Little Steps & Lightening” Empowering Artists (music video)

MEET THE ARTISTS

During our 2024 Annual Appeal we would like to introduce you to some of the artists and projects we've been working on this past year!

Creative Endeavors

8-Week-Long Creator Workshop

Little Steps and Lightening

Creative Endeavors was born out of years of dreaming and planning how we could equip artists and bridge the gap between creative talent & business success. What we developed was collaboration at its finest! Teaming up with The Hub and Colgate Entrepreneurship & Innovation, we launched an 8-week interactive workshop fashioned to lift up artists right here in CNY.

Not only did the workshop quickly fill up, we had a range of writers, musicians, podcasters, sculptors and photographers! Every week we covered topics like branding & marketing, finding creative collaborators, identifying funding & resources, reaching your target audience, and we heard numerous professionals hare business model basics.

More than the tangible tools taught to help these artists take the next step in their creative career, nothing was more impactful than the meaningful connections made each week through uncovering the unique talents each artist. Sharing our weekly homework challenged us to remember our "Why", step out of our comfort zone, create, and SHARE our work.

During our first week, Jillian Larussa (Amazing Poet & Career/Arts Advisor) provided a goal setting setting activity with the prompt of “What small consistent steps can you take toward your goal?”

Being an artist myself, all of this hit close to home (Henry Howard). For years I’ve watched artists doubts and fears cause creators to quit before they even get started. Waiting for the perfect time turns into years and the inner inspiration withers.

This workshop challenged us to listen to that inspiration once again, so I booked a creative retreat at Stone Quarry Hill Art Park. A single day dedicated to creating. Carving out time and space with the commitment to share whatever gets made.

When I showed up to the hallowed ground and former home of Dorothy Riester, the old piano was out of tune and full of dust with only the lower-mid register functioning. The park was socked in by fog and quiet. This devotion of time and space created room for a “spark”. A place to process, listen, and create.

Every successful creator knows that if you wait for circumstances to be perfect, your art will always remain an idea but never experienced by the world. So here is a small, imperfect step in the process…

Little Steps and Lightening

Thank you to all those who showed up to Creative Endeavors each week to cultivate a safe space together and ultimately share what is most precious to you!