FlaxCo
Creative Greenhouse. Artist’s Playground.
What is FlaxCo?
FlaxCo is dedicated to serving and empowering young creatives in the Franklin, Tennessee area.
We provide the community, resources, space and mentorship necessary to hone their craft, explore their creativity, grow in their artistic endeavors, and develop as healthy, mature humans.
Our on-site Artist in Residence program connects aspiring artists with skilled and experienced professionals across various genres and mediums, offering practical and creative guidance within a safe, dynamic community.
We also invite artists and industry professionals to work with our community of creatives on a more ad-hoc basis as Itinerant Mentors and Guest Artists, which are different roles.
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Mission
We exist to serve young creatives by curating a dynamic and safe community that encourages exploration and growth through collaboration and mentoring.
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Vision
Through our dedication to the next generation of young artists, dreams will be nurtured, skills and craft sharpened, great art created, and the unique impact only produced through creative people will be unleashed as a blessing to our community.
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Method
- Serve as a Creative Incubator
- Provide a Stable, Safe Community
- Host a Performance Venue, Gallery and Art Playground
- Excel in Dynamic Collaboration
- Maintain a Broad Spectrum Mentoring Program
The Community
The Artist
16-25
Has raw talent and vision, but not the refined tools or industry knowledge
Operates in a tight cohort with no genuine community or place to “be”
Has a desire to make a difference in the world through their creative expression
The Mentor
The older version of the artist – 40+ who has walked the road and has a few things to share
Someone who sees the potential in others and can give guidance towards opportunities
The artist that works alone a lot of the time and wants to be in community themselves
The artist that has had great ‘success’, but is asking the “what was all this for? How can I give-back and help others?”
The Sponsor
Someone that had this support as a young person and knows the tangible benefits
The person that wishes they had a FlaxCo community as a young person, and wants the opportunity to make amends with their younger self
Those who recognize the unique value, the “right now” need, and the opportunity to lift and amplify young creatives to impact the arts and culture
We exist to serve young creatives
The Founders
Chris Meidl
Chris is an enterprise strategist and transformative leader. He thrives on launching and redesigning organizations to support growth, and helping leaders navigate complex transitions—whether it’s evolving the business model, driving cultural integration, or preparing the enterprise for its next phase.
He is a passionate mentor and champion for the underserved and underrepresented, playing significant roles in advocating for the abused, those suffering from mental and behavioral health challenges, and people living in underresourced communities. His career roles have included worship leader, non-profit and entertainment industry founder and executive, vice president of a public policy office in Washington, DC, and transactional attorney.
“A young creative’s path is shaped in key moments. We exist to meet them there with our toolbox and battle scars in hand.” - Chris
John Boyd
As Creative Director John has had the opportunity to create unique experiences for his clients and employees. He emphasizes the marriage between aesthetics and performance, and his unique creative vision for brands, events, physical spaces, and video content pushes boundaries and industry standards to surprise, enthrall, and challenge audiences and clients alike.
A native of New Zealand, John uses 25 years of music and design industry experience, along with his ‘out-of-the-box-Kiwi-thinking’ to take common ideas and products and use them in an uncommon way. His focus is on making sure there is a human to human connection, to create what matters.
“We are building a community, not a company.” - John
Will McGinniss
A natural gift of rallying, inspiring and organizing others to take action. An enthusiastic self starter and enduring finisher that brings energy and momentum to the pursuit of ideas and goals. Servant leader, passionate about helping people live in their gifts and sweet spot, giving legs to their ambitions. Responsive to needs, intuitive and observative, offering help and encouraging cooperation. Recognizing and cultivating potential in others, accepting of others, choosing to see the best and greatest possible outcomes. Endurance. Decisive. Creative Problem Solver with International Business Experience.
“I just love seeing good happen.” - Will
The Backstory
So, how did John, Will, and I find ourselves doing this FlaxCo thing right here and right now?
Good question. And thanks for asking.
Truth is, this has been simmering for decades. John and I (Chris) have been dreaming about planting a creative co-op in Franklin for nearly 20 years. No joke. We've always carried a vision to create a space for creatives—especially the ones on the fringe. The ones who have the talent, the spark, the story—but lack a home base, or a place to be seen, sharpened, and sent. A community that offers not just connection and coaching, but real celebration of their unique callings, craft, and creative courage. “Freaky Kids” was a name I carried from my Chicago days—born out of a post-Big Idea season of longing to gather misfits and makers, those carrying beauty and burden alike. That spirit never really left me.
Will and I go back through Hands & Feet. My wife Holly and I have supported that work for over 15 years. Somewhere along the way, Will and I found ourselves sharing wounds, losses, stories most men don’t voice. But we did. And we clicked. Turns out he and John already knew each other from working in the same e-spaces setting. So I got us together. One conversation in, and it was clear—we were of one heart and mind.
We started riffing on this moment where I’d recently spoken to a room full of Latin American leaders—140 of them. I opened up. Real talk. About brokenness and redemption. And the response? Overwhelming. That cracked something open in me. I wondered: What if we took that sort of vulnerability on the road? City to city. Church to church. Campfire to stage? I threw out the name "Broken Vessel Tour"—turns out, someone beat us to it. We tossed around “Smoldering Flax Tour,” which stuck.
The artists’ co-op idea came back into the discussion. And as we leaned in—dreaming, praying, ideating—it became clear: this wasn’t a side project. It was the thing. The convergence. The next right mission.
Riffing off of Smoldering Flax Tour, and relating to the invite into vulnerability and ‘the whole person’ living, someone said, “Hey. FlaxCo is a cool name. Surfer. Skater vibe. I said, “Great merch!” That’s when FlaxCo was born.
Three men. One fire. One heart. One Spirit. The right idea for the right time. A place to fan flames and nurture dreams in others— young artists, entrepreneurs, storytellers—who just need a place to belong, get some encouragement and run headlong into the future.
- Chris
Ready To Lean In?
Promote
Simply stated, if you like what you see, please tell others about FlaxCo. It could make a huge difference in someone’s life.
Mentor
Motivated, talented, high integrity and servant mentors are the greatest gift to us and our young creative. If that’s you (and don’t be too modest), we invite you to contact us about our Artist in Residence Program and Itinerant Mentor role. Lots of cool opportunities to give back!
Donate
We of course would welcome your financial support and the opportunity to have you come alongside us in that way. Truly. We would also be blessed to have pros step up and help us build out our spaces to provide the best equipment and tools that will allow us to deliver a premium quality experience to the FlaxCo community. That could take a lot of forms, so hit us up for more information.