s nice to always have access to a trusted creative with a fresh perspective.

4 - You spend multiple hours on projects that can often run for only 30 seconds. What is your process for telling a good story within that timeframe and what is the biggest challenge?

Yeah, the ratio of hours worked to screen time is really absurd, but I kind of like that about it. The only way I know how to make good work is to put in a lot of time. I like to put in a lot of this time upfront and try to figure out how to most concisely tell whatever story needs to be told before diving into execution. I like to feel really good about the storyboard before moving forward. For me, one of the biggest challenges is resisting the urge to focus on style before I have a really good handle on the concept. This seems like such an easy trap to fall into, and can wreck a potentially good project. To help with this, I make my storyboard using super basic shapes and stick figures. Lately, I’ve also started illustrating in greyscale and animating with super rough versions of the final illustrated assets. Anything I can do to keep me working from general-to-specific seems to help with the process.

5 - Where can people follow you and find more about your work?

You can find more of my work at AllenLaseter.com or follow me on Dribbble or Vimeo where I’m most active. You can also follow me on Twitter (@lasetat) and Instagram (also @lasetat).

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Interview by graphic designer Stephen Jones.

Recap: April / Humility with Jordan Bellamy, WELD

April’s theme was HUMILITY. 

Before Jordan Bellamy of WELD began his talk, CreativeMornings/Nashville started the party off by giving away a copy of Kid President’s Guide to Being Awesome. If you missed it, catch Brad Montague’s November/Chance talk online.

We also held our first round of 30 second pitches. Our pitchers were Allan Redd, who was looking for a designer for Pencil & Paper Creative Development Co., and Angela Wiggins of Earnest Journey, who introduced us all to her career and leadership coaching. We’re happy to report that both Allan and Angela found who they were looking for, so the first round was a solid success!

Jordan even gave lucky morning people a tour of the much-anticipated new WELD co-working space which launched on May 11th.

If you didn’t get a chance to see it, be sure to catch Jordan’s talk online. He shared his own humble beginnings in California (which involved a banana suit and failing at surfing), his journey back to Texas, and ultimately launching WELD Nashville.

WELD believes that community is essential for creative growth and that sharing physical space is vital for providing the encouragement and resources to create our best work, to grow as individuals, and to cultivate meaningful relationships.

“At WELD, we are better served when we serve each other.”

Jordan helped us define and frame out humility and pride, asking us to examine our lives and ask if we view ourselves as an individual or as part of a collective. Pursuing our dreams is a good thing because the world needs our talents, but we also need to balance it with serving others.

“A rising tide lifts all boats.”

Jordan’s parting advice: Surround yourself with good voices, collaborators, and relationships. Realize that your natural gifts are not necessarily intuitive to others. Don’t feel guilty about consuming good things when you’re in a season of constantly producing. Watch what’s on your input side! Fail a lot.

Thank you to everyone who came out and made April our largest gathering yet, and thank you to our sponsors: Frothy Monkey and Jive! We hope to see you all in May for ROBOT with Chris Lee. 

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Blog post by morning person and graphic designer Emily Carlton.

Spotlight: Derrick Castle of Strawcastle

As you all know we have a talented and diverse group of makers, doers and creative ballers within the CreativeMornings/Nashville community. This month we want to tip our hats to the one and only Derrick Castle, owner of Straw Castle, Derrick’s detailed woodblock prints and high-level client work can be seen from maker pop-ups to cans of Miller High Life… and in his uber-successful Etsy shop.We’ve loved having Derrick (and the HCA creative crew) at our monthly events from the very beginning. And, Derrick totally rocked our current CM/NSH t-shirt design. Have you picked one up yet? (we sell them at events from time to time). We are happy to sit down with Derrick and talk shop.

1 - Hey Derrick thanks for chatting with us today. You and the HCA crew have been one of our most consistent group of attendees since our inception a year ago! What about CMNSH got your folks excited to participate and how hard was it to get your employer to give the green light on early-Friday absences from the office?

One of the things that our team likes the most about Creative Mornings is the sense of community. It’s so encouraging to see the creative community in Nashville grow and have a place to congregate once a month. So many talented folks all in one place!Honestly, it wasn’t that hard to convince our leadership. HCA is a really flexible company and they understand the value of our engagement in the local creative scene and the inspiration that we bring back with us.

2 - So I’ve given a little introduction about the work you do, and there are plenty of resources online highlighting your background and recent projects. What types of things are you looking to make in the future, and are there any “Dream Projects” that you’d love to get your hands dirty with?

Yeah, I’m really enjoying the path that I am on. I have noticed a lot of momentum with Straw Castle, which is great because it justifies me investing even more time developing the brand.If I was to think of a dream project, it would have to be the branding and development of a retail space. I have long dreamed of having my own retail space, that would just be the icing on the cake.

3 - You balance web/digital work with HCA and your own designs and products. What is the greatest perk of working in two distinctly different creative areas? Does the difference in approach keep you fresh with each?

You are absolutely correct! When I get home from a hard day’s work from HCA, I can’t wait to dig into an illustration for a client or step away from the computer all together and do something with a a little more craft to it, like block printing.I also feel like it helps me be a more balanced designer. Having the opportunity to work with other organizations outside of HCA has exposed me to many different styles of collaboration, which in turn helps me to be more versatile.

4 - We are known as Music City. What type of music is currently in rotation in your home studio? What keeps the midnight oil burning while you work?

For the longest time, Nashville hasn’t felt like Music City. I guess that’s because the music coming out of Nashville just wasn’t my bag. Recently there seems to be more of a developing indie scene, I find myself listening to more and more local artists.One of my favorites is Nikki Lane, she’s a local country outlaw type. I’ve also been listening to artists like Lindi Ortega (local as well) but still a lot of the punk rock classics like the Cramps and Black Flag. I also have to mention, the whole Third Man Records scene. I absolutely love what Jack White is doing for the music of Nashville.

5 - Where can people find out more about you and see what you are working on?

You can pretty much see my life by following me on Instagram @strawcastle. You can follow me on Twitter @strawcastle and search strawcastle on Dribbble as well. Last but not least strawcastle.com.