Lisa Desatnik
CINspirational People: Linda Mitchell Hendley
CINspirational People is a feature of Good Things Going Around profiling diverse people of Greater Cincinnati, what inspires them, and what is inspiring about them. You can read more profiles by clicking on the link at the top of the blog. Do you know someone to suggest? Please reach out. Thanks!
Linda is an incredibly talented illustrator and graphic designer who was someone that has been a friend and supporter of my work since I began this blog. In fact, Linda not only drew the art for Good Things Going Around, she also created my So Much PETential training art as well. I am so grateful to her. I love what she came up with for me.
Linda shared with me a quote that inspires her and reminds her of her own life.
“When the world says, ‘Give up,’ hope whispers, ‘Try it one more time.'”
Below are Linda’s words
When I first got on Facebook in 2009, I wanted to find a phrase that expressed how I felt about my life. In a matter of months, I had lost my husband of 34 years, Ken Mitchell, and my career of over 25 years in graphic design. I found myself in a very desolate place, questioning everything I had always believed in. Inch by inch, with the help of my children, Kevin Mitchell and Shannon Mitchell Bowman and a few very special friends, I made my way back to a life worth living. I found love again with Mike Hendley, and was recently hired as Creative Director at Tressa, Inc. Life IS good! Enjoy it! And NEVER give up.
CINspirational People: Zak Morgan Makes People Smile
CINspirational People is a feature of Good Things Going Around profiling diverse people of Greater Cincinnati, what inspires them, and what is inspiring about them. You can read more profiles by clicking on the link at the top of the blog. Do you know someone to suggest? Please reach out. Thanks!
GTGA Intern Katie Reinstatler enjoyed learning about Cincinnati’s popular children’s entertainer sought after nationwide, Zak Morgan, as she wrote this about him.
Wordsmith, musician, storyteller, innovator; these are just a few of the words that come to mind for Zak Morgan, a 2004 Grammy nominee and children’s performer. In listening to his music and watching his performances, it quickly became clear to me that he is driven and passionate in his work performing for children. Not only this, but Zak has this presence on stage, in his performances, and in his interactions with others, that is absolutely enthralling. His ability to engage with and connect with his audience, not only through his sheer skill and talent in music and storytelling, but in his sense of humor, his empathy for and understanding of others, and the ease with which he carries himself, has shaped his success, and the passion that is evident in his work.
Growing up, storytelling and wordplay were an integral part of Zak’s life. Zak describes his grandpa George as one of his greatest inspirations, and talks about how the characters from his grandpa’s stories, and the way his grandpa weaved words into marvelous adventures and tales, served as a great inspiration to him. Zak also describes his grandma as an inspiration, citing her as one of the sources of his musical aspirations. She attended the Cincinnati Conservatory and is an accomplished classical singer and pianist. In the answers to our questions (please scroll down to read the Q&A), Zak makes it clear that his grandparents played an integral role in shaping who he has become as a performer and storyteller.
Zak’s love of storytelling, music, and children, make him successful in his role as children’s performer. More than this, though, he is innovative in his creations, and draws much of his inspiration from both Roald Dahl and Shel Silverstein. He finds humor in the simplistic, knows how to make the audience laugh, enjoy themselves, and find fun in the absurd. Zak’s love for his work radiates outward to those around him. The joy he finds in what he does and his enthusiasm for life and working with children is an absolute joy to see. In his music, in his performances, in his writing, and in his interactions with others, Zak is truly an inspiration.
“The beauty of Morgan’s style is that adults are entertained as well, chuckling along to Morgan’s inventive vocabulary,”
Rick Bird, Cincinnati Enquirer contributor
Our questions for Zak:
GTGA: How has your family been an inspiration to you?
Zak: My grandpa George was a great storyteller. He made up wonderful stories and characters and on summer nights after swimming in my grandparents pool, my siblings, cousins and I would gather around him and he never disappointed. Our favorites were Suzy and Joe stories about a big sister and a little brother and the adventures they would have. I later realized that the characters were based on my grandpa and his big sister Florence. My third children’s record is a concept album about Suzy and Joe. My grandma attended the Cincinnati Conservatory and is an accomplished classical singer and pianist.
GTGA: Tell us more about your grandparents and how they influenced what you do and who you are.
Zak: I’ll share with you what I have shared on my website. Grandpa Rooney kissed the Blarney Stone and was the best storyteller I ever met. On summer nights in the 1970’s, he would let my cousins and me stay up past bed time drinking 7-Up and eating Lorna Doones and sherbet while he told us stories about Suzy and Joe, a brother and sister who were always having adventures and getting into trouble. Along with being a marvelous storyteller, Grandpa had many other special gifts. Most memorable were his magnetic feet, which enabled him to walk up the sides of buildings and upside down along the ceiling. He was also very brave and once caught a lion by the ears with his bare hands in his backyard after all of the animals escaped from the zoo.
The most amazing story my grandpa ever told me was about how he met and married Grandma Lucille. In the early 1930s there was a race to see which lucky woman would get to marry Grandpa. If no one caught him, Grandpa would be allowed to stay a bachelor his whole life. Grandpa was a very fast runner and wasn’t worried, but he practiced just in case.
When Grandpa saw the long line of ladies on the day of the race, he knew he would have to run very fast indeed. The starter fired the pistol and as the race progressed, it looked as though Grandpa would win for sure. There were no women in sight as he rounded the last turn. Little did he know that Grandma Lucille had taken a shortcut and was hiding in the bushes near the finish line. At the last second she jumped out of the bushes and onto his back and the rest is history.
Grandpa soon realized how lucky he was that Grandma Lucille had taken the shortcut. She is a glorious grandma who sings like an angel. Each night after Grandpa told us a great story, we would lie in bed and listen to Grandma play the piano and sing downstairs as we fell asleep.
My grandparents are two of my biggest influences and The Candy Machine is in large part a tribute to them.
GTGA: Do you remember when the first time was that you knew you wanted to sing and perform?
Zak: I have always had a good ear for music and I think I was three or four and when picked out the melody of Scott Joplin’s Entertainer on my grandparent’s piano, probably in a wet bathing suit. I went to elementary at Lotspeich. We had drama class daily in a barn on campus and I LOVED it from the beginning.
GTGA: Who is someone that your career has allowed you the opportunity to meet, who has been a big impact on you and why?
Zak: My career has allowed me to meet many very talented people, some of them very famous. This has been exciting and lots of fun. But the biggest impact by far has been the children I’ve met and worked with over the last 16 years. They remind me what’s important and their wide eyed curiosity, innate goodness, and free imagination without fear of being wrong or being judged has kept me a kid at heart and made me a better person.
GTGA: How do you come up with your music?
Zak: It varies. I like to write story songs and I’m influenced by Roald Dahl and She Silverstein, my favorite authors when I was growing up. Some songs are based on my own childhood experiences, others are inspired by books I have read and still others grew out of a simple play on words or double entendre that popped into my head like “when bullfrogs croak,” “the white shark’s chum,” or “fluttered by a flower bed.”
GTGA: What is it that you enjoy most about your work?
Zak: Playing with kids.
GTGA: Can you share a story of how you impacted a young person – or how a young person impacted you? (or both)
Zak: Now and then I’ll hear about a child I encouraged or helped in some way and it always moves me. One child first came to one of my shows when she was four and she was non-verbal. A song I wrote called The Butterfly helped her turn the corner and start to sing and speak. I recently bumped into that family and she is a healthy, happy 16 year old.
GTGA: Tell us how you came up with TIODNACI, why it is a message so important to you, and some of the impact you have seen by sharing it.
Zak: I was working on my DVD ZakLand with director Jay Silverman and advisor Tony Thomopoulos. We were trying to come up with a catch phrase that could be repeated throughout. I think it was Jay who said, “What about “I can do it” spelled backwards? I went home and wrote the song that night.
GTGA: What is one of your simple pleasures?
Eating an entire row of Oreos or hitting a pure shot on the golf course.
GTGA: What is one of your proudest accomplishments?
Encouraging children.
CINspirational People: Cedric Michael Cox
CINspirational People is a feature of Good Things Going Around profiling diverse people of Greater Cincinnati, what inspires them, and what is inspiring about them. You can read more profiles by clicking on the link at the top of the blog. Do you know someone to suggest? Please reach out. Thanks!
Today we are featuring Cincinnati artist Cedric Michael Cox, best known for his paintings and drawings, which fall between surrealism and representational abstraction, and have been exhibited locally and regionally. Cedric has had solo exhibits at the Contemporary Arts Center of Cincinnati (CAC), the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center, PAC Gallery, and Weston Gallery in the Aronoff Center for the Arts. In support of his efforts in the visual arts and art education communities, the City of Cincinnati awarded him the Individual Artist Grant in 2009. He received a Congressional Award in 2010.
Cedric’s art has been featured in magazines, on television, and in the college textbook Drawing: Space, Form and Expression. In addition to his work being in
corporate collections, Cox executed two large-scale public murals for the city of Cincinnati. His recent exhibits include the Museum of Science and Industry Chicago, the Phoenix Gallery, Chicago, Sacramento’s Evolve the Gallery, the Harlem Fine Art exhibition, the Williamsburg Arts and Historical Center Brooklyn, NY, the National Arts League, Douglaston, NY and The Robeson Gallery at Pennsylvania State University.
GTGA: What is an accomplishment you achieved that you are proud of?
Cedric: My Career as a visual artist has had so many mile stones and memorable moments that to single out one achievement would be very difficult. I believe every small step is a leap to larger achievements. When I think of goals or achievements that were met I must look to the most recent awards and recognitions that I have received. This year I was awarded the Yeck artist in residence at the Dayton Arts Institute. Also this year I was selected to design and execute a mural for Amberley Villages 75th Anniversary. Other past achievements include my first solo exhibition at Five Myles Gallery in New York and my art work being exhibited at the Contemporary Arts Center where I currently have a permanent work on display, the Weston Art Gallery in 2010 and a congressional award for my commitment to arts and art education
GTGA: Tell us about someone who has been a positive influence in your life.
Cedric: God and family have been the most positive influence for me. My work ethic was installed through my upbringing.
In regards to my art and the creative process and journey, professor Tarrence Corbin was as mentor who was the positive influence that still leaves a mark on me and my work with quotes I like, “It’s not how much you do in one day it’s how well you do it” and “There is one four letter word that sets one artist from the next ………..WORK”, still echo in my mind when I create as well as when I teach. The connection between me and my students has been an important role in my life and how I live. Because I am achieving the dreams that I had as a child there is a deeply rooted channel that connects me with the students I teach.
When I paint, I want the child I once was to be represented in my paintings on a visceral level, and at the same time on an adult level. Terrance would also say “Just have fun”, and I try to do this with my career.
GTGA: What is a motto you live by and why or how has it impact you?
Cedric: Every moment and interaction is important and you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Because, I want my art to be appreciated by all people, I try to project a welcoming attitude towards life and experience and I invite others to share the experience with me. Embrace all and every moment is my motto.
GTGA: What is your biggest motivator?
Cedric: Passion and fear are my biggest motivators. Faith in God and my ability drives my passion to create. I know that I will work hard until I’m completely satisfied on whatever I’m trying to accomplish, but sometimes fear steps in. Fear is not a bad thing. Fear is based on past experience or a prediction of what might happen and it also evokes action, but if I plan and project positive procedures and solutions to ensure success, my passion will flourish.
CINspirational People: Cyndy Driehaus
CINspirational People is a feature of Good Things Going Around profiling diverse people of Greater Cincinnati, what inspires them, and what is inspiring about them. You can read more profiles by clicking on the link at the top of the blog. Do you know someone to suggest? Please reach out. Thanks!
Today we are featuring author Cyndy Driehaus, who has been a published writer since the third grade. Her book Royal Adventures of Princess Darcy and Princess Daisy is a series of bedtime stories she made up for her daughters when they were young. Published in May, 2007, it has been a feature story on television and been exhibited at over 200 book signings. Her adventurous world travels led her to South Africa and Swaziland in the summer of 2013, a destination she had only dreamed of. In her book, Songs of the African Sun, she whisks you along on her journey with thought provoking imagery and photography of five safaris and resting peacefully in the mountains of Swaziland with her family.
GTGA Intern Liza Hartke interviewed Cyndy.
GTGA Intern Liza: What are some accomplishments that you’ve been proud of?
Cyndy: My greatest accomplishment is raising four productive, kind and fun loving good kids to adulthood! Some others would be traveling and living in other countries, publishing two books, and receiving awards for my writing and volunteerism. Also, just making a positive impact on the community by volunteering.
GTGA Intern Liza: Tell me more about your books! What inspired you to write them?
Cyndy: What inspired my books? My kids suggested that I publish the bedtime stories I made up for them. Also, my journey to South Africa inspired my book of original photography and poetry.
GTGA Intern Liza: If you would meet anyone – past or present, who would it be? Why?
Cyndy: I would love to meet Bono from U2. Why? I admire him so much for his musical accomplishments and philanthropy around the world.
GTGA Intern Liza: Of all the places you’ve traveled, what place would you like to live?
Cyndy: If I could I would love to live in Spain again! I lived there 3 months in college.
GTGA Intern Liza: What is next for you?
Cyndy: My future project is writing a series of children’s books, and starting my own non profit animal rescue.
GTGA Intern Liza: What is your life motto?
Cyndy: The motto I live by is “Age is a state of mind!”
CINspirational People: Todd Frazier
Last year I had the great pleasure of meeting our amazing Cincinnati Reds All-Star, Todd Frazier, through my work in serving as the director of public relations and communication for the Cincinnati ReelAbilities Film Festival. Todd and Ted Kremer starred our Festival’s public service announcement.
It was obvious from the moment he walked into the room for filming, that Todd is someone of All-Star status, and I am talking about his off the field, out of uniform person. The human being who embraces life, cherishes family, and values friendship. He is someone truly special. It was an honor to have met and worked with him, and it makes me so proud that our great city came together to vote Todd into the All- Star Game by a huge margin.
Hearing about Todd’s comments made during the National League portion of All-Star Game Media Day was of no surprise to me. We are proud to call him our hometown ambassador.
#2015AllStar Game #2015ASG #ASG
“He (my dad) told me to be nice to everybody. You never know who is watching. And have a good time. That’s all I try to do because you never know who you are talking to or if it’s going to be the guy you are riding on the bus with next week and you get a flat tire and that could be your next best friend. That’s how I go about life.” – Todd Frazier