Pay Your Bills with Your Skills
Pilot Grant Program to Pair Funds and Project Management Training
For creatives to survive and, hopefully, thrive in Charlotte, they must be seen and valued as small businesses. They need resources. And, they need training to best use available resources and secure funds and support for future projects.
Taking these insights into account, Charlotte Is Creative (parent of The Biscuit) has launched a pilot program with financial support from Wells Fargo: the Creative Entrepreneurs Initiative.
“We’ve advocated for the need to provide artists and creatives with business and project management training along with funding for a long time,” said Matt Olin, co-founder of Charlotte Is Creative. “We had a strong feeling that training was a missing element for many creatives … thanks to Wells Fargo, we can act on it.”
Open for applications now, the Creative Entrepreneurs Initiative will reward six inaugural creatives with $4,000 in funding for a creative project or initiative developed between September and December of this year. It’s designed for creatives who have managed small, successful projects, but are looking to grow and take on larger work.
‘Good Things Happen Here!’
Caroline Simas’ New Mural Adds a Cheerful Note to a South End Sidewalk
“It’s a bit challenging to describe my style, but overall, my brand, Multiple Blessings, is known for a bright color palette, florals and faith.” – Caroline Simas, artist
Caroline Simas’ Color Me Happy has brightened up the area around 300 W. Summit Ave. in South End. Check out her colorful sidewalk mural and notice how her colors overlap and the brushstrokes change directions. It was a labor of love over four days in the July heat.
Iris Blossom Bombs Charlotte … with Flowers
Local Florist Creates Arrangements Around Town to Give People a Dose of Cheer
“We wanted to thank the community for supporting our art and our business by giving them something to enjoy, even though it’s temporary.” – Rob Gooljar of Iris Blossom
An atypical florist gives the city a beautiful gift – giant floral arrangements that pop up secretly in surprise locations. Meet one half of Iris Blossom CLT – the florist that’s dropping “f-bombs” — flower bombs, that is — all over town.
Seeing Yourself in Nature
Ever look in the clouds and see faces? How about trees? Ever seen faces there?
In six weeks, you can.
Craig Walsh’s Monuments — an illuminated art installation that projects portraits onto trees in public spaces — is headed to Charlotte during Charlotte SHOUT!, Sept. 17 through Oct. 3. The nighttime exhibition will take place in Marshall Park, across from the Charlotte Government Center.
Over the course of his 30-year career, Australian artist Walsh has garnered a reputation for innovative use of projection mapping at live events and in unusual places, especially natural settings and outdoor locations. He’s exhibited in South Korea, Japan and several U.S. cities.
Charlotte SHOUT! is a content sponsor of The Biscuit. Image courtesy of Craig Walsh.
Work Like a Dog Day
Discovering that Friday is National Work Like a Dog Day got us thinking about exactly how dogs work. The NationalToday.com website tells us, “This quirky day is inspired by the reputed strong work ethic of canines, especially service dogs.”
And yes — there are dogs that work hard. Emotional support animals; the dogs that sniff out bombs, drugs and disaster survivors; and the Alaskan Huskies that power the sleds in the Iditarod all qualify as canines with a work ethic. But when we think of the dogs we know and love, let’s just say “working” isn’t one of the tricks they’ve mastered.
When a dog “goes to work” — fetching, barking at the mail carrier, riding in a car, wagging its tail — it does it full-heartedly. It almost makes it seem like play.
So, on this Work Like a Dog Day, we invite you to work like the dogs in our lives. Which is to say: Wag your tail, stick your tongue out and have fun.
We want to see you canine co-workers!
We’d love to see your four-legged friend. Send us a photo of your dog (or cat) at work with you to hello@charlotteiscreative.com. If we like it, we may just share it on our Instagram feed.
In a recent batch of The Biscuit, we took a quick road trip away from the 704 to visit the vibrant arts scene of Boone, NC, home of the Appalachian State Mountaineers. Click here to explore Boone’s quirky, colorful art!
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