Art, Community, and Storytelling
My inspiration: My Mom
My mom has lived and breathed art her entire life. In her 20s she managed American Handicraft stores, and in her 30s she became an art and music teacher. She chose inner-city and rural schools around Tulsa because she knew those kids might not otherwise experience the arts, and she wanted to change that. She introduced them to famous artists and even raised funds for field trips to the Philbrook and Gilcrease.
Today, she’s still sharing her love of art from her basement studio on Lake Keystone. Here she is with my daughter Natalie, passing that creativity down during a flow art session.
Working with nonprofits
While working for TFNB Your Bank for Life in Waco, Texas, I got the chance to be a part of the Charity Champions program. The bank would select six nonprofits each year and help them build marketing campaigns that culminated with recognition at Baylor University football and basketball games. This is where I really came to love working with nonprofits and getting their message out there into the community.
I produced this video for Art Center Waco, one of our recipients in 2020.
Telling the Story
I was also able to start the Charity Champions Podcast to help tell the story of the nonprofits we were helping. Here’s a podcast I put together for the Art Center of Waco.
Working with Museums
I also started, co-hosted, and produced the Waco History Podcast for over two years with my co-host, Dr. Stephen Sloan, Professor of History at Baylor University & Director of the Institute for Oral History. One of our biggest fans was Chris Dyer, President and CEO of the Dr. Pepper Museum. He arranged for us to do a live recording in front of an audience.
Diversity in Marketing
While leading marketing at TFNB Your Bank For Life, I helped launch a new branch in a historically Black neighborhood that had not had a bank in over 100 years. My focus was on telling the story of how the bank could serve the community, building trust, highlighting local partnerships, and showing that financial access could help strengthen the neighborhood’s future.
Working with Artists
As part of the bank location’s opening, we partnered with local artists and commissioned a mural on the side of the building. I interviewed the artist and talked about their inspiration.