Supporting Local Artists: Recent experiences in a Creative Culture

It’s been 6 months since I started a new job with the Bemis Center as a program coordinator for Carver Bank. The position is a perfect mix of public relations & community development. I’ve experienced so much that I wasn’t able to update my blog up the way I wanted to (which explains my gap from Aug. to Dec. last year). But now it’s time to correct that flaw and share some of the amazing moments of last year.

First things first, can I just say that I love working in my passion! It’s so liberating and empowering to know that my talents have allowed me to be successful. Let me tell you firsthand that if you put your mind to it and dedicate yourself to hard work, it will ALWAYS pay off. Since July I published my first national magazine article with HOPE for Women Magazine. A month later I bought an iMac (a big deal for me) and the best investment for my future business and online magazine. A few things I also noticed since the summer is that my mentality changed about success. In order to walk in to your greatness you have to accept that being amazing requires sacrifice and a commitment to excellence. I thank my virtual mentor Myleik Teele for sharing her wisdom with me on this (#mytaughtyou).

By August, I celebrated adding my first steady PR client Stacey Flowers. She is only an amazing motivational speaker and entrepreneur, but of course I’m biased! It feels good to know that she believes I am capable of helping her take her brand to the next level. I accept that challenge. To top off the, month I got a free ticket to Omaha Fashion Week’s Avant Garde night from my dear friend Ku. This show sparked an idea for me to host a fashion show at Carver Bank to support local fashion designers from Omaha. While planning, I noticed the need for a strong network between local artists. It really helps build up the culture of a city when a trustworthy network is built between one another. In addition, local artists need to know that their city supports them with more than just a pat on the shoulder!

I decided to show six local fashion designers how much I do appreciate their craft by paying them to participate in “Fashion as Art” on Nov. 15th. My intention for the event was to reward a group of artists for remaining committed to their craft despite being asked to do so many free events throughout their career. ATTENTION OMAHA: Artists should be paid for their time too!

As planning continued the show grew beyond my original idea and eventually turned into a production that drew in more than 300 people! With such a small budget ($2k) I was able to pay 20 artists & entrepreneurs to put on a hard core fashion event in the heart of North Omaha. And to top it all off, we got press coverage on the Morning Blend & Fuse Weekley (pg. 27)! I am so grateful for everyone who showed their support for all of the artists involved. I’m even more grateful I was able to record it with video and photography – of course I have to share it with you without further adieu!