We asked some very talented folks to tell us about the most innovative thing they’ve done in their career.

 Tracy Teuscher

One innovative way that I serve the community and the environment is through a nonprofit pollinator habitat initiative I launched in 2020 called Save Ohio Bees™. This initiative is a bioregional approach to address the three main reasons that 1 in 4 North American native bees face extinction: Habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate warming. Read more>>

Imari Sayas

When I decided to make a tiktok channel I had no clue that I would go viral at all. I just wanted to do a book review and find my crowd of people. To my surprise, I not only received 600,000+ views but I’ve also had people express to me that I made it “cool” to read again. I had no clue that people were self conscious about having a love for reading. From that day on, I never stopped doing book reviews. So far I have over 10 reviews with thousands of views and support. Read more>>

Ngozi Kim

I’m in an era of my life where I’m finally bringing ALL of my brands & ideas together. I’m definitely doing it in a way that screams ‘innovation.’ During quarantine After converting an old rental property into an indoor/ outdoor production studio/event space (NOHO Production Oasis) I came to terms I had a physical space & the ideas & opportunities to make myself would be endless… Read more>>

 Jinming Gao

As a creative practitioner, I am deeply committed to innovation in everything I do, regardless of its scale. One noticeable aspect of my work is my adherence to my own “guidelines” in terms of defining my role as a designer and establishing my distinctive style. Read more>>

Shevonne Philidor

I would call this more strategic then innovative because it’s literally all there layed out, as an Artist trying to play big music festivals is everyone’s goal. Usually you either have an agent or manager / publicist to put you on, or you submit you epk along with 1,000+ other entries and hope someone will call you. I don’t have patience for all of that. I’ve played a bunch of big festivals and the way I did it with no management or agent. Was by researching and finding the festival promoters on Facebook or Instagram emailing them directly and bothering the shit out of them with my epk. Lol I figured a manager would’ve done the same! But it worked and I’ve been able to accomplish a lot using social media as a tool! Read more>>

Madge Evers

Spores are tiny reproductive particles made within a mushroom’s gills or pores. When ready, and at astonishing speeds, mushrooms release millions of powdery spores into the air. The spores fly and float; they sometimes travel the world in rain clouds and sometimes land close to home. In whatever way they move, spores contain a fungi’s DNA and act as tiny seeds. People sometimes ‘catch’ spores on paper to help identify a mushroom; different species have different colored spores. This identification process is called a spore print. To make a spore print, remove a mushroom’s stem and place the cap, gill or pore side, down onto a piece of paper; cover with a cup or bowl. After 6-12 hours, lift the bowl, remove the cap, and if conditions are right, voila! The mushroom’s spores will leave a photographic-like image of the mushroom’s gills or pores on the paper. My innovation is that I’ve adapted the mushroom spore print as an art form. I work with fungi that I forage or grow to make abstract works on paper that portray the natural world’s familiarity and strangeness. When I first began working with mushrooms, I was uncertain. I wondered about the legitimacy of spores as an art medium, knew there’d be naysayers, but was profoundly inspired by the mysterious and beautiful imagery. I feel fortunate to have access to an art medium that, when I create with it, is alive. Mushrooms produce and release spores; my reliance on that process means the spore print art is created interdependently with mushrooms, my unwitting collaborators. Their participation means the work is partially wild. Read more>>

Savannah O’Neill

I am a big supporter of creating your own opportunities, so I try and apply that in my life and career. As a filmmaker, it’s a constant hustle and struggle to find the next project, gig or group to get in on. In this industry its all about knowing people and working consitantly with the same people. When I moved back to Colorado during covid it took me a long time to get into the tight knit film community. Part of the way I did that was by creating my own group/community. I realized that there is a big film community here and a lot of monthly networking events where people can get to know one another but there was room for so much more. I wanted to build the community even more so I decided that I would create a weekly event to bring all types of artists together. I am proud to say that I am the founder and host of DEN drama. It is a collection of writers, actros, and local musicians. DEN drama started as a cold reading and networking event and has bloomed into an amazing community of artists. Because we meet weekly it has allowed members to bond and have consistent creative feedback. Read more>>