Community Spotlight - Kim Leddy (she/her)
Welcome to Community Spotlight, featuring members of our Creative Mornings Community! We are so grateful to our community, and love learning more about our members’ creative life and what makes them tick.
This month’s Spotlight Feature is Kim Leddy (she/her)...
Q. Where are you from? If not Columbus, how did you land here?
Like so many others before me, I ended up in Columbus via attending The Ohio State University and then stayed on after graduating. Before making Cbus home, I grew up outside of DC while spending my very young years in Western Massachusetts.
Q. Growing up, what was your family like? Any siblings?
I initially grew up with my maternal grandparents in rural-ish Massachusetts as my 20-year-old parents were still in shock that they were, in fact, parents. It's a common phenomenon, grandparents spoiling their grandchildren when they visit— imagine how spoiled a grandchild is when living with them! Anyways, I eventually found myself living with my dad and stepmother in suburban Virginia and visiting my mother in Vermont. My stepmom had two boys which were constant pains as I was a teenager when they showed up; eventually we grew into each other and are now close.
Q. Where do you live now?
Clintonville
Q. How do you spend your days? What’s your area of expertise?
I spend my days teaching teenagers. Teaching braids together myriad talents — everyone thinks content knowledge — that because I am an English teacher I should know EVERY AUTHOR that has ever burped a word onto the page — but the real expertise is creating space for the students to believe in themselves.
Q. What’s the first creative thing you remember making?
This is hard — I have two memories that happened, I believe, one after the other. In elementary school, I did a little dance to "America" from West Side Story— which I was obsessed with at the time—holding a rose between my teeth and my grand plan was to end the dance by tossing the rose into the front row of beaming parents, but I ended up tossing it straight up and it came down on my head. I think we'll stick with that one ...
Q. What’s a tool—creative or otherwise—you can’t live without?
A lovely pen — one that glides across the page like a figure skater on the ice — and a good coffee shop.
Q. What's a creative pursuit you'd love to try but haven't yet?
Improv — I have a feeling teaching is great practice for improv.
Q. What's your favorite way to spend a Saturday morning?
In nice weather, walking my dog Remy in Whetstone Park with my face lifted towards the sun and then, once home, sitting out on the porch reading in the breeze. In the brrr weather, getting up farm-early and lighting a fire and just enjoying the crackling and the reflection of the moon on the snow.
Q. What's one thing you're secretly good at?
Of all the random detours I've taken in my life, the most sticky was the time I spent in dance studios and on stage. That was, like, a gazillion years ago so most people I know today would be surprised that I can choreograph a pretty solid movement phrase – and then perform it, maybe.
Q. What's your favorite life lesson or piece of advice?
This is a piece of advice I like to give people — when traveling or planning a trip, check out Atlas Obscura. The website is a collection of various off-the-beaten path places to visit and, in my experience, many of these side-show-esque points of interest show off just how creative people are and full of the desire to leave a trail of positive breadcrumbs for those who take the time to look. One place of my favorite off-the-grid finds was Ponyhenge in Lincoln, Massachusetts. In the middle of a field is a circle of hobby horses of all sizes, designs, ages — local lore claims that the roadside attraction just showed up one day and various horses are added or subtracted every now and then. I LOVE THIS. I think the fact that Ponyhenge exists and has been going for over a decade is BEAUTIFUL.
Q. Where do you go when you need inspiration?
Usually I go to a coffee shop to get out of the house and to be a part of the 'world.' Observing people, eavesdropping, watching the world go by all feeds into my inspiration pool.
Q. Why do you choose to be part of the Creative Mornings Columbus community?
I have been bringing my Mosaic students to Creative Mornings Columbus for ... sheesh ... years now. We started pre-Covid and consider ourselves part of the CM community. Of all the lovely aspects of these third Friday mornings, learning how deep and varied and inspirational the creative community around us is has been a delight. Watching the students over the course of the year become bold and comfortable enough to have conversations with people in the room is heart-warming.
Q. How has Creative Mornings inspired you to think differently about something?
CMC has opened me up to the possibilities of this city and the community. That everywhere there is a creative person, a creative space, or a creative idea, we just have to keep our hearts open to potential and our ears open to story.
Q. How has being part of the community shaped you and your creativity?
There is a cliche of the starving artist alone in a drafty turret or dirt-floored studio and there are certainly times when one needs a solitary vibe, but connections made at CMC have made me aware of supportive people, groups and organizations that hold space for creativity without apology.
Q. Anything else you want to share with the Creative Mornings Columbus community?
I love Creative Mornings — the third Friday routine, the nodding at familiar faces, and the always inspiring stories on the mic. We are all seeking to be just that — a part of a 'we' and CMC facilitates the comfort to be vulnerable and share story with new people. It's a place of belonging that leaves me buzzing with creative energy and deep feelings of community.
