CreativeMornings - January's theme is...

January 2022

Illustration of a figure wearing sunglasses with word "FREE" across the sunglasses

January’s Theme is Free

What is free comes in many flavors. Free to come, free to go. Free to love, free to deliciously inhabit our own skin, free to try on all the possible version of ourselves. “Free,” as in not charging a single cent. Free to speak truth to power. Free to say no to what’s on offer.

However, to be free to — to dream, to create, to imagine — requires freedom from. To be free from want and fear, to be free from censoring forces, to be free from oppression. To strive for true freedom is to honor our obligations to each other, to fight for our mutual liberation.

When someone is free to achieve their fullest creative expression, they become a beacon for all of us. How will you make space for your own flourishing and that of others, so that the world around you might also bend towards freedom?

CreativeMornings/Charlotte chose January's exploration of Free and Lo'Vonia Parks created the accompanying illustration.

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The hashtags of the month are #CMFree | #CreativeMornings

Image with text "CreativeMornings Playlist | Free" plastered with "Free" and "Super Saver" stickers

DJ Jim Q's Playlist: Free
This month's playlist is freeform, and freewheeling, and free-of-charge. Over 40 songs of uninhibited, unconstrained, and unimpeded compositions, from the soul queen of New Orleans Irma Thomas, to diva duo Rihanna and Nicki Minaj, to Aussie agro auteurs Amyl and the Sniffers. Tune in, let loose, it’s a free-for-all.

Meet Our Illustrator: Lo'Vonia Parks
Lo’Vonia Parks is an illustrator, caricaturist, and mixed media artist in Charlotte, NC. Her work draws on a thought-provoking mix of history and pop culture to tell innovative and slyly humorous visual stories. “I’m trying to change the perception of what is considered fine art using all the elements at my disposal,” Parks said. Her weapons of choice are mainly paint on canvas and, for mixed media sculptures, perler beads — the retro staple of nostalgia crafts.

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GIF by @Florenttd