Love letter recap from our PERSPECTIVE event!

CreativeMornings/Milwaukee hosted PERSPECTIVE at Relics Rentals on March 15th featuring speaker Sam Smith.

Illustration by Aly Miller @aly_illustrations

Hello friends! Wow, are you still buzzing from March’s event?! Us too. For those who weren’t able to make it, or for those who did and want to taste at least the dust of the lingering magic—this newsletter is for you.

On March 15th, over 140 of us gathered in Walker’s Point at Relics Rentals. If our Spotify playlist didn’t prime you for the month’s theme, then the venue surely did. Walking into Relics Rentals felt like the intro song to this late-90’s family television classic. It’s a warehouse you drive aimlessly by; but once inside, you have an entirely new perspective. You’re swept away by its jewels. RR, not to speak for the CM community, but we can’t wait to rent the heck out of your relics for all of life’s occasions. Thank you to the fabulous woman in charge, Jan, who took to the stage, for not only gifting Milwaukee the choice of a low carbon footprint furniture/tableware resource but also for inviting us in-kind into your lovely space. And thank you to the talented RR team for staging the venue with such generous care and ingenuity.

Speaking of genius, Ryan Castelaz (eventually 😉) graced us with his presence and much desired Discourse coffee. (What, are you busy or something, bro? In fact, he is.) Just this month, Discourse launched their newest locale at Radio Milwaukee and announced their upcoming pastry shop + cocktail bar [Agency] at the historic Dubbel Dutch Hotel. See you there! (Love u always, Ryan.)

We also nibbled on anonymously donated Sciortino baked goods from a beloved Anonymous Donor (we insisted on outing him, and we insist you reach out to him if you need design or marketing advice, mentorship, or a unique ceramic item). We also highlighted CreativeMornings/MKE Instagram QUEEN, Hannah Rae Birkholz. Hannah hath entered the freelance sphere in conjunction with her employment at a local marketing agency. Every single CM MKE team member agrees that we trust Hannah with not just the IG handle but with our lives. If you know what’s good for your business you will slide into either her email or the CM Instagram DMs which, we repeat: she runs independently and expertly.[*Shakes jar of March magic*] And lastly, in addition to of course the Main Event + 30 Second Pitches singularly featured below, the last sprinkle of excitement was our announcement to LINKEDIN! Yes, the sexiest social app out there. It is our goal for all of Milwaukee’s creatives to reap the very real benefits that LinkedIn has to offer.

Special programming to come. Invite your colleagues, clients, and local loved ones!

You’re invited: CreativeMornings/MKE on LinkedIn

—Sam Smith—

“With time, I started to not be able to ignore the whispers of these passions and the therapeutic feeling I was getting from them. It’s not a bad thing to have multiple interests and to allow everybody who knows you to be aware of [them].It’s not something to hide. In fact, I found it was something to embrace.”

Video by the incredible Jesse & Natalie from Create & Capture.

Sam Smith [she/her] is managing partner and executive creative director at a full-service design agency and production company, Shine United; a seasoned writer with over 15 years of experience in the advertising industry; and—oh, that was AI talking. Ahem. Yes, Sam is all those things but she’s also… a concerned and involved community member, a wife to her best friend, a mother of two youngins, a budding gardener, an out-of-the-box DIYer, and a responsible content creator.

In Sam’s talk, Own Your Perspective, she teaches us not only how to stand in our voice, but of all the powers that get unlocked when we do so.

Her insightful parting gift was the following homework assignments:

Sam, we laughed, we cried, we jotted down copious notes—all of which will stay with us for at least as long as a Relics Rentals disco ball’s shelf life. Thank you for sharing the tenacious work you’ve embarked on to know, embrace, deepen, widen, and own your perspective. In doing so, you’ve inspired us to do the same. Because when we do, we all shine brighter.

Instagram: @OneSmithStory
Website: One Smith (onesmithstory.com)
Link to video: Sam Smith: Own Your Perspective (youtube.com)

CreativeMornings is about shining the light on our communities. And one way to do this is via 30 Second Pitches. This is where we invite a few people from our community to come up to the stage and share a pitch with our audience. It could be that they are looking to hire, need collaborators, have an upcoming event they’d like to promote, or who knows? Maybe even looking for a date! Our 30 Second Pitch Nomination Form is always open!

Brothers Ricky and WilliamHeidvogel created a holistic, functional, and beautiful approach to the landscape industry—something green thumbers know has been missing in the market. Their company, Earthside Food Forests + Nursery, offers on-site consultations, semi, and fully custom services.

If you’re interested in bringing native or regionally adaptive plants to your garden, growing market or culinary plants, or have general inquiries about landscape design, Earthside Food Forests + Nursery is there for you!

Laura Couture is an engaged community member in Fox Point, an incredible mother of two, and a photographer whose images will stop you in your tracks. (We all felt that with this adorable photo!) Laura is now expanding her portfolio to include interior shots! As she said, “you cannot fully describe a human without describing their environment.”

To inquire about a shoot with Laura, reach out to her on Instagram @lauracouture.photography

For The Time Being is about an accidentally pregnant present-day mascot maker making radio contact with a lonely newlywed in 1958.The women connect across time through an old radio and exchange stories, brought to life through lush reenactments. It’s like Ex Fabula in film form, but stylistically is Persona meets Being John Malkovich with a little bit of The Tree of Life sprinkled in.

Contact Kara if you are interested in supporting their mission! They’re specifically seeking the following:

Executive Producer
Graphic Designer
Meal Train for Crew
1950’s Wares & Vehicles
Raising Awareness
Community Engagement

Abi Gilman spread the love about her business, The Little Village Play Cafe. Fostering an environment of acceptance, compassion, and warmth, TLVPC is a one-stop shop for families with children 0-6 years old. Whether you’re looking for a delicious latte, a place to engage with other parents, educational opportunities, a party rental, the perfect gift, or a place to let children’s imaginations run wild —The Little Village Play Cafe has it all under one roof! (And the cherry on top? The interior was designed by our keynote speaker, Sam!)