Creative Mornings Charlotte

A conversation with Charlotte photographer Alvin C. Jacobs Jr. recorded immediately following Creative Mornings Charlotte at the historic Carolina Theater in Uptown Charlotte.

Recorded at the International Picture House immediately following Creative Mornings on March 7, 2025, Matt and Tim talk with Kat Martin, cofounder and Artistic Director at Mixed Metaphors Productions.

Matt and Tim sit down with the one and only Manolo Betancur, following his keynote speech about "Layers" at the Creative Mornings event on Friday, February 7, 2025.

Charlotte is Creative's own Makayla Binter is the guest on thie episode. Mat, Tim and Makayla discuss her journey, her life as an artist, and the breaks she got along the way. See her keynote presentation at the January Creative Morning's gathering here.

Charlotte musician/producer Tim Scott Jr. joins Matt and Tim immediately following the Creative Mornings event on Friday December 13, 2024.

Scott Wooten and Christopher Moxley from The 704 Shop join host Matt Olin moments after their keynote presentation at Creative Mornings on November 9, 2024. Recorded at UNC Charlotte's Dubois Center.

Matt and Tim talk with Terri White, President and CEO of The Charlotte Museum of History, following Creative Mornings Charlotte on October 4, 2024.

Do Greater Charlotte's William McNeely joins hosts Matt Olin and Tim Miner on this episode, recorded immediately following Creative Morning's September gathering at Uptown Charlotte's Mint Museum.

Charlotte is Creative's Matt Olin talks with Men Tchaas Ari from Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenbur, about his predisposition for helping people and the rituals that keep him focused. Recorded immediately following Creative Mornings Charlotte on August 2, 2024.

Matt and Tim sit down with Charlotte non-profit leader and arts advocate Jonell Logan to discuss being a leader in, and a supporter of, the arts community in Charlotte and just what that means. This podcast was recorded immediately following Creative Mornings Charlotte on Friday, June 14, 2024.

WBTV's Kristen Miranda joins Matt and Tim immediately following the 100th Creative Mornings event at The BoPlex. Recorded May 4, 2024.

Matt and Tim sit down with Madeline Holly-Carothers and Ashley Creft, who took an idea and built it into an organization that connects Charlotte's Black-owned businesses with each other and their community. Recorded March 1, 2024 after the Creative Mornings session.

Matt and Tim discuss creativity and community with Jennifer Sudul Edwards, Chief Curator and Curator of Contemporary Art at The Mint Museum, in a conversation recorded immediately following Creative Mornings Charlotte, January 5, 2024 at The Mint Museum on Randolph.

Recorded immediately following Creative Mornings on Nov 3, 2023, Matt and Tim sit down with the one and only DJ Fannie Mae.

For this special 100th episode of the Charlotte is Creative Podcast, Matt and Tim sit down with Charlotte fashion designer Will White.

Recorded immediately following Creative Mornings at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on October 6, 2023, Matt and Tim sit down with CT Anderson from SpringClean.org, about the theme of Endurance.

Recorded immediately following Creative Mornings Charlotte on June 2, 2023, Matt and Time talk with Tony Award Winner Corey Mitchell, founder of Charlotte's Theater Gap Initiative.

Fresh from his emotional presentation at the May 5 Creative Mornings event, Quadriphonic Sound's David Jeffers joins Matt and Tim to talk about his path to sound design, just what a sound designer does, and the music that inspires him.

Lauren Widrick, fresh off her inspirational talk at the April Creative Mornings event, talks with Matt and Tim about walking away from a perfectly good job to chase a dream.

"A national treasure." -Wynton Marsalis "The best musician on the planet." -Vince Gill "A supreme master at what he does." -Yo-Yo Ma "He is to music what Muhammad Ali is to boxing." -James Taylor Imagine how good Mark O'Connor must be if these are the words his peers have said about him. Mark's musical DNA includes American folk tradition as well as classical music, and even jazz -- which makes sense when you consider that his creative journey began at the feet of a pair of musical giants: folk fiddler Benny Thomasson (who created the modern era of American fiddling) and French jazz violinist, Stephane Grappelli (considered one of the greatest improvisers in the history of the violin).   Along the way, between these musical extremes, Mark absorbed knowledge and influence from other musical styles and genres -- an alchemy that became his signature sound, a “new American Classical music." He's performed for U.S. Presidents ... he's recorded with Dolly Parton, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Randy Travis, The Judds and many more ... and he also created an entirely American school of string playing called The O'Connor Method.   Now, he's written a memoir entitled Crossing Bridges about his journey from child prodigy to fiddler who dared the world. He and his beloved, the extraordinary musician Maggie O'Connor, have been touring the country playing book release concerts, but they took some time to sit down with us on the Charlotte Is Creative Podcast!   LINK TO THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:   Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 2 by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Charlotte is Creative's Matt Olin sits doen with Charlotte Poet Laureate Jay Ward, to learn more about how one becomes a Poet Laureate, and why he hid his talent for many years.

At our first CreativeMornings/Charlotte event of 2023, we met three people committed to helping others find their Sanctuary: Liliana Jaramillo (Mexico), Yeferline Gomez (Dominican Republic), and Sadaf Alemi (Afghanistan). They all work at ourBRIDGE for Kids, a local nonprofit whose mission is to foster the education, acculturation, and resilience of newly arrived and first generation children and their families.    In this episode of the Charlotte Is Creative Podcast, Matt and Tim sit down with Liliana, Yeferline and Sadaf to learn more about their own journeys to sanctuary and the vital roles they are playing in leading others to safety and security.

Mattie Marshall is a Charlottean. Like so many in Charlotte, she wasn't born here. But, she's made it her home.  While she's lived in several neighborhoods since moving here, it's the historic Washington Heights community - one of Charlotte's original Black suburbs, named after Booker T. Washington. For more than 30 years, Ms. Marshall has been the president of the Historic Washington Heights Neighborhood Association.  As she says, she may have come for the tree-lined streets, but she stayed for the history of the community. She remained to walk in the steps of its founders, the Civil Rights leaders who lived here before her and the neighbors past and present who sit on their front porch swings welcoming all. She stayed because  Washington Heights is a home whose legacy and future are worth protecting. In this episode of “The World Should Know …” a special podcast series developed by Charlotte Is Creative in partnership with Tom Hanchett and Winston Robinson and sponsored by the North Carolina Humanities Council - Tim Miner interviews Ms. Mattie Marshall. Enjoy the conversation. Remember the story. Share it with someone else.

Tommie Robinson is an artist. He's been among our most celebrated in Charlotte, NC for some time. But it wasn't always that way. As a black man who wanted to paint for a living in post-World War II South, there wasn't a road map for him. But, he had talent. He had passion. And – as he says – he had a hard head. So he succeeded and still paints today. Welcome to this episode of “The World Should Know …” a special podcast series developed by Charlotte Is Creative in partnership with Tom Hanchett and Winston Robinson and sponsored by the North Carolina Humanities Council. Hear an incredible conversation between community organizer Winston Robinson and his father, artist Tommie Robinson, the first Black member of the Charlotte Art Guild. The two discuss what it has been like to build a career as a Black artist in the Queen City then and now … and why art is a vital part of our community. Enjoy the conversation. Remember the story. Share it with someone else.

Rudean Harris didn't learn how to smile until she was a teenager.  After the death of Rudean's mother, her father moved she and her siblings to Charlotte where, her extended family could help raise them. Fighting through poverty and bigotry, the family stayed together, but there was little to smile about. But, through the kindness of those in her community, Ms. Harris learned to smile. She opened a restaurant in her mid-teens. And, for 60 years, she opened her doors, her heart and – often – her kitchen to show love to those who walked in the doors of “Rudean's” morning, noon and late night.  This is the first episode of “The World Should Know …” a special podcast series developed by Charlotte Is Creative in partnership with Tom Hanchett and Winston Robinson and sponsored by the North Carolina Humanities Council. This series was created to help keep stories of Charlotte's past alive, stories of neighborhoods and neighbors that have been foundational to our past, but are in danger of being lost to time in our future.  Enjoy the conversation. Remember the story. Share it with someone else.

Whether you know it or not, Josh Jacobson of Next Stage and his work have likely touched your life. Josh and his team work with many of the most impactful non-profit organizations in Charlotte, and he continues to be one of the most sought-after voices in the community. In today's episode of Creative Mornings Rewind, Tim Miner sits down with Josh to talk about his career, which began in New York City learning from some of the world's largest non-profits, his transition to Charlotte and establishing his practice, where he sees his work now and in the future, and why he decided to drop the term "consulting" from his company's name. Connect with Josh and his team here.

"The vision is a community arts hub - visual, performing arts, hyper-local ... we anticipate that this 4237 community arts hub will be that now and for at least the next 15, 20, 30 years and maybe forever ..." - Tony Kuhn, Flywheel Group, LLC Something interesting is taking place off E. Sugar Creek Rd. -- the creation of an arts cluster intended to be the foundation of a new development blending cultural organizations and businesses with future retail, office and residential space along the light rail ling just north of NoDa. This interaction of business and creativity was the perfect chance for The Biscuit and The Charlotte Ledger to team up and explore the possibilities. The Charlotte Art League -- which already housed in this area -- is working with developers from Flywheel Group, LLC,  to establish this new arts hub. In June, they expect to move across the street into a shared facility with The Independent Picture House, OSO Skate Park and AerialCLT.  In today's batch of the Biscuit CLT Podcast, Tim Miner (The Biscuit) and Tony Mecia (The Charlotte Ledger) chat with Jim Dukes of Charlotte Art League and Tony Kuhn of Flywheel Group about their partnership, community placemaking, the challenges medium-sized art institutions and individual creatives have faced recently in affordable, long-term space, and how developers can step up to meet those needs. 

Children's Theatre of Charlotte has long been revered by Charlotteans, but especially Head Biscuit Baker Matt Olin. Having spent much of his creative formative years working with CTC, Matt credits them for having made a profound impact on him and his creative work today.  Last month, CTC hired Nao Tsurumaki to fill the vacant Managing Director position. Nao comes to Charlotte after having spent many years working in the performing arts in Washington DC, New York, and most recently, the Winter Garden Theatre in Orlando. In today's Onboarding segment of the Biscuit CLT podcast, Matt Olin speaks to Nao about coming to Charlotte, the reverence they share for children's theatre, and what Nao hopes to accomplish in the Queen City.

At the February 2021 edition of Creative Mornings Charlotte, artist and Costa Rican native Irisol Gonzalez spoke about the global theme of promise. But what made her talk special was not the promises she was making to others, but the promises she made to herself. In immigrating to the US at just ten years old and without knowing a word of English, Irisol made a promise to herself that she would become a full-time artist. Today, she's a staple community member among Charlotte artists.   In this edition of Creative Mornings Rewind, Head Biscuit Baker Tim Miner talks to Irisol about her background as an immigrant, her collaborative nature, and some of the projects she's working on today.   Find out more about Irisol at irisolgonzalez.com.

One of Charlotte's most prolific creative forces is making a move. Boris "Bluz" Rogers has been a fixture in the local creative space for more than a decade as an independent performing artist. In 2021, he's moving into a new role with the heavily established Blumenthal Performing Arts. In today's episode of the Biscuit CLT Podcast, we debut a new segment called Onboarding, where we'll talk to Bluz about his new position, what he'll be tasked with, and the transition in working as an independent artist to a more bureaucratic environment.   Find out more about Blumenthal Performing Arts here.

Lawrence Gordon is a man who has many skills, and applies them in several different arenas. By day, he's the VP of Workforce Development at Hope Haven, a Charlotte non-profit dedicated to helping those suffering from addiction. At night, he's also a basketball coach at Carmel Christian. Lawrence's work with his kids writing children's books, however, might be his greatest passion of them all. In the past few years, he's worked with his 12 year old daughter and 11 year old son to write the colorful kids' books "Unicorn Dreams" and "Dad, the Bully, and the Orange Ball," respectively.  Since writing the books, Lawrence and his children have been hard at work promoting them, attending books signings, and posing for pictures. In today's episode of The Biscuit CLT Podcast, head biscuit-baker Tim Miner talks to Lawrence about his day job, his creative work, and what lessons his children get to learn by being active participants in the creative process. Find out more about Lawrence and his books at https://www.booksbylg.com/.

In today’s episode of The Biscuit, we’ve asked several Charlotte creatives to give us what they’ve learned from 2020 and what their hopes are for 2021. You’ll get to hear from creatives like Sonya Phiffer of Elder Gallery, photographer Ernesto Moreno and painter Rosalia Torres Weiner about their hopes for the new year. 2020 has been a year unlike any other. We hope there's been room for both learning and reflection. That's what we've collected from just a small sample of Charlotte's creative force. Take a listen and then ask yourself what you want in 2021!

In 2009, local freelance writer Jody Mace was faced with a question that she heard echoed around the city: What do we do in Charlotte that's fun and not incredibly expensive. That's when Jody and her husband decided to build the aptly-named website Charlotte on the Cheap, where they would list as many of the fun and exciting events that were happening around the city that cost less than your average Panthers or Hornets game.  More than ten years later, charlotteonthecheap.com is still the go-to source for a packed event calendar that anyone can attend.  In today's episode of the Biscuit CLT podcast, Tim Miner talks to Jody Mace about founding Charlotte on the Cheap, what her working process is, and what some things are that creatives and promoters can do to get more visibility. 

Ricky Singh is an educator, artist and father of four, so he knows what it takes to help build individuals and communities. He put much of that knowledge and passion to work this summer after the Black Lives Matter protests, painting several murals on and around Beatties Ford Road.  On today's Who Built Me segment, producer Andy Goh talks to Ricky about about the people he credits for building him: his four boys. Despite a difference in almost 12 years between the oldest and youngest, Ricky says they share many similarities. Ricky speaks about what he's learned from that range of characteristics, and how he's trying to help them define their own success.

This week marks the fifth birthday of the Charlotte chapter of Creative Mornings (CM/CLT). What started as an effort to gather people together once a month to share, laugh, learn and celebrate Charlotte’s creative community has inspired many collaborations, as well as the development of the HUG micro-grant program, Queen City Quiz Show and Charlotte Is Creative, the nonprofit parent of The Biscuit. To mark the occasion, Matt Olin and Tim Miner, local organizers of CM/CLT and founders of Charlotte Is Creative, sat down to reflect on how the last years have changed their lives, what they’ve learned about Charlotte’s creative community and the challenges that lie ahead in the next five years.

Being on the frontlines of building a community take a relentless devotion to the work and unwavering commitment to the cause. Chef Ron Ahlert, Executive Director of Community Culinary School of Charlotte has been putting those values to work for more than two decades. Today, he's helping lead a kitchen program that's helping to get community workers back on their feet.  In today's episode of The Biscuit Blitz, Tim Miner speaks to Chef Ron and Charlotte arts mainstay and CCSC Development Director Anne Lambert about the school's history, what drew Anne to work with Chef Ron, and what the team has in store for this year's Miracle on Monroe event, an event that gives the school's students a chance to serve more than 300 people during the holiday season. Read more about Chef Ron here.

In the latest episode in our Who Built Me series, we talk to the founder of Heal Charlotte, Greg Jackson. Jackson, whose organization is working to provide affordable housing for families of need, named Otis Crowder as someone he wanted to pay tribute to.  Jackson talks about meeting Crowder at a Rotary meeting where Jackson was speaking about Heal Charlotte, and them becoming friends quickly thereafter. Despite the differences in their backgrounds, Jackson and Crowder developed a deep mutual respect for one another, solidified in a shared vision of helping others.  Click here to watch Jackson's Who Built Me talk at Creative Mornings Charlotte on November 6, 2020.

In a new series called Scratch Made, head biscuit bakers Tim Miner and Matt Olin sit down for a socially-distanced conversation on Tim's open air back patio. The two take turns answering each other's questions on five topics that are on their minds or happening in the Charlotte creative scene. Hear them talk about what they love and hate about Zoom meetings, the future of live events like Creative Mornings, how creatives can use this time, ways they've rediscovered the city, and takeaways from Latin American Heritage Month. Don't forget to subscribe to The Biscuit for your daily dose of creativity at biscuitclt.com.

One of the city's most versatile entertainers sits down in today's episode of the Biscuit CLT podcast with host Tim Miner. For the past three years, Aaron Dodge has dominated Instagram and now TikTok feeds alike, but in 2020 he's jumping into the show full time. After working with renowned Charlotte video production team The Littlefield Company, Dodge is fulfilling a long-time vision of being a full time entrepreneur. Tim talks to Dodge about the work he did for The Littlefield Company, the content he'll be creating with his own brand, and the business philosophy that drives him.

The last few months have been a lot of things, but one thing they haven't been is boring. In today's episode of the podcast, producer Andy Goh talks to head biscuit bakers Matt Olin and Tim Miner about everything that's been happening since the pandemic took over in March. Hear Matt and Tim talk about the reimagination of Creative Mornings, the Black Lives Matter mural, new funding for artists, and much more. Visit InvestInCreatives.com to find out more about funding for Charlotte artists, creatives, and gig economy workers.

Henry Rock, founder of City Startup Labs, works to help build young men into entrepreneurs, so it makes sense that he knows a thing or two about the value of a mentor in building social capital. It's no surprise then, that he himself had several influential figures in his life that helped shaped him into the leader he is today. In today's episode of Who Built Me, we talk to Henry about the lessons he learned from his great grandmother Ella, a suffragist and historian, his father and uncles who were pilots and engineers, and a professional influence who helped Henry built his foundation in Black-owned media. Find out more about City Startup Labs here.

For almost a decade, Molly Shaw has served as the President and CEO of Communities in Schools, a vital position of leadership where her work directly impacted students across Mecklenburg County. This summer, however, Molly has left her position to explore new opportunities. In the very first edition of Exit Interview, Tim Miner sits down with Molly for a chat about the challenges she faced, the lessons she learned, and what she sees as the greatest needs schools are facing today. Read more about Communities in Schools here.

When getting started in any field, particularly one as unforgiving as journalism, having a mentor is essential. On today's episode of The Biscuit CLT Podcast, we've got another edition of our Who Built Me series, this time we're featuring the host and lead reporter of She Says and The List, Sarah Delia. Sarah Delia talks about a mentor she had in college named Martha who worked at a radio station at James Madison University. Martha had no obligation to pay Sarah a moment of time, but after Sarah cleverly put herself in Martha's path, Martha began to take Sarah under her wing and helped to shape her into the journalist she is today. Find more freshly baked biscuits at biscuitclt.com.  

We spend much of our lives trying to be conscious of the effects our words have on those who receive them because you never really know how something you say can affect someone. Something that you may find casual might be wildly inappropriate or even harmful to someone else. In today's Who Built Me series, we talk to Meredith Dean, CEO and Founder of The Dean's List, about four men in her life whose words shaped who she became.  The words of the first three men were not well-intentioned, and Meredith talks about how she used these words to fuel her desire to grow stronger. The fourth man is her father, and his words were much more uplifting.    Find out more about Meredith at thedeanslist.me.

The great landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted said, "The enjoyment of scenery employs the mind without fatigue, yet exercises it, tranquilizes it yet enlivens it, and thus, through the influence of mind over body, gives the effect of refreshing rest and reinvigorating the whole system." Every day, City of Charlotte Senior Urban Designer Rachel Stark looks at our city and works to create Olmsted's vision. Everything from the structure of public spaces to the Black Lives Matter mural down to the zoning code is fair game for Stark, and her efforts will quite literally shape the city.  Get to know Rachel in today's episode of Who Built Me, brought to you by Foundation for the Carolinas. Rachel talks about the people who influenced her while at school at NC State, working in Cape Town, South Africa, and what she would pass on to the next generation of landscape architects.

In an effort to define social capital and show the profound effects it has on our community, we're introducing a new series of podcasts called Who Built Me. We've asked several prominent Charlotteans to talk about the people and ideas that have shaped them into who they are today. In the latest edition of The Biscuit's Who Built Me series, Andy Goh talks to artist and entrepreneur Eric Ndelo. Eric is cofounder of screen printing company Mac Fly Fresh, located in Camp North End and known for their colorful and interactive pop-up screen printing booths. Eric talks about a friend of his named Adam Peele, who helped teach him screen printing before a trip to the Democratic Republic of the Congo several years ago. The Who Built Me Series is sponsored by Foundation for the Carolinas.

On the morning of Tuesday, June 9, 2020, Charlotteans woke up to a bold new mural being painted on a prominent stretch of South Tryon Street that read "Black Lives Matter." Inspired by similar murals in Washington, DC and Raleigh, a group of Charlotte artists and organizers came together within a matter of hours to create their own homage to the movement. What makes Charlotte's mural unique, however, is that each letter is designed and painted by a different artist. The result is stunning. On today's episode of the Biscuit CLT Podcast, producer Andy Goh takes you on the ground to talk to the artists and organizers who made the mural happen.

In an effort to define social capital and show the profound effects it has on our community, we're introducing a new series of podcasts called Who Built Me. We've asked several prominent Charlotteans to talk about the people and ideas that have shaped them into who they are today. In the latest edition of The Biscuit's Who Built Me series, Andy Goh talks to media personality and entrepreneur Ohavia Phillips. Ohavia's energy and dynamic presence are well known throughout the city. Much of the credit for building her bold personality she gives to her mother. Hear Ohavia talk about how her mother taught her to survive and thrive even as a single parent.

In an effort to define social capital and show the profound effects it has on our community, we're introducing a new series of podcasts called Who Built Me. We've asked several prominent Charlotteans to talk about the people and ideas that have shaped them into who they are today. First up is Toni Freeman. In a long career filled with leadership positions at the Arts & Science Council, Junior League, Women's Impact Fund and more, Toni knows what it means to give and receive guidance. Her mentor was a math teacher named Sister Edith Feltner who helped Toni achieve her full potential. Press play, and hear her story.

It's hard to find someone who is more fiercely proud of being a native Charlottean than Winston Robinson. So much so, that Robinson's nickname of "Wilmo" is inspired by his native neighborhood of Wilmore. That, combined with the work that he's doing as former president of the Lockwood Neighborhood Association, through A Vibe Called Fresh, an annual food and music festival open to all residents, as well as founding an LLC, The Applesauce Group, to support it all. In today's episode of the The Biscuit CLT Podcast - CMCLT Rewind, hosts Tim Miner and Matt Olin talk to Winston immediately following his talk at the March Creative Mornings event at Divine Barrel Brewing. Tune in now to hear Winston speak about what being a native Charlottean means to him, what he wanted to convey when speaking about codeswitching in his CMCLT speech, and his thoughts on the current state of The Excelsior Club.

Good things come in threes, and with this week's episode, The Biscuit CLT Podcast hits the trifecta with an episode on visual creativity in the Queen City.  Classic Black is the most recent sculptural exhibition at the Mint Museum Randolph. Inspired by the hauntingly dark and matte basalt sculptures of Josiah Wedgwood. The sculptures are striking in their own right, but they're presented in conjunction with the amorphous and flowing designs of local artist Owl, part of the Southern Tiger Collective. Tim Miner sits down with Brian Gallagher, Curator of Decorative Arts at the Mint Museum, and Owl. Hit the play button now to hear them talk about the design behind the exhibition, how Owl's art enhances the sculptures, and what the collaboration with a local artist means for the museum.