Who we are
Coffee + Creatives
is a community-oriented working group based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The goal is to help creatives take the next step in their practiby providing access to resources by posting jobs, gigs, and offering a sounding board & feedback loop for that Next Big Step. You can find us on Facebook, and in person every other Tuesday at Zendo in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Meet The Team
The Coffee + Creatives team is comprised of Joe, Zach, Ruth, and Ayanna. We’re a group of creatives based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who want to help other creatives get to that next level. Through a bi-weekly in-person meet-up, and daily through the Facebook group we admin, we connect artists and creators of all types with the resources to take their practice to the next level.
Joe Cardillo
Joe Cardillo leads digital strategy at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM), and has 10 years of experience in marketing/brand content, journalism, media relations, analytics, SEO, and online platforms operations within tech, startups, and media companies.
Ruth Cisneros
Ruth Cisneros is a bilingual editor, writer, and photographer with background in linguistics and over a decade of experience in content distribution. Her passions include supporting local businesses and creative endeavors, raising money for her son’s marching band, and hanging out with her two cats. She’s been writing poems about love for over twenty years and studied humor in college. The easiest way to reach her is on Twitter or Instagram where she goes by the handle @senoritaruth.
Zach Leyba
Zach Leyba is a digital marketing professional based out of Albuquerque for the last 5 years. Currently, he works with UNM as a Web Designer and Social Media Specialist, formerly he served as Meow Wolf’s Social Media Manager, and has previously provided digital marketing expertise and design for the Rio Grande Jewelry Supply.
Ayanna Nelson-Freeman
All around Creator and lover of all forms of Art, Ayanna owns multiple brands, including the skin care brand, LEELA’S BODY COCKTAILS.
Graduating from Savannah College of Art and Design, then Designing clothing for Dillard’s, and also Teaching Clothing Design at Raffles Design Institute in Singapore and Asia, world travel only expanded Ayanna’s “Point of Reference”.
Freeman thrives on improving her quality of life as well as others by opening thoughts, ideas, and possibilities by her own example. Entrepreneurship as a female, minority, and single mother has challenges that she knows others relate to. As an example, she still insists on being a point of reference for how it is all possible.
In her 2 years of living in “Nuevo Mexico”, Ayanna continues to mentor fellow creatives and engage in various communities as a connecting piece for collaborations and inclusion.
More on Ayanna’s New Mexico True Certified Skin Care Company, Leela’s Body Cocktails: www.LeelasBodyCocktails.com