Makers At Heart | Facility Operations Manager Paisley Mares on supporting local organizations & why creativity should be used for good
We are Makers At Heart. We create the extraordinary.
As the creative engine room of the world’s biggest brands we are driven by one purpose: to solve our client’s toughest briefs beautifully. Our Makers believe in the power of cooperation and partnership to deliver ambitious ideas to that break new ground and deliver awe-inspiring creative work.
Everything we do as a team makes great ideas come to life. We are thinkers, designers, artists, directors, producers, developers, colourists, coders, technicians, editors, animators, writers, doers and makers.
In our Makers At Heart series, we introduce the people behind the projects to hear more about their inspirations, motivations and creative insights. Paisley Mares and Jehan Cicely are two souls setting out to serve. They met last year in the initial days of COVID-19 uncertainty while volunteering to provide information and aid to those at risk of being evicted during the pandemic. Through continuing to assist local organizations along with independently raising funds to offer outreach to the many unhoused tenants of Los Angeles, their friendship was forged along with their resolve to help in whatever way they can.
How are you and Jehan working with local organizations to assist them?
However we can. Everything from helping with the distribution of food and survival supplies to those who sleep outside, to buying coffee for the staff of a small Black-owned business or sharing a laugh with someone working the graveyard shift at a gas station.
We’ve been making connections with different tenants unions and mutual aid organizations across the country that serve a wide range of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and working-class communities. Jehan and I intend to share our time, energy, and resources in the myriad of ways that help is needed.
What do you hope to get out of documenting this journey you have embarked on? How else have you seen creativity being used as a force for good during the pandemic?
We hope that sharing our story shows how accessible healing and positive change can be. We’re living through an incredibly isolating moment in time, facing adversity that seems insurmountable. This documentary will be a testament to how much of an impact each of us can make and that we already do make even if we don’t realize it.
I think creativity has been a critical lifeline for everyone throughout the pandemic. An emotional outlet and cathartic release that we have all sought out and benefited from in our ways. Whether that’s making TikToks or baking banana bread; art makes life bearable. I’ve seen friends find solace in painting for the first time, my grandma has started learning to play the ukulele – so many beautiful artistic pursuits have a ripple effect on elevating our collective consciousness.
How is the making of the documentary being handled?
A two-person crew poses several logistic challenges but we’re firm believers in “where there’s a will, there’s a way”. Having been through film school twice, I’m no stranger to finding creative solutions to obstacles on set but we’re planning best we can to try and mitigate some of these challenges. One major aspect we’ve been focused on in pre-production is developing rigs to capture both of us onscreen using GoPros, our phones, and dash mounts to maximize coverage.
For the edit, we’re working with a good friend of mine from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts who formerly worked at Exile.
How can people get involved who want to help?
To donate directly, folks can visit our GoFundMe or can get in touch through our production company’s website.
They can also connect with us on Instagram to follow our journey and/or recommend any organizations or small businesses to uplift.
