I'm Melanee Marshall, the Founder and Creative Director (or as I like to call myself, the Chief Creative Encourager CCE) of Closet Creatives. Closet Creatives is a passion project that I've been preparing for my entire life! I've always had an intense enthusiasm for "artistic" people and endeavors. As the years progressed, I surrounded myself with all things creative, but never ever thought for one moment that I could be included in that category. It wasn't until I moved to Charlotte, NC (away from the fantastic art scene of Detroit, MI), that I gradually begin to realize that if I wanted to continue to see the kind of art I loved, I was going to have to make it myself. I began to dabble and experiment with some paint and brushes, people started buying and birthed out of the process was Talking Walls Gallery. During this creative genesis and metamorphosis, I also discovered something even more phenomenal! I learned that creativity doesn't belong to an elite group of the "special" few that we've been taught to believe, but to us all. It is my dream that with each Closet Creatives Experience I will be able to share that discovery with every participant. Freeing them to tap into their closeted creative!
I'm Stephanie Tillman, the Creativity Liaison (Melanee refers to me as her "Number One.") When I learned about the visionary service Closet Creatives is providing for the community, I embraced the opportunity to become a supportive part of the movement. As a Charlotte native, I have always been enraptured with art of every kind (including but not limited to performance, visual and auditory). Despite financial limitations, my mother would take me to concerts, symphonies, ballets, and even (my personal favorite) the library. It was within these experiences that I began to witness the potential of human creativity no matter the race or socioeconomic status. I believe that creativity is more than learning techniques and skills to make something "pretty." For me, art is an outlet to connect with the self, communicate with others, and ultimately take risks that will lead to growth. The Closet Creatives Experience is not just a fantastically fun evening out (and that it is), it is a moment where people can meet their inner artist, their risk taker, and take a step out of the darkness of "I can not" into a world vibrant with possibilities.
"The artist is not a special kind of person, rather each person is a special kind of artist." Amanda Coomaraswamy