Tammy Banks believes creativity isn’t reserved for professionals or perfectionists — it’s something everyone deserves to explore. And she’s building a space for people to do it together.
Banks, a Colorado native who moved from Northglenn to Erie about seven months ago, describes herself as “commercial manager by day and artist, Tammy J McLain by night.” She uses McLain, her maiden name, as her artist identity “because it’s consistent and it’s who I’ve always been creatively,” she said.
Banks began her daytime career in 1993 working for Borg Real Estate in Boulder, and later moved to Las Vegas for nine years, where she managed a commercial real estate portfolio before returning to Colorado in 2007 as a stay-at-home mom.
That’s when, Banks said, she “really got back to (her) art roots,” and launched a website, Recycle2Art, promoting artists who used recycled materials.
But not long after returning to Colorado, her family “hit hard times, due to the real estate crash,” and Banks went back to work. Today, she works at Boulder-based Dean Callan & Company Property Management, where she said she and a company leader, Gina Calley, “meshed immediately,” allowing her to blend her creative thinking with spreadsheets, marketing and tenant relations.
In 2022, Banks and her sister began hosting art workshops, merging what she called their “two creative lives.” They’ve offered classes in Thornton, Arvada and, now, Erie, both virtually and in person.
Those workshops have been evolving into an online “creative community” called Wings A Flutter, hosted on Facebook and Discord. Banks said the group is “less about one-off workshops and more about open studio time, gentle art prompts, and accessible ways for people to create together without pressure.”
When and how did art become a central part of your life?
I have always been creative. My first creative memory as a child was wanting to play with clay. Money was tight, so my dad handed me a shovel to dig it from the backyard. I have been in love with creating and using whatever is on hand ever since, figuring out how to make something out of nothing. In 2021, I went to an art “Mastermind” in North Carolina with Matt Tommey. This was the first time I learned that I was not an imposter, my art and my voice have value. That was a huge pivot point in my confidence as a creative.
What inspired you to begin gathering people together to create, and how has that idea evolved over time?
I truly believe that we are all creative just in different forms and most adults have stopped nurturing that part of themselves. Letting ourselves get a little messy, scribbling, sculpting, making sound, finding shapes in the world around us not only feeds our inner child, it strengthens the mind flexibility. Inspiration really started with recycle2art where I was promoting recycle artists and building connections. Over time I realized it wasn’t just about artists, it was about creating space for adults to remember how to play. That idea evolved into Wings A Flutter which now supports all creatives, not just recycle artists. I now share weekly art prompts — Sunday Play, Monday Affirmation, Thursday Reflection and Friday Reward — as a rhythm to help people consistently show up for their creativity.
When someone walks into one of your open studio gatherings, what do you hope they experience?
When someone joins one of my open studio gatherings, whether it’s online or in a physical space, I hope they feel welcome. Welcome to let their guard down, welcome to breathe, welcome to wonder, welcome to make a mess or be as clean as they like. My wish is they make a new friend, learn something new, and get inspired to create something.
What does “creative community” mean to you?
Creative community means a space where I can let my weird out. I can play, get messy, watch others create beautiful, ugly, inspiring things and be a part of it. I have always enjoyed the energy around when I am in a creative space and I want others to enjoy that energy too.
What would you say to people who say they’re “not artistic” or feel intimidated by creating?
There is no judgement here. This is a space for scribbles, finger painting, bad humming and release. The process is the purpose, not the product. Take your piece home and celebrate it, burn it, trash it or treasure it.