Meet Charmin A. Bates: Creative Girls Rock®, Founder and Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Charmin A. Bates and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Charmin A., can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was born and raised in Joliet, IL, a suburb of Chicago. I grew up in a well-grounded home and community that instilled positive principles in me and my siblings to ensure we would stay on the right path.

I attended church and other activities, reinforced education as a priority, limited negative spaces, and was active in the community. I am a firm believer in the word of God, Proverbs 22:2, “train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it”. These principles helped shape me to who I am today.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am Charmin A. Bates, a Chicago native that currently resides in Nashville, TN. I received my B.S. in Fashion Merchandising and a minor in Business Administration from Tennessee State University and an M.S. in Organizational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University.

My professional experience consists of diverse work, including: fashion merchandising, design, styling, marketing, product development, interior decorating, youth program development and college prep consulting, event planning, and arts. I like to refer to myself as a “Universal Architect,” having the ability to do and accomplish anything I set my mind to with God’s guidance.

Creative Girls Rock® is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was birthed from my passion for creative arts, youth development, community engagement; and, a therapeutic method for anxiety. Our mission is to educate and empower young girls through adulthood to utilize their creative talents in unique ways to enhance creativity; and to foster balanced living, personal growth and happiness.

CGR offers free bi-monthly “Master Classes” within the Nashville community as a platform for creative expression, arts and crafts, artistic design, visual arts and empowerment workshops. The CGR Master class helps our youth and women to explore their emotions, develop self-awareness, cope with stress, anxiety and boost self-esteem.

Walking in your purpose is never an easy task, but we must trust the process is necessary to reach the unlimited opportunities God has for us. When God revealed the vision of CGR to me in 2017, I had very limited resources. A lot of the foundation was built from a substantial amount of my personal savings; family, friends and church members. However, I am a firm believer that when God gives you a vision, he will always provide the necessary resources to bring the vision to fruition. He continues to do just that daily through community partnerships, grant opportunities, new relationships, etc. and CGR has been growing daily.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Nashville is growing daily and so many great restaurants are available.

Eat/Drink:
Slim and Huskys
El Fuego
Attaboy
5th and Broadway
Old Glory
Big Als
12th South
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate this shoutout to my parents, Carleton and Tempie Bates, the CGR Board of Directors and Dream Team, and my close friends who has supported me throughout all of my endeavors throughout the years.

Website: www.creativegirlsrock.org

Instagram: Creative_girls_rock

Linkedin: Charmin A. Bates

Facebook: Creative Girls Rock

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh3hx9ttB3E_zq8_qHCBfUA

Image Credits
C Roy Photography