💌 A love letter from our PUNK event!
Let’s talk about how PUNK our gathering on June 20 was. One hundred twenty-seven creatives gathered at X-Ray Arcade for a truly inspiring morning. Folks didn’t expect a punk concert at 9 a.m. but a punk concert they did get! X-Ray Arcade is an artist-owned and operated venue that aims to provide Milwaukee with the finest in Electric Entertainment: live music, games, food, DJs, pop-ups, weddings, and more. The 10 owners are 100% volunteer – how punk is that!? (Is it punk to say punk this much?) X-Ray Arcade's mission is to create a welcoming environment for everyone to feel the power of gathering. Special shout out to Jason & JJ for hosting us in your space!
This month, we tried something new – folks could bring their own mugs to fill with Discourse’s delicious coffee. It was so fun to see all the unique mugs people brought along. ☕
Our 9 a.m. concert was brought to us by Modern Tigers. We loved jamming out with you! The concert was followed by a truly punk moment. We all took a collective breath … and then we all SCREAMED at the top of our lungs. It was truly refreshing! Here’s to more screaming!
Thank you to TK for reading the manifesto in June! Very punk of you to volunteer. Thank you! If you would like to read the Manifesto at our next event, please email us at milwaukee@creativemornings.com.
Keynote Speaker: Samer Ghani
“There’s nothing more punk than being a Palestinian artist raised by a single mother,” Samer Ghani said, explaining that finding your own personal brand and being an “activist of representation” is the most punk thing an artist can do.
Samer is a visual storyteller who photographs a lot (seriously, a lot) of Milwaukee musicians. He started shooting artists because he realized “I suck at making music,” but also because “if they had good photos, maybe people would start taking them more seriously.” Since 2019, Samer has been a full-time artist, working out of a backpack, editing quickly, and staying true to his honest voice, even when sometimes that means saying “F*ck you, I’m doing it my way.”
“When you find your own brand and carve your own path in a city like Milwaukee, it’s hard to ignore,” he says, reminding us all to challenge the status quo and invest in mutual aid and the creative economy.
That’s pretty punk, if we do say so ourselves! Thank you, Samer for inspiring us all. Check out Samer’s work, and book him next time you need some PUNK visual storytelling.
