We recently connected with IBé Crawley and have shared our conversation below.
Hi IBé, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
After 30 years of teaching in public education, I realized that my students didn’t see the history of America as important in their everyday lives. As an African-American female teacher, the stories of the founding fathers seemed remote. I decided that I wanted to help people see history more personally.
The history of African American women is particularly narrow in traditional education. These challenges inspired me to use my own teaching, storytelling skills and art to broaden the narrative. Building relationships in my community with students and parents, with arts and history institutions, with public and university libraries is my business approach to meeting diverse audiences where they are learning and growing.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
When I was 5 years old my grandfather, cousins, and church members lead a demonstration in Danville, Virginia. The year was 1963, Dr. King came to help them organize. It turned into a bloody demonstration, my grandfather and the others were beaten and arrested. Their court case lasted 10 years. It shaped my commitment to justice.
After graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University, I worked with groups of former inmates to narrate their experiences, while rebuilding family ties. I saw a great need in the children, I decided to get a Master’s in Education.
My teaching career taught me to learn, as well as to teach. I learned to design ways of learning that meet people where they are in time. I studied reading data and advised teachers and school administrators on student learning styles.
As a lover of art, I found it useful in teaching reading, writing and comprehension. As a history educator, I found book arts to be an exceptional avenue for student engagement. I used our research to reconstruct narratives. Allowing students to see themselves in history and history in their lives advanced the outcomes in student achievement.
After retiring, I dedicated my time to supporting schools and students in communities in desperate need of new strategies. My books are now archived in public and university libraries. The work that I do is part of National Park Service education, adding narratives of resilience and agency.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
As an arts organization I was offered two strategies for funding- become a 501c3 charity or become a for profit business. I decided, after many conversations with black start-ups, that fundraising takes more time that curriculum writing. Writing reports to defend my work and my ongoing financial need requires a great deal of time. At the end of the day, I decided to become a for profit business.
Initially I invested in myself. I didn’t pay myself, I used some of my retirement funds as an investment. Five years into the business, I produced a work of art that generated a profit. I invested all of that money into a facility.
Many years before, a friend’s mother had purchased a building which her daughter described as the most successful investment of their family. She said that her 40 year clothing store would never have survived if she had the ongoing expense of a mortgage or rent. I read a lot of books on women owned businesses and found that owning a building increases the likelihood of success. So, I purchased a building; it needed a lot of work, which took 2 years of ‘pay as you go’.
This transaction could had been the end of my work. But, I reached out to my sister whose expertise in facilities management allowed me to rehab the building and add an apartment. The apartment provides the money needed to pay taxes, utilities, insurance and repairs.
Currently, I teach workshops; I publish handmade books and sculpture. I continue to do work in my community to generate income to pay an assistant. Most of the work I do myself. I manage my time, remembering that I am retired. The business model is sustainable, My mission is to serve my community. I am grateful for the people who have guided me and supported my dreams.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
After years of working for institutions that define what a productive day is, and what work must be done, I had to unlearn the rules of time management. I understood from the beginning that ‘the buck stops here’. But, what does that mean.
In addition to learning that my success and failures belong to me, I learned that nobody really cared about my mission the way that I do. When I was a teacher, I was on the clock. A bell rang at the beginning of the day and for all transactions in-between. But, as a business owner I understand that I have to be in charge of how I used my time.
In the beginning, I spent a lot of time trying to convince others of the value of my goals. In some ways I was still looking for ‘backers’.
From the very beginning, I have kept a plan book (as do good teachers) and a reflection journal. I write quarterly plans, and reflect in writing on my daily accomplishments. I reread my quarterly plans and make changes in my expectations. I am more aware of grant cycles and I don’t waste time applying for the sake of applying. I apply to add value to the granters mission, and they can add value to my mission. I establish a finance partnership and I honor it by making sure that they understand my achievements and limitations.
I have developed confidence in myself as a business woman and as an artist. I have will always reflect on how I contribute and make a difference in the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Ibearts.org
- Instagram: Ibearted
Image Credits
Mark Peyton
Jay Paul