Veronica is a CM/Bal community member who helps brands use music to better engage their communities. And, lucky for us, she recently helped us launch our official Spotify channel. Take a listen (see below) to the playlist she put together for Januaryâs theme: Roots. Â
Ready for the January event? Our QuĂŠbec chapter chose this monthâs exploration of Roots and FĂŠlix Girard illustrated the theme. Veronica Proudford (@vipmeetsworld), CM/Bal community member and music curator by trade, hooked us up with this monthâs playlist.
Be inspired by where you came from. Take a listen. âŹď¸
Weâre kicking off the 2020 CreativeMornings/Baltimore season at the historic Shake and Bake, and welcoming Tierra Brown and Tia Newton, organizers of AFRAM, to discuss this month’s theme: ROOTS.
âŞď¸Read their bios here.
We’ll be opening up shop a little earlier than usual for an open skate session from 8a-9a, complete with free skate rentals!
Hereâs what else you have to look forward to:
Be sure to take your Pixilated photo in the Cedar & Cotton set with a Local Color Flowers arrangement.
And, as always â thanks to our awesome sponsors, contributors, and partners â everything, including registration, is free. Still, snag a ticket on January 27 at 9a, so you donât end up on the waiting list.
đFree is fun. Support CreativeMornings/Baltimore.
We had TEN incredible talks this year! Weâre so thankful for our speakers, our volunteers, our partners and YOU - our amazingly wonderful and talented CM/Bal community!
We took off in December to recharge, reflect, and reenergize for 2020. Mark your calendars for January 31 at Shake and Bake Family Fun Center as we welcome Tierra Brown and Tia Newton (AFRAM organizers) to the stage to discuss the theme of ROOTS.
As we look forward, we would love for you consider giving any amount to CM/Bal to help us continue holding and improving these monthly, â¨FREE⨠events.
Some specific things your donation can help do in 2020:
CreativeMornings/Baltimore is run on an engine of generosity. Our free, monthly events wouldnât be possible without our all-volunteer team. Learn more about our team, what theyâre working on and passionate about! If youâre interested in volunteering, please complete this form: http://bit.ly/CMBalVolunteer
CM/Balâs free, monthly events will be back January 2020!
Photo: @wzhouphoto
What do you love about Baltimore’s Creative Communities?
The fascinating places to visit and photograph!
What are you passionate about?
Photography and free coffee!
Taylor Jade Powell  came to a âMUSEâ w/ Kyle Yearwood back in June and signed up to be a volunteer that same day! Outside of CM she is a writer at a creative advertising agency, enjoys listening to a lot of books, going to the movies, and getting to know the city. Do you have an audio book recommendation for her or a Baltimore gem she should know about?
What do you love about Baltimore’s Creative Communities?Â
Baltimore’s creative communities have reignited my passions to create. When your job doesn’t always provide that fulfillment, spaces like Creative Mornings help me to fight creative fatigue and burnout. I’ve met some amazing people and learned some life lessons that will help me in my career. I will never forget the first CM talk I went to and talked to Kyle Yearwood afterword. It just a 10 minute chat, he helped me gain the confidence to pick up the camera I was allowing to collect dust. I became a volunteer that same day.
What are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about people and their stories. With a background in journalism and music production, I like to think of myself as a multimedia storyteller. I think stories can move people. They can rally people behind a cause. They can inspire understanding. They can give a voice to the voiceless. As crazy as it may sound, I think a good story can create real change. So I’m passionate about telling them. I am also passionate about family, mental health, my emotional support animal Chance (second photo), getting Trump out of office, and music.
đ¸: Schaun Champion, @fluffypostcards
Steve joined the CM/Bal team this past Summer. Steve started as many of our volunteers start (including the co-organizers!) by showing up each month as a CreativeMornings attendee and then wanting to get more involved! Now youâll find him setting up chairs, jenga-ing everything into a car at the end of the event, greeting you with a smile as you arrive, or at @dwatkinsworld talk he was probably trying to take a photo with you holding up the CM/Bal sign!Â
What do you love about Baltimore’s Creative Communities?
The opportunity to experience different types of art in different mediums wherever you look; it’s a magical convergence for the senses.
Amanda has become our resident graphic recorder, creating incredible illustrations of our speakerâs talks. Outside of CM she is a freelance graphic designer & illustrator. She has co-founded Baltimore Letters (@baltimoreletters). Baltimore Letters has regular meetups where they talk, draw, and âgenerally geek out over lettering.â Peep their IG for upcoming events, and tag #baltimoreletters so they can share your work!
What do you love about Baltimore’s Creative Communities?
I love how resilient Baltimore is, and connecting with the city’s creative community is an amazing reminder of how vibrant our city is.
What are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about my illustration work, and currently, I’m really into drawing maps, but I also love drawing women and lettering. Even more than that, though, I’m passionate about being an entrepreneur, and I absolutely love talking to other small business owners about how they do it.
đˇ: @revkevredemption
Maria joined the team back in June. Outside of helping you take your photo in the @pixilated Photo Booth each month, she runs a monthly reading series called Writers & Words (@writersandwords) that features four writers each month, one in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and the genre-defying âwild cardâ category which in the past has included a playwright, a scientist, and a childrenâs book author (and everything in between). The next Writers & Words is Tuesday, December 10th, 7 p.m. at Charmingtonâs, 2601 Howard St, 21218, featuring Jalynn Harris, Khadijah Z. Ali Coleman, Neda Toloui-Semnani, & Marco RafalĂ !Â
What do you love about Baltimore’s Creative Communities?
The people! Baltimore is full of Doers, people who are not just amazing at coming up with great ideas, but who actually go out there and make it happen! I’m constantly inspired by Baltimore’s creative communities.
What are you passionate about?
Reading and writing and getting things done. Beyond that, I love nothing more than making cool stuff with other people, and connecting cool people to one another to do the same.
đˇ: Nina Subin
Kate joined the CM/Bal team in June. Outside of wrangling with the green screen setting for the photo booth each month, she is a writer with her first novel âTrue Storyâ debuting next year on August 4! Find it at your favorite local bookstore: http://bit.ly/CMKateBook
What do you love about Baltimore’s Creative Communities?
This is such an amazingly supportive place to be a creative person. People in Baltimore show up for each other, and I’m always humbled and inspiredâjust seeing the energy at Creative Mornings events, it’s better than caffeine. Â
What are you passionate about?
Storytelling!
Outside of CM/Bal she builds networks of donors who care about Baltimore and the surrounding counties at the United Way of Central Maryland. Patti is also involved with WoW, Women of the World Festival. The free event centers gender equality and  takes place on Saturday March 7th. Â
What do you love about Baltimore’s Creative Communities?
I love that Baltimore’s talent takes so many different forms and I love how people show up for each other. Â One of my favorite things about Creative Mornings is coming to see someone talk that I don’t know very much about and then seeing all the people who do and are just pouring love on the speaker. Â Its really incredible to watch and experience.
What are you passionate about?
Building a better world for and by women and girls, Baltimore, discovering new creative outlets. Â Ask me about my garden :)
Sabina joined us early this year and has been greeting you as you arrive and getting you checked in each month! Outside of CM/Bal, she is the Graphic Designer at Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Sheâs always looking for camping buddies to share adventures with. She has her eye on Yellowstone + Grand Teton Early September 2020 and Everglades + Dry Tortugas + Biscayne in Late December 2020. Get in touch!
What do you love about Baltimore’s Creative Communities?
My favorite thing about the Baltimore creative community is how friendly and welcoming everyone is, this includes everyone from my fellow volunteers to the event attendees and even the vendors. Â I love that CreativeMornings/Baltimore holds true to its core value of making everyone feel like they belong, especially a quirky/clumsy/goofball like me. I’m also constantly inspired by the amazing talents and stories that this city brings out.
What are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about design and its ability to tell stories and make people feel a certain way when words are not enough. I also love to travel in my pastime because I believe this world is filled with incredible views and even more amazing history. My favorite way to explore is through hiking and camping trips, which Iâve had the enjoyable opportunity to do in 13 National Parks so far.
On Sunday, we held a retreat with our volunteers and asked them to share their favorite moments from this past year. A lot of them brought up specific talks like Damian Mosley (Preserve), Andria Nacina Cole (End), and Lisa Snowden-McCray (Justice). Others highlighted the tasty goods from amazing partners like Wight Tea Co and Mera Kitchen Collective. But a huge underlying thread was the community which includes YOU!
We know your inbox is full of emails this #GivingTuesday and that there are many amazing and worthy causes in our fair city and beyond to support, but we would love for  you consider giving any amount to CM/Bal to help us continue holding these monthly, â¨FREE⨠events.
Some specific things your donation can help do in 2020:
We’ll be back in January with the theme of ROOTS! Until then, we’d love to hear your own favorite CM/Bal moment from the year. Share on social with the hashtag #CMBal, slide into those DMs, or email us at baltimore@creativemornings.com!
Joseph Tynes (@overstandjoseph) is an all-around go-getter at CM/Bal! Heâs greeting you at the door, helping with set-up, and even passing around an impromptu collection plate at Lisa Snowden-McCrayâs talk on Justice. Heâs a community organizer, social worker, and entrepreneur, currently working for BCAN as their 2019-2020 Course Coordinator for their Founder Fellowship program.
đˇ: @spokenbykj
What do you love about Baltimore’s Creative Communities?
I love the people, the neighborhoods, and the variability of different interpretations of what creativity means to each person. The different cultural interpretations of creativity is always inspiring and a new experience everyday.
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CreativeMornings/Baltimore is run on an engine of generosity. Our free, monthly events wouldnât be possible without our all-volunteer team. For the rest of 2019 youâll see more volunteer spotlights, to allow us to give them some shine and to highlight things theyâre working on or are passionate about!
Henley Moore became part of the CM/Bal team this summer. Youâve seen her at check-in and also running around with a camera. By day, sheâs the Multimedia Producer at the National Aquarium. This Wednesday evening (11/13) theyâre hosting a mini environmental film festival. You can find more details and get tickets here: https://bit.ly/32ChW8e
What do you love about Baltimoreâs Creative Communities?
I love how diverse and welcoming it can be. Every time I talk to some one about their projects, they are excited and in return excited to hear about mine, not for self gain but out of genuine interest.
CreativeMornings/Baltimore is run on an engine of generosity. Our free, monthly events wouldnât be possible without our all-volunteer team. For the rest of 2019 youâll see more volunteer spotlights, to allow us to give them some shine and to highlight things theyâre working on or are passionate about!
Our volunteer music curator, Ashley Lomax, says on FLOW:Â âFlow is the one action that moves this world. Everything needs a flow to basically, exist. Conversations with anyone is going to give you different response to âWho has the best flow?â. Hereâs some songs I adore for many reasons.Jay -z is not greatly added due to this being on spotify. I know.â
In collaboration with From Baltimore With Love installation and exhibit at Cardinal Space (1758 Park Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21217), join us on October 23 at 8p for a FLOW Playlist Party! This free event intends to create space for individuals of different social interests and backgrounds to come together for networking the sharing of ideas.
Winston Zhou (@wzhouphoto) has been a volunteer with CM/Bal since August 2017! Heâs the gem that helps our Baltimore chapter contribute to the over 20,000 free talks available online. Winston is currently finishing up his 2019 wedding season, and collecting participants for the second iteration of his first book, Second Generation Plates. If youâre interested in being involved with his next book, slide into those DMs.Â
What do you love about Baltimoreâs Creative Communities?
Itâs got a good flavor! Like a nice kimchi, everyone seems to always be fermenting, always keepin it spicy. I love that.Â
CreativeMornings/Baltimore is run on an engine of generosity. Our free, monthly events wouldnât be possible without our all-volunteer team. Periodically, we will have volunteer spotlights, to allow us to give them some shine and to highlight things theyâre working on or are passionate about! Come see Winston and the rest of the team on 10/18!
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