Saz enjoys speaking and facilitating art workshops for businesses and educational institutions by inspiring people to live life in pen-where mistakes are embraced, and never erased. Saz has led workshops for thousands of educators and artists in educational institutions, businesses, state departments of education, homeless/troubled youth communities, and non-profit organizations.

Saz now illustrates at her home studio in Hampden, Baltimore with her husband Dave, baby daughter Valerie, and many dead plants. Saz wants everyone to access their creative mindset to prosper in all areas of life by getting lost in creativity. Getting lost yields life’s most inventive moments and if we can allow ourselves to navigate without a plan, we can be bold enough to take impactful and creative risks. Saz continues to inspire female leaders, artists, educators, businesses, and impoverished communities to use their stories as fuel for creativity, productivity, leadership, and community building while making positive and mindful changes in our world.

Her first business, White Coffee Creative, is a design and mural studio that she started in June 2017 after getting laid off (genuinely one of the best things that ever happened to her!). After connecting with many other creative entrepreneurs while running her business, she started to see the cracks in the industry — such as perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and lack of boundaries — and realized she wasn't the only one dealing with these struggles. She quickly brought in over six figures in revenue but hit burnout, hard.

That lead to her adding coaching offers. As The Colorful Jess, she helps creative entrepreneurs let go of perfectionism, feel confident, and ditch burnout by combining mindset work with pricing strategy and intuitive tools. Everything she does comes back to her signature Holy Fuck Pricing method, which is all about empowering you to believe in and charge your value so we can ditch the starving artist mentality, together.

She also hosts a podcast with a good friend called The Badass Roadmap. It's a guide for running your business, being a creative, & living a kick ass life and to help you write your own unique roadmap for success in business and in life. They share their experiences and tips along the way while being vulnerable, laughing, and cussing lol.

When she's not working, you can find Jess sipping coffee, bingeing Netflix shows, hiking with her pups, or dreaming about having a cabin in the woods.

You can find her on Instagram:

@thecolorfuljess

@whitecoffeecreativeco

@thebadassroadmap

Our mission is to develop the creative economy. Our organization encourages better business practices & economic growth for all. We lay the foundation for profitable, collaborative relationships between artists, businesses & the community by streamlining opportunities. We create financial stability for artists by providing them with the resources to help them succeed. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GEWARTS/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GEW_ARTS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/GEWARTS 

3 favorite colors

3 names you go by

3 places you are from (literal or metaphorical)

3 last names you inherited 

3 things you love about your community

3 things you’d love to change about your community

If you choose to write a poem…
Skip a line from what you wrote above. Then, write

"I am..."

The goal is to insert words in poem that you listed, wherever you please, but please write as much as you can! 
If you have a hard time thinking of what to write, you can begin every line with "I am" and fill in the blanks about yourself from there.

If you choose to do a visual project…

The goal is to incorporate the colors, names, and places above, hopes and wishes for community, either written (literal) or metaphorical symbols representing these spaces. 

Unique has performed poetry since her teens throughout the US, and Havana, Cuba. She began her career as a Community Organizer in Brooklyn, NY, and later, as an Academic Mentor in Oakland, CA. Having returned to Baltimore in 2015, Unique has worked consistently as a Poetry Teaching Artist, and in administrative roles for various non-profits, including DewMoreBaltimore, Leaders of Tomorrow Youth Center, AFRO Charities, & The Lyric Baltimore. Uniquereceived the Emerging Teaching Artist award from Arts Every Day in 2017, The Grit Fund Grant in 2019, and an Artist Recovery Grant from BOPA in 2022. With MICA, she has been Adjunct Faculty in Humanistic Studies since 2016, and Co-Facilitator of the Community Gathering series with MICA's DEI Director. Unique is now the appointed Director of MICA’s MFA in Community Arts Program.

Unique also serves as a member of Hampshire College’s Writers Advisory Council and was the Chairperson of 2022 Baltimore Pride. Unique has two poetic book releases: flicked/forgotten/FREED (2014), and Four Wings & A Prayer: A Charm City Churn (2019). She later expanded into music, releasing blkottonkandy's EP, vesica piscis (2019), Tha 27th Letter, Vol. I (2019) & II (2020) (as kLefta*maniak), 2021’s GETCHA LIFE! EP (a collaboration between kLefta*maniak and MRDJXZ), and 2022's Cosmic Drama (as Tha Noisy Neighbor).

Saz enjoys speaking and facilitating art workshops for businesses and educational institutions by inspiring people to live life in pen-where mistakes are embraced, and never erased. Saz has led workshops for thousands of educators and artists in educational institutions, businesses, state departments of education, homeless/troubled youth communities, and non-profit organizations.

Saz now illustrates at her home studio in Hampden, Baltimore with her husband Dave, baby daughter Valerie, and many dead plants. Saz wants everyone to access their creative mindset to prosper in all areas of life by getting lost in creativity. Getting lost yields life’s most inventive moments and if we can allow ourselves to navigate without a plan, we can be bold enough to take impactful and creative risks. Saz continues to inspire female leaders, artists, educators, businesses, and impoverished communities to use their stories as fuel for creativity, productivity, leadership, and community building while making positive and mindful changes in our world.

Website: https://www.sazross.com/

 

The first day is Monday, November 14th from 4-6 pm with Saz Ross presenting a workshop called “Show Me The Money: Financial Planning!” The second day is Tuesday, November 15th from 6-8pm  with Michael Bracco for a workshop called “From Process To Product: Guide to Manufacturing your Art!” The third day is Wednesday, November 16th from 4-6 pm  with Saz Ross for a workshop called “Sell/Speak/Stand Out: The Art of Public Speaking.” The fourth day is on Thursday, November 17th from 4-6pm with Micah Smith and Unique Robinson for a workshop called “People Make the World Go ‘Round: Collaboration in Community.” The fifth day is November 18th from 9-11am with Jess Langley for a workshop called “Building your Brand: Colorful Cohesion.” These workshops foster the opportunity to network, create, and learn from experienced creative professionals. Please RSVP to each event accordingly to reserve your seat on zoom and if you miss it don't worry it will be recorded for future viewing on our Youtube channel. Evolve your craft through this unique opportunity to embrace your community and grow with the help of successful career artists sharing their experiences. Join us for a week of education and inspiration!  

 

 

 

 

Pitch Application: https://forms.gle/5HJ83vJkd8ELd3M26

 

Pitch Application: https://forms.gle/5HJ83vJkd8ELd3M26

 

BLUE Lissa

From BLUE Mississippi

From the Pepper clan

Who dug in the dirt 

And grew things green,

And the Holland kin

Who delivered the mail.

I am 

PURPLE Melissa

Moved to Virginia

Learned to love babies

Babies all colors

Holding and singing

Singing and listening

But not enough.

I am 

GREEN Virginia

Moved to the free state

Learned to love rivers,

wildwoods and lake.

Learned to hate tree cutters

When people need shade,

Learned to hate door closers

When people need shelter,

Learned to yearn for it all to be better.