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JULY EVENT PHOTOS

July’s global theme: Trust

Columbus speaker: Lachandra Baker

Lachandra B. Baker, MBA, CDP, ABC, ECI (she/her) is Founder and Lead Consultant at LBB Edutainment, a consultancy specializing in the development of strategies that improve and positively impact employee engagement, communications, culture, and diversity, equity, inclusion, & belonging. She is very active in the community and champions many issues including voting rights, pay equity, civic engagement, and liberation for all people. In her free time, she enjoys experiencing new cultures, eating great food, and doing fun projects with her family.

See more photos here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBAT3y

JUNE EVENT PHOTOS

June’s global theme: Pattern

Columbus speaker: Angus Fletcher

Angus Fletcher is Professor of Story Science at Ohio State’s Project Narrative, the world’s leading academic institute for the study of story. His research has been called “life-changing” by Brene Brown and “mind-blowing” by Malcolm Gladwell. He has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles on creativity in journals from Harvard Business Review to the New York Academy of Sciences. His most recent books are Storythinking (Columbia University Press, 2024) and Primal Intelligence (Penguin Random House, 2025). In 2023, he was award the Commendation Medal for “groundbreaking research” with US Army Special Operations.

See more photos here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBxCkR

INTERVIEW: Sam Javor

Where did you grow up? How did you end up in Columbus?
I grew up in central Michigan, a few miles from a small town, on a farm where we raised hay to sell to the Amish in Indiana and Ohio. On my 16th birthday we moved to Ohio for my mom’s job.

What was one of the best parts of childhood?
My parents gave me a lot of opportunities growing up. I’m an Eagle Scout and had the chance to go to The First Russian International Jamboree in 1994 when I was 15. Russia had spectacular museums and the architecture was so very different.

What are some of the jobs you’ve had in your life?
I joined the military during high school. I was a paralegal in the Army Reserve, that’s how I got my entrance into the legal field. It was a 20 hour a week job while I was also in a band. Then I became a technology nerd, got into audio production, then video production and my current work is doing video for a court reporting firm. There was also a time that I was the house drummer at The Dolphin Lounge in Gahanna.

Who is someone who was influential in your life?
A roommate who got me on the path of Linux and open source software. I was hosting my band’s website on my home computer, in a closet, on Windows 95 and he invited me to use “a real operating system” and I’ve been using it ever since.

What are some of your favorite activities?
I volunteer a lot. I’ve volunteered at the OLF conference (Ohio LinuxFest), I run the live stream at my church, I have volunteered with Columbus Fashion Week. I also enjoy hiking, walking and playing drums.

I know you said you love small towns, after living her a long time, how do you feel about Columbus?
I kind of joke that we don’t have any natural beauty (like mountains or large bodies of water) so we eat and make art. The art scene has always been something diverse with a lot of very skilled people. I’ve been in the filmmaking community for a bit and noticed many people are working on their own projects underground and pop up when they’re done while everyone else is still hidden away working on their own projects. Columbus was an amazing place to form a band, but one of the worse places to play, because everyone was in a band!

What are some of your favorite places that don’t exist anymore?
Most of the Short North! Bernies was a cool place to play. I’m glad The Short North Stage is open and doing theater.

What’s on your bucket list?
I’d like to be making music and performing again.

What keeps you coming back to Creative Mornings as a volunteer?
It’s one of the few volunteer groups that gives back to the volunteers. Someone is always paying attention to the details in their purview. We did a workshop last month with Just Bloom. I’m trying to go back to being self-employed and workshops like that as well as working with the other volunteers are really valuable because they pull me out of my own bubbles to get me to grow.

In what other ways has Creative Mornings influenced your life?
I try to challenge myself to meet a new person each month, as an introvert it’s something that I wouldn’t do were it not for Creative Mornings. We had a UX designer who showed us how to graph user experience, sharing that negative experiences might be related to a previous experience earlier in the day. I used the technique she shared to change my commute. I have to drive from Johnstown to downtown, so that was a lot of time on freeways. I was often starting my workday frustrated or angry. I started taking side roads to avoid the problem spots and a little thing like that has made my work days a lot better over the last two years. Another example would be that last month’s theme was ‘vibrant’ and almost all of my clothes were black. That event led me to find a shirt with color that I normally wouldn’t be comfortable with, so now I have this bright green shirt I’m wearing today. There’s a lot of little prompts and influences like that which add up over time.

Interview by Rachel Joy Barehl a mindful matchmaker and photographer in Columbus.

MAY EVENT PHOTOS

May’s global theme: Vibrant

Columbus speaker: Corey Williams a.k.a. Anisa Love

Anisa Love is a semi retired professional singer, dancer, and actor with Disney, Paramount, and Royal Caribbean, he is also a recording artist. Williams has been performing as the Anisa Love character for 24 years. Anisa is a former Miss Gay Ohio USofA at Large among other titles, Stonewall Columbus’ 2021 Patron of Pride, Aids Walk Ohio honoree and she hosts various events at District West and across Central Ohio. 

See more photos here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBtTyq

INTERVIEW: Aubrey & Saeed

Two beloved members of our CreativeMornings Columbus Community are headed to Baltimore very soon. We wanted to celebrate both of them and their contributions to CreativeMornings. This is Aubrey & Saeed’s last month after a solid 2+ years of showing up, both as official and unofficial volunteers, helping to make these mornings run smoothly. I had a chance to sit down with them and reflect on their life in Columbus and being an integral part of the CM community. 

Have you been a part of CreativeMornings in other cities?  

Aubrey: Only as a guest. I went to CreativeMornings in New York City a couple of times when I was working there. When Saeed and I moved to Columbus, I didn’t know anyone other than Saeed. I was nervous about becoming codependent and was eager to embed myself in the Columbus community. When the CreativeMornings Columbus chapter put out a call for volunteers, I thought getting involved would be a great way to get to know the community.

Did you volunteer on your first day of it? Like, right where you went? 

Aubrey: I went to one or two of the virtual events before volunteering. But, I was a volunteer at the first back-in-person gathering. Brandi and Autumn had onboarded a great little team to get things going again in person, which I was happy to be a part of. 

What is your role with CreativeMornings?  

Aubrey: I’m currently the Volunteer Lead, but I started as a setup and registration volunteer, which included getting the space set up, welcoming attendees, and other organizational tasks. 

Saeed: I’m only peripherally involved. I usually help Aubrey where I can and attend events as often as my school and teaching schedule allows. 

Do you have a favorite memory from your last couple of years of CreativeMornings?

Aubrey: It’s so hard to say. If I can speak more generally, I admire how much our community has grown over the last couple of years. By the end of that first year back in-person, we had a solid, engaged team of volunteers and a wonderful group of community members that consistently came to every event. From welcoming people at the door to hearing La read the manifesto to getting to know our regular attendees, the energy of our events over the last couple of years has been so infectious.

Do you have a favorite memory from a CreativeMornings experience? 

Saeed: I have to agree that hearing La read the manifesto is a highlight each time I attend a CreativeMornings event. 

Okay. So you said that you have moved around a lot in that, it sounds like CreativeMornings is one of the first places that know you’ll find community. Are there other things on your list, where you go to find people that are your type of people?  

Aubrey: Yes. An unexpected place for me, but when I moved to Columbus, I started doing CrossFit for the first time. I wanted to get out of the house, I needed to move, and there was a gym nearby so I thought, I’ll just try it out and see. I go more for socializing than for working out, but I love it. I also happened to find a community that accepts everyone and encourages people to come as they are. So that’s been a supportive community too. 

Saeed: I’ve met some of my closest friends either through school or from doing music in the city years ago. 

What is your “rich life” something that you value as a couple or individual that you would splurge on because it’s what you care about?

Saeed: Objects that contribute to our day-to-day experiences. If we do find ourselves with disposable income, we’ll make a stop at Spoonful Records downtown. We’ve also prioritized time in nature and planned some National Park visits in the past few years. Those trips feel like a luxury.

Aubrey: Our space. Especially as someone who works from home, I put a lot of value on a comfortable and liveable space. It’s where I’m going to spend most of my life, so I want it to be a place of joy and warmth and relaxation. Saeed and I also got really into hosting other people over the last couple of years. We splurge on the best ingredients and host groups big and small quite often because it adds so much richness to our lives.

Saeed: We recently got more tableware, too. 

Aubrey: Yeah we needed more settings! It was nice to finally have enough plates to host a big group.

Do you care to share part of your daily routine or rituals? What are some other things that you do individually or together day to day that nobody would know unless they were under your roof? 

Aubrey: In terms of kind of like day-to-day routine and ritual, I mean, I don’t want to steal Saeed’s answer, but it’s coffee. Coffee is a big part of our daily routine in this household. It’s our protected time in the morning.

Who makes it? What’s your favorite method? Where do you get beans?  

Saeed: I’m not precious about the type of coffee or even the process. It’s just how we start every day. Beyond that, seeking nature and going on daily walks have become big parts of our routine. 

Aubrey: Yeah. I also routinely spend a lot of time on FaceTime with my family. I’m the oldest of four and I’m very close with my siblings. We hang out like we would if we were in the same physical space. We just go about our lives while we chat.

Are you chopping vegetables, cooking, and stuff while you’re talking?

Yeah. Oftentimes I’m cooking or doing dishes while we talk. At least once a week, I’ll chat with my brother who also works from home during our lunch hour. 

Do you plan it or do you just call? 

We just call and sometimes, once every couple weeks, all four of us get onto the same call. I love spending time with them. It’s a big part of the reason that we’re moving back to the East Coast – to be closer to family. 

What is a meal that each of you cooks often?

Saeed: We make a lot of Pakistani food. One of our weeknight go-tos is chana masala. 

Aubrey: Yeah, if I’m in charge of making dinner in the summer I’ll make a fresh basil and mint pesto. That’s my go-to. One of the first gifts I ever gave Saeed was a pasta maker, so when we’re feeling extra energetic, we make the pasta from scratch too. 

Is there a food on your bucket list to learn how to make?

Aubrey: We were watching a video of someone making a croissant recently. I would love to be able to make laminated pastry like that well. 

That kind of links to my next question, which is, as creative people, are there things that you like, choose to do the longer or hard way, like versus buying something? Is there something that you make that is inconvenient, but you enjoy it?

Aubrey: Yes, so many things. As part of my degree in industrial design, I learned how to make a lot of things with my hands.  So, I feel like I have a basic knowledge of most hand skills. I’ve tried woodworking, knitting, sewing,  embroidery,  quilting,  ceramics, and I’m sure there are others that I can’t think of now. In recent years, it’s been mostly knitting for me. I have a pair of socks in progress now, but the second pair of socks that I ever knit, I made with like this nice, colorful merino wool and I wear them whenever it’s chilly out. I’m so proud of them.

How long do you think it took to make them?  

Aubrey: A long time. I would guess upwards of 80 hours? I just love the quality of handmade textile projects. You can wear them again and again and they don’t fall apart. I’ve watched them so many times and they’re holding up, which is exactly what I wanted. 

Saeed: I recently planted a garden with plants that I had grown from seed. I really enjoyed spending time in the greenhouse each week tending to those plants. The enjoyment was very much derived from the process – something I would have missed out on if I had simply bought the mature versions of the plants I was growing. 

Circling back to CreativeMornings, is there a favorite part of the flow that you love? 

Aubrey: I love seeing people’s faces when they walk in. It’s what drew me to volunteer with CreativeMornings and something that, despite my role expanding into many other territories, I continue to enjoy. The smile that you get when you remember someone’s name and they weren’t expecting you to remember it, or you say, “Happy Friday!” and someone lights up. I love the feeling of getting to welcome people into the space, as they kind of like, walk in.

Saeed: I like when we break out into smaller groups to discuss questions posed by the speaker. I also enjoy the energy in the room post-presentation.

Do you have a piece of advice or a mantra for the people who follow in your footsteps and take over your role, the big shoes you’re leaving behind?

Aubrey: No advice, really, but I want to just acknowledge that CreativeMornings has been such a big part of my life over the last two plus years. The team is incredible and we’ve grown so much together. Everyone brings a unique skill set and niche to the team, which works so well for a volunteer-led organization. Our growth over the last couple of years has been a group effort, but I want to give a big shout out to Brandi and Autumn who have absolutely hustled to make our chapter what it is today. I feel so lucky to have learned from them. And to have been a part of our little leadership team of three. I’m excited to see how the volunteer team and the community continues to expand and thrive in the coming years.

Interview by Rachel Joy Barehl, a mindful matchmaker and photographer in Columbus.

APRIL EVENT PHOTOSApril’s global theme: Spicy

Columbus speaker: Erica Butler

Erica M. Butler, M.Ed. is a comprehensive sex educator, speaker, and advocate working to educate her community about sexuality in a healthy, affirming, and honest way. Erica’s been in this business for 20 years and is known for her happy demeanor and keepin‘ it real when it comes to sex, pleasure and relationships. She is the founder of Happ E. SexTalk, LLC., a sex education consulting company, that believes medically accurate, affirming, and comprehensive sexuality education is a basic human right. Her practice is rooted in educating and advocating for normalizing sex positivity and pleasure. Erica creates an atmosphere that allows for open and honest dialogue - even among strangers.

See more photos here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBnvoz

MARCH EVENT PHOTOS

March’s theme: Perspective

Columbus speaker: David Brown

David Brown is founder and creative director of the Harmony project whose mission is to to build a more inclusive society by breaking down social barriers, bridging community divides, and empowering the voices of the people through arts, education, and volunteerism.

See more photos here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBiNuU

FEBRUARY EVENT PHOTOS

February’s theme: Kinship

Columbus speaker: Indigo Gonzales-Miller

Indigo Gonzales Miller (she/they) is an Afro-Indigenous & Two-Spirit artist, educator, and historian based in their hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Since graduating from The Ohio State University in 2017 with a BA in History of Art, their interdisciplinary arts-based practice specializes in global revolutionary print art history, totemic pedagogies within embodied archives, and alchemical ethnomusicology.

See more photos here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBfH3u

JANUARY EVENT PHOTOS

January’s global theme: Rise

Columbus speaker: Rokki Bonner

Racquel “Rokki” Bonner is a personal trainer, nutritionist, former athlete, and entrepreneur who lives up to her philosophy that fitness is a lifestyle. For 26 years, Rokki has dedicated herself to meeting her physical fitness challenges by competing and winning several bodybuilding titles, including winning the Silver in the World Games. Which she considers her very past life. Her journey now is about healing and being fit from the inside out.

See more photos here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBcCFV

DECEMBER EVENT PHOTOS

December’s Global Theme: Pain

Columbus Speaker: Donte Woods-Spikes

Donte Woods-Spikes is known for various forms of work such as professional speaking which landed him on the TEDx Stage and Sundance Film Festival for his film, As a Matter of Black. In 2021, Donte became an author writing his first book, So. Long.: Unfinished Good-byes with the Children of COVID-19 which revisits powerful lessons children taught him during his time working in Columbus City Schools before the pandemic. His book has been highlighted in the Ohioana Book Festival, The Thurber House, and Buckeye Book Festival. Donte is an advocate for storytelling of all forms. His contributions to encouraging authentic storytelling include working alongside The Columbus Foundation as a Big Table ambassador and a TEDx organizer. He started his own storytelling workshop titled Voices of Empathy which walks people through organizing stories and presenting in front of crowds. Donte is also the creator of the social movement Empathize With Me. EWM goal is to provide genuine lessons, relationships, and empathy through storytelling. Donte’s overall goal is to educate and connect the world beyond perceptions and stereotypes with authentic experiences through storytelling and documentation.

See more photos here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjB7LfQ