15Creatives15Days X CCF Spotlight: Malika de Silva

20 Aug 15Creatives15Days X CCF Spotlight: Malika de Silva

1. What do you do and where do you do it?
I’m the founder of Kingmakers, a board game parlour in the Short North Arts District in Columbus, Ohio. We opened doors January 4th. It’s been a learning experience! Largely in keeping calm and trying to see the forest for the trees. When you launch something, I think you’re so exhausted by what previously went into it, but the truth is, the real work has just started. We have an awesome team and guests – I am so grateful for and proud of them.

2. Who/What are your biggest influences?
I always thought I wanted to change the world in some big, meaningful way, which I think comes largely from my dad. I moved to Washington DC after college and worked in international development, then transitioned to work in the public school system there. There are some large, systemic problems in this country / world, and I started to feel overwhelmed and powerless. A few years ago, I shifted my thinking to trying to make a difference in a community. I moved back home to Ohio and decided to open a small business. People ask me, why would you open a board game parlour if you don’t passionately love board games? But I am passionate about the experiences that board games enable: the laughter, silliness, unplugging, competitiveness, challenges, appeal across demographics, retro charm. I’m very focused on putting together a happy and hardworking team and our team is very focused on creating a great guest experience. If the business can do these things consistently well, hopefully we’ll have made a positive difference over the course of an evening, or interaction between a mother and her teenage son, or in our neighborhood. So it’s not really a “who” or “what” but more a current philosophy: less is more.

3. What does the term Creative Control mean to you?
I also started to realize recently that all you have is where you invest your energy, time, love. To me, that’s creativity – where you choose to invest the talents and capabilities you’ve been given and / or earned. I thought, I could wait to make an impact – like, someday I’ll go to art school or open a restaurant or sit on the board of a non profit – or I could just get down to business right now. That’s what Creative Control means to me – taking ownership of the daily choices of where to spend your energy, time, love.