Illustration by Aly Miller @aly_illustrations
Well, well, well, CM Fam…
It appears Spring popped in for a quick visit, dropped off flowers which are now in full bloom, and invited us to activate Milwaukee’s outdoor recreations again. And activate we did! On May 17th, a little over 140 of us met at Discovery World for some goooood vibes.
Yes, there was divine coffee by Discourse; yes, there were Sciortino’s baked goods (thanks to your generous donations!), but did you know there was also a MINI MARKET?! That’s right. May’s 30-Second Pitcher line-up consisted of makers within our sweet, sweet CM community. More on that later <3
Bryan W. Wunar, CEO of Discovery World, graced the stage and shared unique perspective on this educational establishment’s history as well as the vision for its future. Discovery World is making moves to be even more involved in the community than ever before. Peeping at their upcoming events, you’ll see they’re soon to host Bike Station Week, a Zine Workshop, and oh… another Milwaukee Makers Market hosted by the iconic Ryan Laessig!
Another exciting Disco World event to mark on ye ole calendar is… *drum roll please*… Adobe's Create Now tour! Registration is open for the event on June 18th from 5:30-8:00PM. We’ll be there and hope to see you too.
Read on to get the fuller story of May’s event. We love ya!
-CreativeMornings/MKE
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Caution: the contents of this month’s newsletter may raise your vibrations.
“ADHD is my superpower: It allows me to just jump in.“ - Ryan Laessig
Ryan Laessig can’t help but love Milwaukee with his whole heart. He grew up in South Milwaukee, then lived on the East Side, then back over the bridge in Bay View, and most recently calls the Garden District home.
You know who he found right away in all those neighborhoods? People who make things. If artists and makers were moths, then Ryan is the flame. Community organizing was a natural addition to his already ripe repertoire of teaching and creating art himself. What started with humble beginnings (read: zero followers on instagram), is now a bustling community both online (now 10k+ followers!) and IRL (800 shoppers each market!).
The Sunday after our event, Milwaukee Makers Market popped off at Ivy House and, I must admit, the experience felt even sweeter than in previous markets. Maybe it’s because there’s a knowing of what these markets mean to the curator behind them… or maybe it’s the stories we learned about some of the makers themselves. Whatever it was, vibrations were raised. Raise your vibes too and be sure to treat yourself to Ryan’s talk if you missed the event and to add an upcoming M.M.M. event to your calendar.
Click below to watch! ⤵️
Filmed & edited by All Things Digital
CreativeMornings is about shining the light on our communities. One way we do this is via 30 Second Pitches. This is where we invite a few people to the stage and share a pitch. Our 30 Second Pitch Nomination Form is always open! Feel free to self-nominate :)
Aly Miller is a freelance illustrator specializing in maps, cookbook, and food art for publications, commercial projects and brands. She’s also an esteemed CM volunteer—she may have checked you in at a former event, otherwise you’ve definitely seen her recap illustrations she creates for us every month :)
Shop Aly’s website, follow her on Instagram or email her about a project idea you have! Kelly recently commissioned her to draw a map for her upcoming wedding.
- Instagram: @aly_illustrations
- Website: Aly Miller — Bio Site
- Email: alymillerdesigns@gmail.com
Carley Knight is one talented human that we’re also lucky enough to call a fellow CM volunteer. She’s a cross-stitch fiber artist, a coloring book creator, an engaging blogger, and a Squarespace website builder for small business owners!
Schedule a free web development consultation, follow @carleyknightart on IG, sign up for Carley’s newsletter, and shop her artwork! Fun fact: Kelly recently commissioned Carley to stitch some abstract art.
- Website: Services — Carley Knight
- Instagram: @carleyknightart
- Newsletter: sign up for my newsletter (ck.page)
Holly Berg is a ceramic artist whose pieces draw inspiration from the land and water of Lake Michigan.
Visit her studio in Bay View or browse her website and Instagram to see her work. Studio hours are 11-6 PM Fridays, 10-4 PM Saturdays or by appointment. Rumor has it, Kelly is currently curating her dream list of Holly Berg ceramics to fill her kitchen shelves.
- Instagram: @h.bergceramics
- Website: Shop — H. Berg Ceramics (hbergceramics.com)
Rebecca Zastany Wilson is a masterful weaver who is not afraid of color! Former director of ABK Weaving Center and teacher since 2016, Rebecca sells wall hangings, towels, wearables… really anything on the loom. Don’t hesitate to get these gorgeous pieces dirty! They are durable and built for everyday use, for many, many a day.
Follow along on Instagram as Rebecca expands into a new studio space and bring her colorful weaving into your home! Kelly reportedly tossed her big box hand towels and is puzzling through how to restock exclusively with Rebecca’s masterpieces.
- Instagram: @zastany
- Website: Rebecca Zastany Wilson
Jamie Andrzejewski is the sister you wish you had and the owner of Nourish, a wellness company that handcrafts clean, organic body, mind, and home care products. If you can think of a good-smelling wellness product, Nourish probably has it!
In addition to shopping their products, check out Nourish Gives Back: a program that donates a percentage of sales to organizations and individuals in need. Remember the M.M.M. at Ivy House two days after CreativeMornings? Well Kelly was there and spent a solid hour at Jamie’s booth. Let’s just say there are going to be some incredibly happy gift receivers in Kelly’s circle quite soon.
- Website: Nourish Natural Products - Organic Products for Body + Mind + Home
- Nourish on Facebook
- Instagram: @nourishnaturalproducts
- Nourish on Pinterest
Speaker portrait by Linda Smallpage.
Event day photos by Holly Schisler. Lots more love in our Flickr gallery.
Big thanks to our local partners:
