Paige Welch recently spoke on the subject of patterns to a room full of attendees. It’s not a topic you’d expect from a local culinary entrepreneur that specializes in raw vegan cakes.
Welch shared how her entrepreneurial journey grew from doodling patterns on a sketchbook to owning her first T-shirt business at age 16 that featured her hand-painted mandala designs, or geometric patterns.
Eventually, she opened Empowered Plant Cakes in 2018 and now serves her cakes in 150 locations.
Speaking from her heart and even shedding some tears during the presentation, Welch spoke of numerous hardships and personal struggles that seemed to be a regular pattern in her life. Other patterns included artistic examples, like the colorful ones she paints on her canvases. She also talked of the recent frustrations in her job role and how she’s restructuring her duties to find more creative projects.
“My intention at Creative Mornings simply was to be as authentic as possible. This is what people relate to,” she said. “My hopes in sharing my story was to reiterate to other creatives and business owners that it’s OK to feel frustrated and a little lost sometimes.”
Welch was the June speaker for Creative Mornings, a speaker series that’s held every third Friday at The Garage in the ViBe Creative District in Virginia Beach. The series started in 2023 and is part of a global network that has 268 chapters worldwide in 69 countries.
An annual list of themes is supplied by Creative Mornings, and each chapter chooses their own local speakers within their city. Speakers are given 25-30 minutes to speak in an open format and are encouraged to bring pictures, a slideshow or other props. A committee meets and shares ideas on speakers. At the end of the presentation, guest speakers are given a photo album of images and a video of their talk that documents their success in the community.
Kate Pittman, executive director of the ViBe, said the Creative Mornings platform fosters a network for entrepreneurs, artists, writers and musicians. She said the value is in documenting the creative community and showcasing the “creative capital” in Virginia Beach.
“It fosters cross-pollination between traditional business professionals and creatives,” she said. “I think creativity breeds creativity and entrepreneurs need spaces like this to come together.”
Past Creative Mornings themes have included endurance, rhythm, treasure, simplicity and pride. July’s theme was trust with well-known local musician BJ Griffin as speaker. The owner of Big Juicy Entertainment shared how deep-sea diving and trusting himself influenced his life.
Other upcoming speakers are:
- August: North End Run Club entrepreneur Barry Clark on ritual
- September: Surf photographer Ed Obermeyer on reflection
- November: Local artist Nikki Leone on thread
Email virginiabeach@creativemornings.com if you’re interested in becoming a speaker.
Lee Belote, jlbelote@verizon.net
___
If you go
What: Creative Mornings
When: 8:30-10 a.m., third Friday of every month
Where: The Garage, 1703 Mediterranean Ave., Virginia Beach
Cost: Free, open to public
RSVP: Creativemornings.com/cities/VB
