https://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blogBLOG RSSThu, 09 Oct 2025 01:29:34 GMTThu, 09 Oct 2025 01:29:34 GMThttps://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/connecting-in-color-what-it-means-to-build-black-creative-community-in-chicagoIn a city like Chicago, where creativity meets resistance and legacy, Hear We Art™ captures the beauty and depth of what it means for Black creatives to come together. Produced by ILA Creative Studio and Over at Friends, the documentary is more than a highlight reel. It’s a tribute to Black artistry in Chicago and an invitation to keep building spaces rooted in belonging.Watch the full documentary below →The Power of Shared SpaceHear We Art™ offers more than programming. It offers presence.Thu, 09 Oct 2025 01:35:24https://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/connecting-in-color-what-it-means-to-build-black-creative-community-in-chicagohttps://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/let-it-goooooooPhoto by Etty Fidele on UnsplashWhat can I say that hasn’t already been said about this tragedy of a year? Each year has enough challenges to face without a global pandemic, heightened focus on racial injustice, and--to top it all off--an election! Who did we piss off to get this kind of year-long punishment?! Must have been a hell of an offense.All theatrics aside, however, I do have to admit that this year has been the most growth-inducing and productive one I've yet to experience in myTue, 22 Dec 2020 19:10:43https://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/let-it-gooooooohttps://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/the-evolution-must-be-televised4 years ago a seed was planted. Create a space on the Southside of Chicago for Black artists to feel empowered. I held focus groups. Late night sessions with friends. Researched…a lot. I spent a lot of time. Purposeful time. Figuring out what was needed. It wasn’t until I was the Managing Director at The Bronzeville Incubator that I found, physical space was actually not the main priority to us. Community and resources seemed to hold precedence over workspace. After being laughed at by a fewThu, 19 Nov 2020 00:56:51https://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/the-evolution-must-be-televisedhttps://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/now-i-seeAs shameful as it may sound, prior to this year I had never had any legitimate interest in politics. I didn’t vote for local officials and only voted in the 2016 election because there was a Black person involved and I felt obligated to participate...Tue, 27 Oct 2020 20:48:21https://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/now-i-seehttps://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/the-power-of-your-story​Often, the last time we hear this phrase is in our youth or when we tell stories to the new younger generation, repeating the tale of a family of bears who return home to find a strange girl who has eaten their porridge and fallen asleep in their bed. Or we begin a new tale using this phrase, spinning an amusing story that grows from the depth of our inner creative mind and blossoms into an anecdote our kids hang onto every word of.But we never consider the fact that we each have our own,Tue, 15 Sep 2020 20:41:34https://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/the-power-of-your-storyhttps://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/lean-on-me-the-significance-of-mentorshipPhoto by Christina @wocintechchat.com on UnsplashDespite the social distancing norms and reduced levels of person to person contact, we’re still finding ways to connect with others to satisfy our needs for interaction. Zoom and Microsoft Teams have aided in the work from home movement, Skype has facilitated virtual family meetings, and Facetime has been useful for more than telling the kids to get home.While I’ve taken this time to maintain my relationships with family and friends virtually,Mon, 27 Jul 2020 16:14:57https://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/lean-on-me-the-significance-of-mentorshiphttps://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/living-amidst-the-uprisingAmong the many challenges I curse Covid-19 for bringing upon me and society as a whole, I have come to realize that I have a (limited) few reasons to be grateful for it. The most important is that it has forced me to pay attention to what’s truly going on in society.Fri, 19 Jun 2020 12:47:06https://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/living-amidst-the-uprisinghttps://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/we-create-valueTime after time, we look up and that thing that was ours has been taken, white-washed, watered down, reused and with little regard to the originators. Beyond the creative and cultural impact that black folk across the entire African Diaspora offer to this world, our remarkable resilience constantly blows my mind. I mean, can you imagine, having had a grand idea, dance, style, sculpture, swag, etc., only for it to have been stolen and appropriated by common culture?. Then having to take that 'L',Wed, 06 May 2020 21:06:39https://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/we-create-valuehttps://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/seventy-sevensSo What is This All About?Allow me to re-introduce ourselves. Ok, I'm no Jay-Z but that's a pretty favorable line in my repertoire. Hi! I'm Rachel, founder of ILA, a company that simply stands for I Love Art, which is as direct and literal as its meant to be. I've always been drawn to many forms of art, and this love and dedication to the field of artistry has ultimately been what my company now exists on. Except, our focus is particularly on black artistry and the multitude of creativitySat, 30 May 2020 02:28:14https://ilacreativestudio.homesteadcloud.com/our-blog/seventy-sevens