STAFF PICKS
WHAT OR WHO HAVE YOU RECONNECTED WITH IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS?
The Austin Woman staff have finally been able to reconnect with some people and places they missed during the pandemic. PARKE BALLANTINE DIRECTOR OF EVENTS AND BRANDING STRATEGY
June is Pride month, and it was the highlight of the year to reconnect with my vibrant, loving and fabulous LGBTQIA2S+ people! Filled with the bold embodiment of being, I basked in the sun, sweated on the dance floor and adorned myself with glitz and glam. I was often reminded of Madison Moore’s book Fabulous in which he notes, “Fabulousness almost always stems from a turning point: the moment we realize that suppressing our full selves by trying to fit in does us more harm than good, that it just isn’t working, even if sometimes we are forced to blend in to feel safe.” Being queer, femme and nonbinary can be complicated, yet reconnecting with my community I am reminded of the incredible gifts we offer: the brave modeling of radical self-love and the creation of worlds where we can be all our parts, fabulous and proud.
DAWN WESTON
ANNE COX PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
When the pandemic first started, my circle got very small (as did most people’s). I basically only saw my girlfriend and my roommates. Now that vaccinations are widely available, I’ve been able to reconnect with friends I haven’t seen in over a year! I didn’t realize how much I’d missed them until seeing them in person and being able to talk about all the memories and weird hobbies we all picked up in quarantine. Before the pandemic, I totally used to hide when I saw someone I knew out and about just because I didn’t feel like having a conversation. Now it’s like the greatest feeling in the world. (Pictured: My weird quarantine hobby, knitting!) 16 | AUSTIN WOMAN | JULY 2021
Virtual meetings have certainly found a place in my heart mostly because you don’t have to account for traffic and travel time. But it has been so nice to get back into my regular work flow, which always includes lots of coffee meetings and networking events. I’m thrilled to be out of my “Zoom office” and having in-person conversations with our partners and team. The connections are so much more impactful when you’re meeting someone in person. I’m also really excited for a few upcoming concerts that we’ve got tickets to. I think I speak for all of Austin when I say we missed you, live music!
All photos courtesy of respective staff member.
PUBLISHER
