Creatives on Creatives : Deonna Weatherly & Phyllicia Carr

Creatives in Color gives diverse, creative professionals in higher and more visible positions a platform to share their experiences – in hopes of motivating and inspiring other BIPOC creatives in our community.

This year, Creatives on Creatives is an interview style format in which the speakers will present their personal experiences navigating their career path. We were inspired by Variety Magazine's Actors on Actors series, and thought it would be inspiring to hear how each speaker navigates adversity they may have faced and how they overcame it in the creative industry. We want the audience to be inspired but also informed. The speakers will engage in a natural conversation as we sit back and listen to the many stories they share with one another. Come check out how creativity meets inclusivity and invokes change for the better.

From our perspective, the Indy creative community lacks BIPOC representation. We want to provide a safe space for all creatives to gather and share their unique experiences. By curating a space where people can come together and spark healthy dialogue, we hope to make the Indy community more diverse and inclusive.

We hope that having underrepresented creatives speak about their career experiences will allow other BIPOC creatives to feel supported and more connected with our community. We worry that people of color might think they don’t have the opportunity to succeed in our creative industry. By spotlighting people of color who are successful and pushing norms in our community, we hope young BIPOC designers will feel they have a place in our community and a support system here.

Deonna Weatherly

Deonna Weatherly is an Indiana-based award winning director and cinematographer. With a Masters in Media and a specialization in narrative storytelling, majority of her video and film works are inspired by art and storytelling with themes including but not limited to race, gender, and sexuality. Deonna specializes in narrative fiction and documentary styled projects. In 2021, Weatherly founded her own production company, Weatherhouse Company, that focuses on providing safe spaces for women and people of color while creating visual projects, building community, and encouraging collaboration between creatives.

In 2022, born from her passion for both the youth and filmmaking, Weatherhouse Institute was created as a sector of Weatherhouse Company LLC dedicated solely to young filmmakers around Indianapolis. With an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, WHI provides learning and hands-on experience in the film & video industry for high school students and young adults. After seeing the success of WHI, Weatherly realized the young local filmmakers should have a bigger platform to showcase their hard work. So in June 2024, Weatherly had the inaugural year of the Indiana Youth Film Festival! At this festival, Indiana based youth ages 12-24 are able to submit their film into a professional festival created just for them! 

Phyllicia Carr

Phyllicia Carr discovered her passion for the arts at a young age, revealing a  promising future as a self-taught painter, photographer, and graphic designer.  Dedicated to her artistic growth, she pursued formal training in fashion and graphic  design at Alabama A&M University before transferring to North Carolina A&T State  University, where she earned a B.A. in Communication in 2011. 

Carr's artistic approach blends realistic portraits with intriguing collaged abstract  elements, while highlighting her subjects with nature and vibrant colors. Her work  serves as a lens into profound explorations of spiritual identity, vulnerability, and  healing— particularly focusing on women and marginalized communities. 

Marrying her love for storytelling and art, Carr embarked on a journey to bring her  work to the public eye. Her paintings graced exhibitions across the nation in  Indianapolis, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. Distinguished organizations, including the  Indiana State House, WACO Theater Center, JP Morgan Chase, Cummins, Inc.,  Indianapolis Arts Council, Young & Laramore, White River Alliance, and more,  featured Carr's compelling artwork. 

In 2022, she ventured into the realm of public art, leaving her mark at IU Ball  Memorial Hospital, Connor Prairie, Innovative Edit in Fountain Square and notably,  she served as an apprentice for the final installation for the Bicentennial Legends  Mural project-- a 6-story civic mural housed at the Bicentennial Unity Plaza at  Gainbridge Fieldhouse. As the NBA All Star weekend arrived in 2024, Carr’s artwork  was featured as a mural in the SideWalk Gallery in Jackson Place and recently in  2025, she completed a mural along the Nickel Plate Trail in Fishers, Indiana. 

Leveraging her academic background in Communication, Carr has actively  participated in artist panels / artist talks for Young & Laramore, Butter Art Fair,  Minerva Financial Arts, Tindley Genesis Academy, the Indianapolis Urban League,  and more. In 2024, she was awarded a grant through the On-Ramp Creative  Entrepreneur Cohort to support her artistic practice and creative pursuits.  

Carr resides and continues her practice in Indianapolis, IN.

Host or Publisher AIGA Indianapolis