OUR STORY
Clients performing a song.
HOW WE STARTED
After working as a music therapist, George Gilliam founded Creative Identity with the hopes to develop a community that presented a severely underrepresented population with opportunities. He pledged that his organization would grant clients with Intellectual Disabilities access to a tailored education in performing arts, fine arts, life skills, and community relations. Creative Identity was founded with the hopes that through focusing on the power of an individual and their abilities, societal perceptions of disabilities could change for the better.
Clients smiling covered in colorful powder
WHAT WE DO
Creative Identity is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit therapeutic music and expressive arts program in Orange County that serves adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Our comprehensive team comprised of experienced instructors use a "just right" challenge approach in order to facilitate participation, foster skill development, and assist individuals served in achieving new levels of independence and mastery. Through these positive experiences, participants become empowered, develop self-confidence, and are able assume new responsibilities and roles. Clients further develop skills through community experiences, performing concerts, and selling the works they create in class.
Client standing at a microphone smiling.
PREVOCATIONAL EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM
Creative Identity’s Prevocational Empowerment Program (PEP) addresses the need to empower the creative potential of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Through growing their fine arts skills and foundations for prevocational skill development, our clients learn how to express themselves creatively, make personal choices, develop their attention span and ability to follow through with directions. We create opportunities to meaningfully engage our clients to improve upon their abilities to work collaboratively, assume personal responsibility, and cultivate independence. The PEP increases the development of economic opportunities through receiving a commission on the sale of their artwork and ceramic ware.
By allowing our clients to express themselves in a purposeful manner they expand their sense of pride. Ultimately, the PEP improves their quality of life, and when combined with community engagement, it increases societal perceptions of adults with IDD by actively demonstrating their intrinsic worth. Through presenting their skills in public spaces such as during our musical concerts and art exhibitions we facilitate their opportunities to engage in the cultural dialog.
Client smiling and holding a ceramic mug that he is holding
LET’S GET CREATIVE!
The Creative Identity Team prides itself on being able to serve a dedicated group of talented and hardworking individuals who are contributing members of their community. The Anaheim site performs an annual luau performance, summer concert, thanksgiving show, and winter concert. The Laguna Beach site also performs a spring recital and thanksgiving recital. At these performances our clients also sell their art and ceramic pieces at a boutique. Every week a group of our clients sell their handmade artwork and ceramic pieces at the Anaheim Farmer’s Market as well as on Etsy. For every art and ceramic piece sold clients receive a 33% commission.