VOTE Vedale Hill to Be The People’s Artist | ONLY 1 DAY LEFT

Art isn’t just something you hang on a wall or scroll past online. Real art is lived. It is carried through pain, love, family, struggle, and hope. It is shaped by experience and shared with the world so others can feel less alone, more inspired, and more connected.

That’s exactly why Vedale Hill deserves your vote for The People’s Artist.

Vedale represents the kind of creative spirit our communities need more of — an artist who doesn’t simply create for attention or trends, but because creating is part of who they are. Every piece, every idea, every expression comes from an “endless well of thoughts” built through real-life experiences and an unwavering belief that art should mean something.

“I create because I can, and I can and do because I have an endless well of thoughts that are generated by my life’s amazing experiences.”

That mindset is what separates artists from creators of content. Honest art comes from lived experience. It comes from being willing to feel deeply, reflect honestly, and turn life into something meaningful that others can connect with.

For Vedale, inspiration doesn’t come from imitation. It comes from Pain, Love, Family, Life lived, and desired.

& that honesty matters. It also comes with an active pursuit to right his wrongs and create something that actively contradicts what he grew up thinking was his only option.

Too often, artists are expected to just“make art” while the world overlooks the deeper role creatives play in our communities. Artists teach. They share. They encourage. They build culture. They transform difficult experiences into something beautiful and human. They remind people that creativity still matters in a world that can sometimes feel disconnected.

Supporting local creatives like Vedale Hill means supporting people who live their art every single day not just when the spotlight is on. He has shown this with his work as an advocate for the creative community with CopyWrite, with his non-profit Jazale’s Art Studio, and with his adjunct professorship at MIAD.

What makes Vedale especially deserving of this recognition is the authenticity behind the work. There’s no pretending, no manufactured image — just someone committed to creating what they believe deserves to exist in the world.

When asked what kind of art matters most, Vedale answered:

“Honest art, that comes from one’s own experience with one’s own derivative style or process. If you believe it should exist and you're the best person to share the idea.”

That is the spirit of The People’s Artist.

And beyond the recognition, this campaign also supports a meaningful cause. Votes help support The Art of Elysium and their mission to use art as a catalyst for helping people overcome difficult life challenges.

If awarded the $25,000 prize, Vedale’s answer was grounded and real:

“Pay bills. I’ll always make art, with 1 cent or a million dollars. I’m going to be making something I believe is worth sharing with the world.”

vedale hill was the lead artist in milwaukee’s black lives matter community mural

That says everything.

This isn’t someone chasing fame. This is someone committed to creating no matter the circumstances, because art is not just what they do, it’s who they are.

So if you believe artists should be supported not only for what they create, but for what they give back to the world through creativity, resilience, and authenticity, now is the time to show it.

Vote for Vedale Hill for The People’s Artist. Cast your free daily vote, or make an even bigger impact through a donation while supporting a powerful cause through The Art of Elysium.

Support honest art. Support the creative economy. #SupportTheLocal

/CW

IN THE CUT | EPISODE 4 "Happy Mother's Day Yall!"

CHECK OUT OR LATEST EPISODE OF “IN THE CUT”

[Happy Mother's Day Yall! Catch these highlights from our Mommy's That Werk Panel. Featuring: Lexi S. Brunson, Symphony Swan, Jamie Robarge, and Haley King. ]

New Intern. Who Dis? | Welcome our 2024 "Teen" Summer Interns to the /CW Fam!

Let’s do it again!

We are back at it this summer with young talent. We are hosting a “Teen” intern at CopyWrite Mag! With our hopes of staying intune with community and the pulse of change, we love to have young people around to teach us a few things. Where we will be sharing our wisdom in the creative fields we also will be given them an opportunity to “make” what speaks to them. Shout out to Lead 2 Change for sponsoring this programming.

[& if you see them in the field drop some gems on them. “It takes a village”.]

2023 SUMMER INTERNS

James Dean Jr.

Summer Intern | Graphic Design + Fashion Focused

James is the owner of Huncho Militia. Hunchomilitia is a brand that signifies a love for sports and hip-hop, with the overall goal of bringing together a following of people who are not afraid to use their talents to shine. James wants to bring people together who believe you can show your creativity through art, whether that be music or showcasing talents through sports. He is intrigued by how much can be conveyed just by the way some present themselves. So I've built a clothing brand that aims to foster a sense of community. He has joined CopyWrite for the summer to build strong connections and make this goal a reality.

New Interns. Who Dis? | Welcome our 2023 "Teen" Summer Interns to the /CW Fam!

Did someone say new interns? YES WE DID!

This summer we have the pleasure four “Teen” interns at CopyWrite Mag and we can’t be more excited. With our hopes of staying intune with community and the pulse of change, we love to have young people around to teach us a few things. Where we will be sharing our wisdom in the creative fields we also will be given them an opportunity to “make” what speaks to them. Stay tune for their summer coverage, events, and more! Shout out to Lead 2 Change for sponsoring this programming.

[& if you see them in the field drop some gems on them. “It takes a village”.]

2023 SUMMER INTERNS

Cameron Barker

Summer Intern | Fashion Focused

Cameron is a senior at Golda Meir High School aspiring to be a fashion designer and director of his own fashion label. Through his open mind and unique perspective, he aims to pull inspiration from all aspects of life to create innovative and meaningful pieces. He believes that through fashion, everybody is able to express their individual perspectives and all should be open to understanding them.

Summer Intern | Creative Operations

Nahsialis is an upcoming freshman at UW-Whitewater. Just like her major, life is always undecided as to what it wants her to do. Interested in Business and Fashion, she wants to expand her creativity to the max! Heavy on community, she hopes to shine the light on the hidden talents all around and that's what CopyWrite plans to do!

Summer Intern | Art

Frederick is a creative soul, and yearns to pursue a career in art education. They’re enhanced, creative, and sharp! Especially when it comes to the arts.

Jazale Hill

Summer Intern | Music & Community

Jazale is a sophomore at St. Thomas More High School. Her roots have been deeply cultivate by heavy hitters in the Milwaukee creative scene. Her ear for great music of all genres and appreciation for community makes her just the right person to navigate the media scene. Her time at CopyWrite will be spent absorbing real world knowledge and perspectives she can apply to her future endeavors.

Message: You are LOVED! | Happy V-Day from your /CW Fam

Add us to your group chat, we got all the love you need!

But really tho, on a day when it’s all about they “display” of love just know that we see y’all and we love the creative community we call our family. We appreciate the love you show us daily and hope you feel it right back. /CW

" 21, 21, 21 ": A 2021 Perspectives From The CopyWrite Team /CW Fam

As 2021 comes to an end we would like to share perspectives from our Team [Family] at CopyWrite. This year has been a world wind of “Ohhhhhhhh my worrrrrrddddd”, “Aint that ‘bout a b’thch” and “Wont he do it!?!”. So for this years perspective we decided to just let the “21, 21, 21” (in our 21 Savage voice) come and out by each member of the Fam sharing 21 things with YOU, our community. It could be 21 of anything. 21 words, 21 pictures, 21 hashtags, 21 ways they got you messed up, etc. This is what we like to call experimental research. By taking on the “21, 21, 21”, they way you respond and what you shares lets us understand each-other a little better. And in this time and place in humanity. . . isn’t that what we need?

Love & All Things Urban,

/CW Fam


Lexi S. Brunson - /CW Owner & Editor-in-Chief

‘21 Gems - Things We Should Remember

I say deep things. But that’s because I experience the world as if it was always teaching me something. So here are those gems that weigh me down and make me sparkle in all the right ways.

/Lexi

  1. Remorse is not regret. Learn from hardships by taking time to reflect.

  2. Be a student of your craft. But remember it's not "who" did it, it's "how".

  3. Quality is not a prerequisite to success. But you still have to stomach your gains.

  4. "No good deed goes unpunished". So praise yourself.

  5. Most people need some sort of validation. Be mindful of where you receive yours from.

  6. Your intention may not always show in your execution. Don't jump in the ring if you can't take a few hits.

  7. Don't forget to mention the joy. Even the heaviest of circumstances has joy.

  8. Give people grace, even when they forget to give it to themselves.

  9. Sometimes you have to lose it all to gain what was really meant for you. 

  10. Codes switching is an art. It's when you change the message that you become a poser.

  11. Everybody can not be a boss. Somebody has to be a worker. You have to know your role and do it well.

  12. Context is everything. Character is the only thing. 

  13. Being loyal to a fault is worse than not being loyal at all. 

  14. When people tell you who they are, believe them. When they show you who they are, they do not believe what you see.

  15. Don't poke holes in people who pour into you.

  16. Virtual reality can not fix humanity.

  17. Assimilation is not cultural integration. "STILL N*GGA"

  18. Don't lie to yourself. Some things are just funny. Laugh!

  19. That euphoric feeling you get when you're doing something you love; chase that.

  20. Value the human experience. We need each other more than any of us will ever admit. 

  21. Slow in the right direction is better than fast in the wrong one.


Carie Mahone - Head Entertainment Journalist

21 Slide Show


Naomi Rea’ - Intern Content Creator

21 Words that describe My 2021 experience

When I get passionate about explaining, describing, or sharing in general, I get very WORDY which is why I chose this way to describe how 2021 was for me. Also with ending the year as a blogger for CW, I thought that this was fitting…

21 Words that describe My 2021 experience:

  1. Team Building

  2. Servitude

  3. Humbling

  4. Foundational

  5. Revealing

  6. Musical

  7. Paced

  8. Friendly

  9. Mature

  10. Obscured

  11. Energetic

  12. Shifting

  13. Compatible

  14. Emotional

  15. Finalized

  16. Preparational

  17. Monumental

  18. Crisis

  19. Faceted

  20. Purposeful

  21. Confrontational


Vato Vergara - /CW Fashion Editor + Creative Director

21 Words to Reflect on the Year

To know who you are, brings the joy of life. Taking what you have and making the world understand. That’s POWER! 

/Vato


Imani Ortiz - Specialized Content Journalist

21 things that made a little more sense this year that’ll probably resonate with you as well:

  1. It’s okay to disappear some times. More often than not, we tend to jump to the way *others* will react to us taking time to ourselves when they're not the ones who need the focus. Just disappear and come back later. You’re not missing as much as you think. Everything will still be there when you come back.

  2. It’s about the principal, not always the problem. The problem could be very minuscule but it’s the principal of the situation that matters in the long run. Problems can be solved, principals are non-negotiable. Your principals can solve problems on their own if you have the right ones. It’ll make the decision making process a lot easier. I knew this before but I didn’t realize how many others don’t have any principals and they’re okay with that. How odd.

  3. Nothing will align with what you want until you get your sh*t together. Get your shit together. Nobody likes miserable people. If you can’t figure it out yourself, look into external help—like therapy. I liked it and I turned out fine.

  4. Less talk, More do. You can talk until you’re blue in the face but unless you actually do what you say, you’re just talking.

  5. Reevaluate your circle. You have your BFFs, close friends, regular friends, associates, strangers that you are vaguely familiar with, whoever it is, you know who you spend your time with. At the very least, make sure they are like-minded in a resourceful way. You should be able to profit mentally from everyone in your circle. Knowledge is power. If everyone knows all the same information, why are y’all friends? That relationship isn’t beneficial if it’s not transactional.

  6. All money ain’t good money. That’s self-explanatory.

  7. Odds are if you think it’s off, it’s off. Trust your gut and discernment, my friend.

  8. Never stop learning. The moment you decide to stop learning, you’re deciding to be basic. Don’t be a basic b*tch.

  9. Sometimes the road is less traveled because it f*cking sucks. Do you really wanna do things the hard way for the sake of saying you did things the hard way? Get over yourself.

  10. Only answer the question at hand. By focusing on just the question at hand, It’ll kill the opportunity for oversharing. “Is the sky blue?” “Yes.”

  11. Don’t do anything you don’t want to do for the sake of someone else’s feelings. You know better. If it makes you uncomfortable, comfortably say no.

  12. Nobody cares until you do. So ask yourself, do you really give a f*ck?

  13. Other people are dealing with their own sh*t. Even if it’s personal, don’t take it personal. People tend to project their insecurities and problems onto other people. If you know you’ve done nothing wrong, let it go. People have bad days and so do you.

  14. Most things we care about are ego-driven. Odds are you don’t actually care about whatever “thing” it is but it threatens your ego—so you fake care until you feel avenged. Please stop fake caring for your own good.

  15. If you sleep on yourself, why would people support you? It’s giving… you don’t want *it* bad enough.

  16. Even then, everyone is not going to support you. And that’s okay. Find your audience. Market to them.

  17. Networking is extremely important. Know somebody who knows somebody so you can know that somebody eventually. Patience is key, grass hopper.

  18. Stop working for free. While a favor here and there is fine, stop working for people for free. It took time to know what you know and if people want to know about what YOU know, tax ‘em.

  19. Do not cut corners with anything you care about. Don’t half ass anything you care about, whole ass!

  20. Half full, never half empty. Life is always about perspective. The way you view and value your life dictates your reality. Remain positive and always look at the bright side even if it’s dimmer than usual. The glass is half full, never half empty.

  21. Love yourself or you’ll settle. Read it and weep.

This is no by any means a self-help guide or no sh*t like that. Think of it exactly as what it is… “21 things that made a little more sense to me this year that’ll probably resonate with you as well.”

/Imani for CW


Tanasia Shaw - Journalism Intern

Tanasia’s 21 in 21 words

2021 has taught me more than any other year in my life. To celebrate and remember 2021, I’ll be listing 21 words that encapsulate 2021.

  1. Growth

  2. Faith

  3. Consistency 

  4. Struggle 

  5. Love 

  6. Serendipity 

  7. Truth 

  8. Patience 

  9. Veracious 

  10. Humble 

  11. Humility 

  12. Pressure 

  13. Trust

  14. Guidance 

  15. Community 

  16. Following 

  17. Intent

  18. Believing 

  19. Integrity 

  20. Strength 

  21. Urban <3

These words represent this past year, the good and the bad. Throughout the year and going into the next, I’m thankful for the CW/ team CW/. The community and support has opened doors for me(and many others) in 2021. 

Happy Holidays from your /CW Fam!

We are headed out of the office.

We wont be responding to emails or making post.

We are giving our staff a well earned break, time to be with family, and permission to not be “on call” or “on the scene”.

We will be back soon enough #SupportingTheLocal, doing #AllThingsUrban. providing Creative Media Services, Rentals and more.

But for now…. “Aye, yo hit the switch and lock the door!

Happy Holidays from your /CW Fam.