MEET MIRANDA ANDERSON, our December #CMtradition speaker.

Q: Tell us how you you landed in Richmond.
A: We lived in Northern Virginia for several years before moving to Austin, Texas. When an opportunity opened up for my husband to take an in-house council position in Richmond, we knew we would love the city and the lifestyle, so it was a no brainer! We moved into a small rental while we house hunted for a few months. Then we found our sweet fixer upper in the near west end and have been under renovation since January last year. We’re ready to finish up soon!

Q: How do you measure success in your creative endeavors? In your life?
A: I measure success in my creative endeavors by what I can control: Am I doing the things that make me happy, regardless of how they are received? Am I learning something new? Am I feeling fulfilled in my everyday life? When I can say “Yes” to these questions, I feel like I am on the correct path both in my creativity and in my life.

Q: What inspires you locally?
A: I love the mix of history and innovation in Richmond. The colonial homes and giant trees combined with new restaurants, thriving local businesses, and edgy street art gives the city a feeling of wholeness. The creative entrepreneur scene has been really open and welcoming with events like CreativeMornings, Rebelle Con, and spaces like The Broad intentionally giving a home to people working towards a more creative, connected life.

Q: Your topic is on tradition. What’s one tradition you have ditched in the past? What’s one you’ve created?
A: I love traditions, and I have learned not all of them serve me. One tradition I have ditched is frying hot donuts for trick-or-treaters. We did it for years and loved the community we built, but as our kids have gotten older it didn’t make sense and we wanted to spend time actually walking the neighborhood with them. So we let it go. 

One tradition we have created in our family is to celebrate our marriage anniversary as a “Family Birthday”. We get a cake, take a family picture, and sing happy birthday to our family. It is fun for our kids to feel involved in our anniversary and look forward to it. And of course we also take a couple days to go away and celebrate as a couple without the kids, too. 

Q: We’ve heard you’ve experience with CreativeMornings in other cities! Tell us how you became involved in this community.
A: I was introduced to CreativeMornings when I moved to Austin, Texas. I think my husband was the one who stumbled upon the community as he was looking for local events to be involved with. We both attended frequently, and loved meeting and connecting to both other creatives and the local venues and restaurants who provided space and food. I was invited to teach a hands-on workshop at the CreativeMornings Summit and had an amazing time teaching indigo dyeing to CreativeMorning volunteers from around the world!

Hear more from Miranda at our last event of the year at Studio Two Three on Friday, December 14th. Tickets go LIVE Monday, December 10th at 10am here.