Hannah Carnall, Head Chef of Bench

Photo credit: Helena Dolby. 

See the full set of photos from CM Honesty on Flickr.

Annalisa Toccara is a freelance journalist, marketer and digital strategist specialising in campaigns. Having graduated with honours from The University of Wales, she has a wide range of industry experience (B2B & B2C) in event management, marketing communications and brand identity.

In 2011, she wrote and self-published, her debut book Lipstick: A Woman’s Best Form of Defence and in 2016, she founded a leading social enterprise Our Mel link dedicated to exploring cultural identity, history and talent.

In 2017, she launched Sheffield’s first Black History Month Festival, an annual month-long arts and cultural celebration in October and she has hosted a number of community events. She also became Vice-Chair of the BAMER hub, Sheffield Equality Hub Network.

Annalisa was honoured to receive a Women’s Centenary Award for her services to the community by the Lord Mayor of Sheffield in 2018.

Outside of business, Annalisa is studying an MA International Public and Political Communication scholarship at The University of Sheffield as well as Chartered Marketer status.

She is passionate about equality, inclusion and representation and is fascinated with the link between creative mediums, social cohesion and social justice. When not aspiring to conquer her dreams, she can be found in bed, living her best life, drinking tea and watching Netflix.

This October edition you can find Annalisa at a-ten link the newly re-purposed industrial space at Kelham Island. A chance to drink coffee and hear her story

Annalisa Toccara AKA. Our Mel

October’s theme is HONESTYHonesty is the currency for connection. It’s a gift we give to each other that strengthens bonds and deepens relationships. Honesty is a practice where we start from the heart. Being honest isn’t always easy and being honest all of the time is impractical. Giving honest feedback or sharing our opinions requires sensitivity to the context and meeting others where they are—with kindness and empathy. Honesty is about providing the information that you would want if you were in a similar situation. Another way to look at honesty: it’s a flower born out of the soil of trust, connection, and conversations. The more we nurture conversations that breed trust and forge a connection, the more honesty becomes baked into the way we lead our lives. This month’s global exploration of Honesty was chosen by our Cardiff chapter, and illustrated by James Lewis. Thank you to Mailchimp, Adobe, and WordPress.com for empowering the global creative community.

Annalisa Toccara AKA. Our Mel

Photo credit: Helena Dolby

See the full set of photos from CM Chaos on Flickr.

Mir Jansen is a visual artist and currently Arts Coordinator for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. She was a founding member of Sheffield’s S1 Artspace, followed by becoming the Programme Manager at Yorkshire Artspace for 14 years. Resuming her own creative practice in 2014.

‘I am interested in why people migrate and how people adapt to new ways of life, cultural changes, different languages. During and after my studies I was particularly interested in the notion of ‘home’- particularly the spaces and boundaries we create within the places we live in. Part of the construction of the idea of home is to create a notion of being at home, a sense of belonging. I moved to the UK in 1987 from The Netherlands where I was born but I often forget that it took time and effort to adapt to a new way of life an language.

My current project, 'At Your Service’, will be exhibited at Yorkshire Artspace, Sheffield from 27th September until 4th November as part of their Ways of Making exhibition programme. I interviewed 11 European employees of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals over the course of 1 year. Each individual talked to me about the place they came from, why they moved to the UK and each person was asked the same 6 questions: What was your reaction to Brexit? What do you miss about the country you moved from? What do you like about Sheffield? What do you like about the NHS? What are your concerns for the future of the NHS? What contribution do you think you make to life in the UK/Sheffield?’

We will be gathering at Yorkshire Artspace where Mir’s current project 'At Your Service’ is being exhibited. She will talk us through the chaos of her subject matter as we are surrounded by the works for our #CMchaos morning. Join us as we kick off our Autumn season.

September’s theme is Chaos

When you think of chaos, you might think of utter confusion, a jumbled mess, destruction, or Slack being down. But previously the word “chaos” had a different meaning. In ancient Greece, writers and thinkers described chaos as more of an abyss, an empty void that existed before life. It wasn’t until the 1600s, when it was adopted by the English language, that it grew undertones of mass confusion or pain. Life, by nature, is chaotic. And the human brain is beautifully designed to turn chaos into order. Whether through storytelling, art, or through the veneer of self-delusions, we’re built to handle the randomness and uncertainty of daily life. When a tornado rips through town, one person may see chaos where another sees a fresh start. So, then, a creative addendum: We are in control of the story we tell ourselves about the events that unfold before us. We can view chaos as a freight train hitting our soul or we can see it as a catalyst for clarity.

Arts Coordinator at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals AKA. Mir JansenThis month’s global exploration of Chaos is presented globally by MailChimp. It was chosen by our Tijuana chapter, and illustrated by ERABOY.

A community is a reflection of what we crave: belonging. Belonging is the heart of human connection. Our hardwiring is to be social creatures, to need one another. We cannot become our best selves without feeling like we belong to a tribe that sees us, respects us, and lifts us up. A sense of belonging can be fostered in many ways: food, music, volunteering, a cause. You can scan a room and see a diversity of backgrounds, ages, and skill sets—yet the common thread is shared desires and aspirations. It’s magnificently profound how simple this connection is, how deeply we all crave it, and how it changes the trajectory of our lives. The work of community is when a person walks into a room with fear and self-doubt, only to leave with a new narrative and a feeling of possibility and hope. We can give that experience to one another. It’s the work of being human. Artist and Arts Programme Manager AKA Mir Jansen. This month’s global exploration of Community was chosen by our Philadelphia chapter, and illustrated by James Olstein 👋 High five to MailChimp, Adobe, and WordPress.com for fueling our global creative community.

Photo credit: Department Two. 

See the full set of photos from CM Intention on Flickr.

As the sky darkens over Sheffield Hallam University’s Institute of Arts, and thunder claps in the distance, it’s clear the final CreativeMornings Sheffield before the summer is going to be a stormy one.And it’s not just the weather that’s stormy.Speaker for the morning, Magid Magid AKA the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, has created a storm in Sheffield and beyond. The 29-year-old is the youngest Mayor the city has seen. His inauguration photo, featuring ‘that squat’ went viral online and Magid’s now famous Doc Marten’s and yellow cap have appeared in newspapers and timelines around the world.“I told them how I was going to do my picture and they lost their shit. Because they had done it the same for 40 years.”The theme for July is Intention and clasped in Magid’s hands, written on official Lord Mayor’s paper are his own intentions for his year as Mayor.“I wanted to make the Lord Mayor role more meaningful. My first intention was to spread positive messages and champion what is good about Sheffield. I wanted to engage people on an emotional level.”With the world seemingly after a piece of Sheffield’s Mayor, Magid hasn’t stopped since his inauguration in (which happened to feature Imperial March from Star Wars) in May 2018. Thousands of people across the city have stopped him for a selfie, he’s been snapped at festivals, community events and has even been asked to ‘do the squat’ in his local supermarket.“I never expected to be Lord Mayor”Magid first moved to Sheffield aged five as a Somali refugee. After growing up in the city, he moved to Hull to study Aquatic Zoology. There, he discovered politics and became the SU president – ““I didn’t know the difference between left and right but I knew I cared about certain issues.”After university he set up a digital marketing company with a friend, then he worked for housing charity Shelter. The he joined the Green party and became a councillor, his colleagues put his name forward to be Mayor and he took up the position in May.For Magid, his intention for his remaining months as the Lord Mayor of Sheffield remains simple.“At any given opportunity I get I try and plug Sheffield, champion Sheffield and get as many people talking about Sheffield as possible.”
Words by Molly McGreevy

Magid Magid, also known as Magid Mah, is a British-Somali activist and politician who has served as the Lord Mayor of Sheffield since May 2018. His appointment has attracted significant media attention, as he is the first Somali, the youngest-ever, and the first Green Party councillor to hold the role.

Born in northern Somalia, Magid came as a child refugee to Britain in 1994. He grew up in Burngreave, Sheffield, and studied aquatic zoology at the University of Hull where he was elected president of Hull University Union. He has worked in digital marketing and was elected as a Green Party councillor on Sheffield City Council in 2016. From 2017 to 2018, he served as Deputy Lord Mayor, and in during this period he participated in the third series of the reality show Hunted. In 2018, he was chosen by the council to serve the one-year term as Lord Mayor.

We will be gathering at our head sponsor for 2018 Sheffield Institute of Arts – in the beautiful main Post office hall. See you there for this season’s final edition before our August break.