When it comes to the creative scene, Charlotte isn’t often mentioned in the same breath as peer cities like Austin or Nashville. After all, our city’s unofficial tagline is “Banktown,” not “Music City” or “Keep Austin Weird.”

But Charlotte does have a thriving creative community. And a new study by the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute provides more details about that community’s assets, challenges and what we can do to provide artists, singers, graphic designers and other creatives with more support.

Based on a survey of more than 630 local creatives, this new study found many encouraging signs. A majority of Charlotte creatives said they’re happy working here, and that the city offers a supportive environment. But there were also trouble spots. Many creatives described financially precarious situations, having to work other jobs to make ends meet, and a sense that, to truly be appreciated, they need to leave Charlotte and work elsewhere.

Charlotte is Creative co-founders Tim Miner and Matt Olin, who commissioned this study, join Future Charlotte to talk about the city's creative community. We tackle questions like "Is Charlotte creative?" (Yes), why some creatives feel like they have to leave to Charlotte to succeed, and why it matters that our creative community is healthy.

More information: https://www.charlotteiscreative.com/

Full survey: https://bit.ly/CLTCreativeSurvey