March 2024

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40 FEATURE NUMINOSUM: THE MOMENT WHERE CREATIVITY HAPPENS

BY CY WHITE PHOTOS BY ANNIE RAY

48 FEATURE ALL THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

BY BELLA LARRALDE

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16 A CHAT WITH Babette Hughes

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SEE HER WORK Leta Harrison

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I LIVE HERE. I GIVE HERE.

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16 54 56

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LEADING GREEN WITH ECOBRANDI

Harmonizing Music and Sustainability

55 ON THE MONEY

Pursuing a Creative Passion on a Shoestring

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MENTAL HEALTH IS WEALTH

FOUNDING MEMBERS

Aditi Chauhan

Alexia Raven

Alison Roscoe

Amanda Bonilla

Amber Bradbury

Amy Bell

Amy Jones

Ana Ruelas

Ana Villegas

Andra Liemandt

andrea nucete-elliott

Ann Kasper

Avni Trivedi

Beverly Biehl

Bobbie Mack

Bonnie Glass

Brooke Murray-Etnyre

Carrie Kass

Cassandra G. Wiggins

Charlotte Lipscomb

Cherie Mathews

Christina Collazo

Cindy Matula

Cristina GarciaChappell

Cyndi Schultz

Diana Skellenger

Eliza Loyola

Elizabeth Colvin

Emily Rollins

Faye Dedrick

Felicia Reed

Felicia White

Heather Parsons

Hilda Lunderstedt

Holly Odom

Isabella Taylor

J Rene Walker

Jamie Rose

Janene Niblock

Jean Poeet

Jeanne Teshler

Jen Henderson

Jenny Remington

Jessica Campos

Jessica Shor

Jill Goodman

Jill Jacobs

Joy Wiggins

Julia Parke

Kendall Law

Kim Barnes

Kim Ortiz

Krista Burk

Lala Elizondo

Laura Webb

Sarah Kyle

Searcy Morgan

Shelby Johnson

Shelley Moon

Sierra Fernandes

Sophie Parrott

Stephanie Verdugo

Tania Yousaf

Tara Godby

Taryn Kinney

Tatiana Leadbetter

Tiffany Wilson

Trinity Stennfeld

Tulsee Nathu

Veronica IMery

Veronica JordanMatlock

Wendy Howell

lead Empowering Women to Encouraging the World to follow

Find your fit with the Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute (KS WELI) at The University of Texas at Austin. KS WELI supports creatives, founders, leaders, and allies by redefining leadership and entrepreneurship KS WELI works to grow and support the number of women-owned and women-led businesses.

Mark your calendars to support the next generation of courageous, creative leaders who will change the world in business and beyond this April 10th -11th during 40 Hours for Forty Acres, The University of Texas at Austin’s annual, Texas-sized day of giving!

Support KS WELI during 40 Hours for Forty Acres

@kswelinstitute

KIP GARVEY COO

CY WHITE Managing Editor

NINA GLORIA Production Manager

JAIME ALBERS Creative Director

DARBY KENDALL Copy Editor

BETSY BLANKS VP of Business Operations

MICHELLE BERMEA Media Sales Director

Media Sales Executives

STACY COALE

JORDAN FARIS

ABBY SCHWARTE

Contributors

This month, we asked our contributors: What makes you a legend?

HANNAH NUÑEZ

Writer, “Creating Space for Those Overlooked,” Pg. 20

• Her main passion is music journalism.

• Her happy place is in the sun, with her journal.

• Her guilty pleasure is trash reality TV.

“My ability to balance school work and spirituality, all while looking good, is what makes me legendary.”

: Brandi Clark Burton, Jenny Hoff; Bella Larralde; Isabel Neumann; Hannah Nuñez; L. Smith; Shonte Jovan Taylor, M.Sc., Ph.D.(c); Jessica Wetterer; Cy White

Joi Conti; Leta Harrison; Lurleen Ladd; Annie Ray; Shonte Jovan Taylor, M.Sc., Ph.D.(c); Jessica Wetterer;

Bella Larralde, Isabel Neumann, Hannah Nuñez

BELLA LARRALDE

Writer, “All the Right Questions,” Pg. 48

• She is a first-gen college student.

• She changes her hair every school semester.

• She thinks opossums are adorable.

“My personality. Often described as bubbly, there is no one I can’t make smile.”

SHURONDA ROBINSON Co-owner

ANA RUELAS Co-owner

NEHA SAMPAT Co-owner

SAMANTHA STEVENS Co-founder

CY WHITE

Writer, “Numinosum: The Moment Where Creativity Happens,” pg. 40

• Her first non-church concert was Roberta Flack.

• She has an 876-day streak on Duolingo.

• She has a podcast called MMMusic Podcast.

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“I know who I am and am confident in who that is right now. Also my braids! ”

It is the month of March, dear reader. Can you believe we’re already a quarter through the year? Was January just long? I know what it is. We’ve already had a full year of legends. The legendary women-identified creatives and professionals who represented a fraction of Austin’s Change Makers in January. The utterly iconic Nina Means for February. March is no exception. In fact, we named it so. This month, we’re honoring Austin Legends, women-identified folx in Austin’s everevolving arts scene who have broken barriers, changed the landscape of the Austin community and have paved the way for more inspirational creatives to follow in their wake.

Though April showers bring the flowers in May, we’re handing them out early to women-identified creatives who aren’t often celebrated or revered for the legends they are. Our cover woman, Nagavalli, is an undeniable giant onstage and even more of a looming figure in the arts community. While she has the stage presence of a Titan, she has a heart full of grace and an openness to the process of creation that allows her to always consider the needs of those around her. Hence her leadership roles at the Austin Arts Commission, the Austin Music Commission and EQ Austin. That heart to ensure that others get the respect they deserve extends to Lurleen Ladd and her Wavemakers organization. A legend in her own right, she has used her platform to ensure that other womenidentified musicians 40 years old and older are also given their flowers, and the opportunities for success they deserve. Legends helping other legends is a superpower that we as women have in droves. Hence the Women in Pictures, highlighting some incredible women-identified artists who have truly shaped Austin’s artist landscape.

Each person within these pages has given their life to their craft and to enrich the Austin community. Another woman who deserves recognition is Dr. Beulah Agnes Curry-Jones. In February, The East Austin Coalition and Women in Jazz paid their respects to the Huston-Tillotson Professor Emerita of Fine Arts and former director of music, and I want to do the same here. Her contributions to Ausin’s music scene are storied and monumental. The East Austin Coalition honored Curry-Jones with their annual Austin Cultural Icon Award, making her the second recipient of the distinction. What strikes me most about her is how great a source of wisdom and history she is. She’s able to remember with photographic accuracy every spot she’s performed, the clubs and theaters of her youth, the moments that defined her as an artist and educator. This legend has been a rock in Austin’s arts education community since the 1950s, and we speak her name while she’s still among us to hear it.

Being legendary is so much more than having a name that people know and recognize. It’s about how you affect the people around you, leaning into your gifts and, most importantly, in whatever you do, leading with integrity. Interested in more examples of what it means to be a legend? Well, dear reader, look in the mirror. Tell the person you see there that they are a legend, an icon, the moment. Tell that person, “You are a boss babe!”

CY WHITE EDITOR

EDITOR’S PICKS:

The Legends playlist

CAP10 K RALLIES COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT THE KINDNESS CAMPAIGN

Members of The Kindness Campaign visit C.B. Elementary School in Arlington, Texas for a school counselor training session.

How did TKC become the 2024 Cap10K race beneficiary?

It happened in a pretty serendipitous way! Jeff Simecek, the Statesman Cap10K Race Director, met Andra Liemandt at a local event here in Austin. Andra is the CEO and Founder of The Kindness Campaign® (TKC), and the two of them struck up a conversation. They were both passionate about health, Jeff spearheading a major fitness event and Andra leading a nonprofit dedicated to mental and emotional health. But sensing there was a growing need out there for schools and families to access mental and emotional health resources, Jeff was intrigued by The Kindness Campaign® and ways he could help. It wasn’t long before he approached Andra about The Kindness Campaign being the 2024 Cap10K race beneficiary.

What synergies are there between the Cap10K and TKC?

A mutual dedication to whole human health, for one. Cap10K has always been the race for everyone, no matter your fitness background. The goal is to get out and get active, while benefiting a great cause in your community. But interestingly, Andra has a fitness background that pre-existed The Kindness Campaign®, and built fitness into The Kindness Campaign’s programming from the very beginning. One of the organization’s signature activations, for example, is the Enoughie Buddy® Dance Party – a program that gets children moving while teaching them emotional health vocabulary. Enoughie Buddy® is The Kindness Campaign’s mascot, and will be present at the race!

Both organizations also share the value of community. The Kindness Campaign® creates emotional health curriculum that draws on four pillars: self-image, emotional awareness, empathy, and community. Community is the container for all health, from our relationships to our fitness goals. We accomplish nothing in a vacuum, but we grow and thrive as individuals when we’re connected to those around us.

What benefits does TKC get out of being the Cap10K beneficiary?

So many benefits, both immediate and lasting. The first and most obvious benefit is a financial donation, which greatly expands the number of schools, students, educators, and communities who receive The Kindness Campaign®. It can’t be understated how impactful this is: more support means more children growing up resilient and secure, with the skills to emotionally regulate, communicate effectively, support their peers, and contribute to their communities. In more concrete terms, this looks like at happier, thriving school campus. A child who now believes in themselves. An educator who has an easier time teaching, because classroom behavior is better and students are more focused.

Another benefit is name recognition among race enthusiasts and local residents right here in Austin. While The Kindness Campaign® has an international reach (the organization worked with Ukrainian refugee children and their families in Budapest this year), not everyone in Austin is familiar with the work. It’s the hope that by highlighting The Kindness Campaign®, more folks will get behind the cause of accessible mental and emotional health support for all, spread the word about our offerings, and get involved by volunteering and participating in our work.

How will Cap10K funds raised for TKC benefit the community?

More schools right here in Austin, with a focus on Title 1 schools, will get to enjoy The Kindness Campaign® at their campuses. Here are a few of activations that The Kindness Campaign® offers::

• PreK3-5th emotional health curriculum in the form of journals, interactive stories, and coloring books, which are TEKS-aligned to promote literacy, reading, and writing.

• KindArt: visual arts programming geared toward affirming selfexpression.

KindMusic®: a songwriting platform providing work opportunities for independent musicians, while teaching emotional health skills to end users.

Enoughie Buddy’s Magic Mirror®: an interactive mirror that has a real, affirming conversation with anyone who sits in front of it.

• Kind Leadership: a high school-targeted program that mentors young people with leadership skills and training, aimed at teaching communication, collaboration, and community impact.

How can runners engage with TKC on race weekend to learn more about TKC?

Come find The Kindness Campaign® at the race! Enoughie Buddy® will be there to cheer fans on, and our staff will have a booth next to Baylor Scott & White Health at the finish line to answer questions, sign up volunteers, and get TKC resources to your school or family.

It’s also worth mentioning that the weekend after race weekend, The Kindness Campaign is hosting a Community Day and all are invited! The Art of Kindness Community Day is April 14, and is a family-friendly event with hands-on art activities, LEGO build stations, balloon art and facepainting, dancing, Enoughie Buddy’s Magic Mirror, Story Time, live musical performances by groups like THEBROSFRESH & ZACH Theatre, and much more. It’s an amazing time and a great way to connect with your fellow Austinites! Tickets are available on-line and at the door.

Don’t

and

Leti Garza Lets Us In on a

Local Latin-fusion artist Leti Garza on releasing her new album Canciónes Sobre La Vida y La Muerte.

Leta Harrison Proclaims, “Black Girls Do Wear Red Lipstick”

Local Black woman photographer Leta Harrison makes Austin history by making red lipstick okay for Black girls.

Papi Siii & Cheer Up Charlies: A Vibrant Latin Music Takeover

In February, Cheer Up Charlies hosted Papi Siii’s Latin music takeover, raising funds to support the iconic Austin LGBTQIA+ venue.

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“Leti Garza Lets Us in on a Secret” photo courtesy of Leti Garza. “Leta Harrison Proclaims, ‘Black Girls Do Wear Red Lipstick’” photo courtesy of Leta Harrison. “Papi Siii & Cheer Up Charlies: A Vibrant Latin Music Takeover” photo courtesy of Cheer Up Charlies.

The Legends

Local women-identified creatives continue to highlight why Austin is one of the major epicenters for legendary art.

BY HANNAH NUÑEZ

SUSAN ANTONE

In 2013, Susan Antone took co-ownership of Austin’s biggest blues club, Antone’s, as a way to carry out her late brother Clifford Antone’s legacy. While many were worried about how the death of the founder would impact the city’s culture, Susan has managed to keep his spirit vibrant by upholding the family’s passion for music. Susan’s co-ownership proves that regardless of change, nothing can stop the “Home of the Blues” from celebrating life through music.

MISS LAVELLE WHITE

Starting her music career at 15 years old in Houston, Texas, Miss Lavelle White began to sneak into jazz clubs and share her voice to all who were willing to listen. When Clifford Antone invited her into Austin to perform at his famous nightclub, she found a home atop the stage and has stayed ever since. Since 1993, Miss Lavelle White has acted as the perfect representation of the Austin spirit. While much has changed since her arrival, at 94 years old, she continues to shine in the spotlight, spreading her resilience and outgoing attitude one song at a time.

LAURIE FLUKER

Laurie Fluker, Ph.D., has spent more than 35 years teaching her passion for journalism at Texas State University. Being one of the first Black women to teach at the university was something that never stopped Fluker, but rather encouraged her to act as an ally for all students who felt outcast. Throughout her career, she has earned a multitude of accolades, including Texas State’s Teaching Award of Honor and the Alumni Teaching Award. Fluker represents the bridge between education and art; both are highly capable of inspiring those who have yet to be seen.

SYLVIA OROZCO

Orozco is the co-founder and executive director of the Mexic-Arte Museum in Austin. Since 1984, her presence has pushed the barriers placed on Latin American artists and encouraged all to express their culture through art. She was awarded the prestigious Ohtli Award by the Mexican Government in 2007 for her expansive work in sharing Latino heritage across borders. Orozco has spent her 40 years as executive director showcasing the work of other revered Hispanic artists and collectors including Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Juan Sandoval and Pedro Meyer. Orozco has taken major steps forward in the depiction of Austin’s Hispanic population, giving artists the space to take control and define their own culture.

ANURADHA NAIMPALLY

For 33 years, Anuradha Naimpally has taught as the artistic director of Austin’s premiere dance studio, Austin Dance India. What started out as a small class in her garage has turned into a renowned organization determined to spread Indian culture through the art of classical Bharata Natyam dance. Outside of the studio, Naimpally is globally known for performances that teach the history of India while also incorporating current world issues. Her talent has started important conversations everywhere from grand theaters to school cafeterias, encouraging all to be educated on worldly matters rather than shy away from the uncomfortable.

Legends in the Making

JACKIE VENSON

With blues in her soul, Jackie Venson pays homage to the classic genre with a modern twist. Starting her career at 20 years old in the heart of Austin, Venson had no intention of fame. She was more eager to share her family passion for music. Since then, Venson has surpassed all expectations and will only continue to grow. She was named Best Guitarist at the 2018 Austin Music Awards and Best Musician in 2020, and when the CMT Awards called Austin home for the first time in 2023, Venson had the honor to play alongside the iconic Alanis Morissette as she sang her classic “You Oughta Know.” There’s no stopping Jackie Venson.

POONEH GHANA

Pooneh Ghana is a world-touring resident concert photographer. With artists such as Cage The Elephant and Olivia Rodrigo under her belt, Ghana is making her way across all genres and stages. Her photography career had humble beginnings in 2008 when she began capturing the wave of “indie sleaze” for local Austin publications. As time passed, her skills and network began to grow. Ghana now has an outstanding 83,500 Instagram followers whom she regularly shares her tour photos with, in hopes of spreading her passion for music. While Ghana recently moved to Los Angeles, she acts as a representation of hope and endurance to all aspiring Austin artists.

Babette Hughes: A 101-Year Journey of Resilience and Writing

Explore author Babette Hughes’ inspiring life, family tragedies and the creative force behind her latest novella, Lessons in Evil

BY ISABEL NEUMANN

Born in 1922, Babette Hughes is an author whose life is marked by tribulation, including family trauma, not to mention the societal constraints of the 1950s. Despite these hardships, she has embraced a prolific writing career, producing nine books. Her latest, Lessons in Evil, explores the Holocaust and its contemporary relevance. Her resilience in the face of adversity, including macular degeneration, challenges societal expectations about aging. Hughes’ novels, while not explicitly for Holocaust education, organically contribute to awareness. As she celebrates her 101st birthday, Hughes stands as a testament to the enduring power of creativity and pushes against cultural perceptions about aging, inspiring readers with her unique perspective on history, emotions and the human spirit.

Tell us about yourself. Who is Babette Hughes?

My own life has been very tumultuous. My father and uncle were murdered. My father was a bootlegger and got into an argument with the mafia. This was in 1924. I was 2 years old. Those early traumatic years really informed my writing, my identity and the problem of shame from the murders that my family experienced. I’m 101, and I have a lot to say about getting older too. I’m determined to have a life no matter how old I am. I find that most people in my age bracket, or even younger, have taken on the culture that aging is the end. That is what we are all told living in this culture, that youth is good and age is bad. In writing this novella, I disproved the notion that aging makes you less valuable.

What is the inspiration behind Lessons in Evil?

With the news cycle and everything that’s going on with antisemitism today, I wanted to write a story that would toggle back and forth between Nazi Germany and current times, reminding us of the mantras “always remember” and “never forget.” The inspiration came from the horrors. This book is a fictionalized story of my own involvement in the Holocaust in a creative way that made me feel better, that I was doing something, that I was expressing something that needed to be expressed by me and by others. Although it’s fiction, the stories in the novella are taken from reality. It gets at what I wanted it to get at, which is a view of the people that lived through the Holocaust either by being there or by hearing about it. We must keep these realities, these stories, alive.

How does the novella emphasize the idea that being aware of history is crucial to preventing its repetition?

I think it’s just written there. It’s just a layer down from the plot. It has been said that if we don’t know history, we’re doomed to repeat it. I didn’t set out to make that point. I set out to tell a story, but in doing so, I made that point. I think that people can both consciously and unconsciously understand it.

What do you want people to take away from your novella?

My hope is that the novella raises people’s consciousness, and they understand how important it is not to forget. We have slogans, and they’re fine, but it must be more than “don’t forget” or whatever mantra we pick up. I think it can reach social [media], other places. For example, we talked about getting older. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing for older people, whose generation, perhaps, was in the Holocaust, or they lost someone in the Holocaust, to get involved in keeping it alive? That is my hope; that we remember these horrors to keep them alive and, therefore, never repeat them.

Photo by Susie Welch.

The Incomparable Miss Lavelle White

Illustrator Jessica Wetterer expresses her admiration for one of Austin’s most legendary soul musicians, Miss Lavelle White.

BY JESSICA WETTERER AND CY WHITE

ILLUSTRATIONS BY JESSICA WETTERER

94

“Age ain’t nothing but a number.” Never has a statement rung so true as when describing the legendary 94-year-old blues and soul musician Miss Lavelle White. This Austin-based singer and songwriter has been writing and releasing music since she was 15 and has been performing as recently as 2021. Miss Lavelle White is living proof that older doesn’t mean irrelevant, nor is it an indication of ability. Listen to her music, and you’ll find yourself transported by her rich vocals while swaying to the beat. Transported where? To a place of introspection on love, heartache and, of course, the blues.

1994

In 1994, at the age of 65, she released her first fulllength album, Miss Lavelle, on the Austin-based Antone’s label. However, she had been writing and recording singles as far back as the 1950s, including co-writing with artist Bobby “Blue” Bland, which garnered Miss Lavelle her biggest songwriting success, 1961’s “Lead Me On.” Though at the time of her official debut she had been a successful musician for more than four decades, the most active years of her touring and performing life came after the of age 60, when most people are looking to retire.

2006

Over the years, Miss Lavelle White has shared stages with the likes of Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Junior Parker, Aretha Franklin and Jerry Butler. As a Black elder, she is part of a demographic that’s often disregarded and overlooked. But in 2006, she was recognized for her impressive work and inducted into the Texas Music Hall of Fame. She is one of the foundational musicians in Austin’s music scene, with a career spanning more than 70 years, and Miss Lavelle White shows no signs of stopping.

Make Way for the Legends!

Fashion was in full spectacle at Austin Woman’s inaugural fashion show as some of Austin’s fashion mavens showed off their legendary style.

BY CY WHITE & JOI CONTI PHOTOS BY JOI CONTI

On Feb. 13, Austin Woman magazine and ACC’s Fashion Incubator collaborated to bring Austin the publication’s first fashion show. Dedicated to burgeoning and established designers who are part of the Incubator, including Incubator Director and February cover woman Nina Means, the fashion show highlighted just how rapidly Austin is joining the ranks of major Texas fashion hubs such as Houston and Dallas.

Before any fashion hit the runway, though, some of Austin’s most remarkable fashionistas walked through the doors at PBS, turning the building on ACC’s campus into its own runaway. Every person in attendance, young and old, turned a Tuesday night in mid-February into a celebration of self-expression and fashion as art.

Creating Space for Those Overlooked

Women & Their Work Executive Director Chris Cowden provides woman-identified artists the space to properly represent themselves in Austin’s art scene.

BY HANNAH NUÑEZ PHOTOS COURTESY OF WOMEN & THEIR WORK

What began as a dream in 1978 has progressed into a nationally renowned nonprofit. Found in the heart of Austin, Women & Their Work (WATW) is more than an exhibition space. It’s an opportunity for woman-identified artists to assert themselves as equals in the art world. Over the past 46 years, the organization has caught the attention of many prestigious establishments and has received recognition for its advancements in feminism. Milestones such as being the first organization in Texas to receive a grant for visual art from the National Endowment for the Arts, participation in the Warhol Initiative and features on NPR pay tribute to their decades of work.

From the beginning, WATW has exemplified its core value of giving space to those deserving yet overlooked. Up until the mid-’70s, female artists were often dismissed as illegitimate in the mainstream and were given little opportunity to present themselves as otherwise to those in control. “There were no women in museums or galleries, there were no women curators, there were no women directors,” Executive Director Chris Cowden describes. Being fed up with such dismissal pushed three women to take the leap of faith and create a production they knew couldn’t be ignored. Rita Starpattern, Carol Taylor and Deanna Stevenson banded together to host Texas’ first statewide female art festival in the fall of 1977. “The following year, the nonprofit was created to forever hold space for the women who needed representation.”

Today, the organization acts as a physical vessel for artists to transform into their own canvas. Every year there’s a statewide call for entries where artists present their pieces to WATW for consideration. “Ten images of their work, an artist statement and a CV are what we base our decisions on,” says Cowden. “With only that, we look to see what it is you’ve done and what it is you want to do. It’s a very big leap of faith for us, but most artists not only meet but often exceed our expectations.” Rather than showcase previous creations, WATW challenges artists to create a new collection in time for its display, meaning applicants must exhibit a tremendous amount of trust and potential. “We support emerging artists who may have had very little exhibition

experience, but we can also recognize how challenging it is for artists of any stature to have an ongoing career. Everyone has equal opportunity because we really base everything off the proposal that’s being presented and focus on if what they want to do here is going to push their career forward.”

While selection may seem tough, being granted exhibition space comes with many rewarding accommodations. When selected artists are given free rein over the entirety of the 2,000-square-foot space to present their collection, “We provide them with a curatorial advisor to help them with conceptual or technical problems,” Cowden explains. “We commission a writer to write an essay about the show that will be included in the individual artist’s catalog, which we produce and place in the gallery, online and mail to or galleries and museums throughout the country. We also make a professionally produced video that allows the artist to go more in-depth explaining their work, which plays throughout the exhibition and remains online, in perpetuity.”

The organization also works to ensure that their collections will forever be preserved. In 2020, Smithsonian Libraries invited WATW to be a part of their archives, memorializing all work from the floor and throughout the WATW website.

In 2013, WATW collaborated with the Austin ISD GO Project, to create Art on the Go, a program devoted to helping disabled 18- to 22-year-olds integrate into adulthood. Their involvement gives these young adults a chance at having a fulfilling and sustainable future that may have never been an option before. Opening doors of opportunity for children ensures they have access to the tools and resources needed to better our community as they grow.

As the folks of Women & Their Work settle into their new location on East Cesar Chavez Street, they have no intention of slowing down. With support from the Heritage Preservation

Grant, they plan to renovate their site into a new-and-improved home for art to better accommodate all visitors. As they exhibit artists, they’re working to produce a large-scale public installation to encourage conversations about art becoming integral in Austin residents’ lives. From holding space for female artists to educating younger generations, Women & Their Work is proving that art has the power to change a community.

“While the repairs we’re making may seem unglamorous, they will literally get us on solid ground,” Cowden says. “We were able to obtain historic zoning status from the state of Texas and from the city of Austin, meaning that this building cannot be torn down and will last for generations of artists audiences to come and enjoy.”

To learn more about Women & Their Work’s programs, read the full article at atxwoman.com.

A Historical Love Letter to Black Womens’ Boldness

Photographer Leta Harrison honors lived experience by capturing people as they are.

BY L. SMITH

The expression Leta Harrison conveys as she stands in front of the windows of the closed-off, bare, white-walled gallery of the Central Austin Public Library (APL) is simply, “This is remarkable, what’s happening.” She and her co-curators, Whitney Hamilton and Keyheira Keys from the arts alliance OF Color, execute their vision for the layout of their history-making Black Girls Don’t Wear Red Lipstick exhibition, which opened during Black History Month. Harrison, founder of LetaKathryn Photography and a legend on the rise, makes history as the first Black woman photographer to have an exhibit at the APL.

The Austin community likely first experienced Harrison’s work a few years ago when she photographed a field training with Blue Scorpion Protection. Her ability to capture motion and the intensity of the moments between the range instructors and the firearm owners garnered much attention and led many to become followers of her work. In 2023, admirers of Harrison’s photography had the opportunity to view her work again at the George Washington Carver Museum, where the initial pieces of her Black Girls Don’t Wear Red Lipstick exhibition showcased Black women in red lipstick being true to their identities and standing boldly in the authenticity of their culture— from a brilliant smile with gold-grill-framed teeth, to natural coily locs regally wrapped in a turban, to confidently making strides in an assimilated corporate red blazer and slacks.

Harrison, a mother of two, attributes her children for teaching her “so much about patience, resilience, communication, structure and the power of vulnerability.” Her subjects can vouch that the traits at Harrison’s core allow her to make connections and to quickly put her subjects at ease. Dewi Smith, one of Harrison’s exhibit subjects, contemplates the intimacy inherent in Harrison’s rapid rapport building. “If it’s good, it doesn't take much,” Smith says.

Fast forward to February this year. Harrison continues to challenge an arguably little known, subtle beauty taboo. Her inspiration for this exhibit came from a moment while capturing Kam Franklin, lead vocalist for The Suffers, at an artist’s talk at the Carver. “[Kam] was talking about her sense of style—how people would tell her she needed to be more modest—and she referenced what she was experiencing as ‘Black girls don’t wear red lipstick.’” This moment solidified the need for the Black Girls Don’t Wear Red Lipstick project. With this current iteration, Harrison has become living Black history during the month revering Black history, vividly encapsulating the beauty of Black women boldly living their truths while confronting beauty norms.

Photo by Jarret Hendrix.

Black Girls Also Dream

Though she has photographed for Austin’s Afro Tech, which she regards as her most memorable photo shoot thus far, and has work published in Essence magazine, Leta Harrison remains humble. She deeply values her current exhibition and the subjects who trusted her with their images and their stories, yet she views herself as an emerging artist. “I am exactly where I am supposed to be. There will be evolution in my work as time evolves, and I continue to grow personally.” Her photographer’s dream is to shoot for TIME magazine.

Photos by Leta Harrison.

“It is bittersweet because we, Black people, are still becoming ‘the first’ to be in spaces that we should have already been invited to be in… More opportunities need to be present for photographers, especially Black women photographers.” Being a woman in photography offers challenges. “The fact that I am Black adds to some of those difficulties,” Harrison says. “But it has never stopped me from taking on the many opportunities that have come my way.” This drives her aspiration for LetaKathryn Photography, which is “to have the ability to give other people opportunities.”

Harrison’s relationship with art was jumpstarted in her childhood. She was an only child until age 6, born of a strict white mother from a small Pennsylvania town and an absent Jamaican immigrant father. Her art journey began thanks in large part to encouragement from her grandparents, with whom she spent many of her summers. “My grandmother and my aunt encouraged me to explore my creativity at a very young age. I can also remember teaching myself to draw by tracing my favorite storybook characters.”

As someone who has experienced agonizing trauma and overcome being minimized, Harrison’s historic recognition is more than a celebration of her richly hued APL gallery exhibit. “[Black Girls Don’t Wear Red Lipstick] is a love letter to the boldness of Black women,” she

proclaims. “As a Black woman, I was constantly told that I could not do or be something.” For Harrison, photography is a calling that provides assurance and motivation to keep building her dreams.

Although Harrison has long been aware that she wanted to create art, it wasn’t until 2017 that she realized the value of photography as art. She names and gives reverence to a few hiker friends who were also photographers: Josh Hecht, Austin Eigmy and David Reinserman. “I just became drawn to the imagery that came out of their cameras,” she explains. “So, in 2017, I purchased a camera and allowed myself to see what I could do.”

Harrison’s art is currently on exhibition at APL through April 21, 2024. Nicole Parker, APL exhibit coordinator, believes hosting this exhibit has the potential to pull in “people who won’t typically go to a museum or an art gallery because they don’t feel comfortable or just wouldn’t go [due to feeling intimidated] in unwelcoming spaces.”

Harrison thanks all of her supporters, and while she cannot control the narrative others have of her, she would like to be remembered as “fearless, resilient, kind, compassionate and talented.”

To find out more about Leta Harrisons inspirations, read the full article at atxwoman.com.

Photo by Leta Harrison.

ATX ATX WOMAN to WATCH

BLANCA LESMES

BB IMAGING, TELESCAN | CO-FOUNDER AND CEO

B lanca Lesmes is a passionate advocate of healthy maternal outcomes. She has always adhered to the ideal of solutions built by women, for women, and embodies that ideal herself as the co-founder and CEO of two companies: BB Imaging (a high-risk obstetrical sonography provider) and TeleScan (an innovative telesonography-as-a-service software). Lesmes is Austin educated, earning her B.A. from St. Edward's University and her MBA from the University of Texas McCombs School of Business. Beyond the walls of her companies, Lesmes works to educate and encourage the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs through mentorship and speaking engagements with several UT-affiliated organizations. bbimaging.net, telescan.ai

WOMAN to WATCH

SHONNERY PETTIT CENTER FOR CHILD PROTECTION | PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

S honnery Pettit is the president of the board of directors for the Center for Child Protection. She has been involved with the Center for eight years and served as a board member for six. Her service has been extraordinary in the amount of time and energy she has devoted to leading various committees that support the Center’s vision of ending the cycle of child abuse in Travis County. Pettit is, first and foremost, purpose driven. Every decision she makes is based on the question, “What is in the best interest of the children we serve?” #ProtectAustinKids centerforchildprotection.org

ATX ATX WOMAN to WATCH

MONICA VON WAADEN HOPEAUSTIN | FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

M onica von Waaden is the founder and executive director of HopeAustin, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization endeavoring to ensure all Central Texas students are well nourished. Growing up in the border town of El Paso, Texas, with an educator mother who served in very impoverished areas and an electrical engineer father, the family was no stranger to having extra children in the home for meals and extra help with homework. “I learned very early on that lending a hand to provide opportunities to others is a lifelong mission.” As a special education teacher turned attorney running a domestic violence unit, von Waaden loved helping those in need of support, creating dignity, hope and self-respect. Upon becoming an empty nester, von Waaden founded HopeAustin. Firmly rooted in von Waaden’s endeavor, HopeAustin serves opportunity through food security.

Hope4Austin.org

DOLORES K. SCHROEDER, MSW, J.D.

RAICES | CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Dolores K. Schroeder, MSW, J.D., is CEO at RAICES, the largest immigration legal services agency in Texas, with operations in Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, Laredo and San Antonio. As the daughter of a Mexican immigrant and Slovak American, Schroeder’s upbringing instilled pride for her heritage and a commitment to uplifting ethnic, cultural, racial and religious diversity within the communities she serves. Schroeder has extensive C-suite experience and has navigated cross-border issues across public and private sectors. She previously served as counsel and head of regional operations in North, Latin and South Americas for a division of a publicly traded real estate services company, overseeing finance and risk management strategy. Schroeder holds her MNR from Virginia Tech University, J.D. from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, MSW from Loyola University of Chicago School of Social Work and B.A. in psychology from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame. raicestexas.org

ATX ATX WOMAN to WATCH

NERLYNE DESRAVINES, M.D. UT HEALTH AUSTIN | GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGIST

N erlyne Desravines, M.D., is a UT Health Austin fellowship-trained gynecologic oncologist and an assistant professor in the Dell Medical School Department of Women’s Health at UT Austin. She specializes in treating women with ovary, uterine and cervical cancers. Desravines earned her medical degree from Duke University and completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at UNC Chapel Hill and a fellowship in gynecologic oncology at Johns Hopkins University. Driven by a longstanding passion for women’s health, she chose to pursue oncology, finding profound purpose in accompanying women through their cancer journey. Desravines is a steadfast advocate for improving patient outcomes and delivering cutting-edge medical care. “I chose to work in Travis County because they provide coverage for unfunded patients, which allows me to provide care for all women who need it.”

uthealthaustin.org

ATX ATX WOMAN to WATCH

SIOBHAN COOK SAFE | CARES DROP-IN MANAGER

S iobhan Cook, human trafficking lived experience expert, serves as the drop-in manager for SAFE CARES under the incredible direction of Susanne Crane. A SAFE program, CARES is the only drop-in center for exploited youth in Central Texas. CARES provides trauma-informed, survivor-led case management and advocacy while establishing a safe space at their drop-in center, allowing youth to be youth. Cook’s lived experience, in collaboration with the expert staff, informs the many services and offerings of the dropin center to ensure youth have a safe space to navigate their challenges. Cook knows her clients are the experts of their own experiences. Her goal is to bridge the gaps in services to support their unique needs and goals. She aims to educate and inspire creative approaches to services by establishing relationships and elevating survivor voices. Locally, Cook hosts training opportunities that inspire proactivity in supporting sustainable survivorship efforts. safeaustin.org

Supporting Local Nonprofits

Amplify Austin Day (March 6-7) is a 24-hour online giving event that has raised $102.7 million for hundreds of local nonprofits since 2013. This year, more than 700 Central Texas nonprofits will be eligible for your donations on AmplifyATX.org. This includes many organizations led by women.

Hope Clinic

Jodi Schrobilgen, Executive Director Hope Clinic provides free care to the uninsured regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or religious affiliation.

VELA

Maria Hernandez, Executive Director VELA creates a community where all families of children with disabilities thrive by providing parents with knowledge, empowerment, and community.

Asian Texans for Justice

Lily Trieu, Executive Director Asian Texans for Justice connects Asian and Pacific Islander Texans to civic action to build personal and political power.

With so many deserving nonprofits to support, how do you choose? AmplifyATX.org makes searching for nonprofits easy. Search by keyword, cause category, or county to discover nonprofits that align with your passions. Give back this Amplify Austin Day on March 6-7 at AmplifyATX.org

MICHELE ANDERSON

Executive Officer

Habitat Humanityfor

Originally from Virginia, Michele Anderson moved to Austin with her husband to help lead Austin Habitat to new heights and further their mission of bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. Austin Habitat plays a crucial role locally and nationally by acting as an innovator and leader in affordable housing.

habitat.org

Austin Clubhouse

Jen Cardenas is the executive director of Austin Clubhouse, a nonprofit whose timetested, evidence-based approach to mental health encompasses a worldwide network of 350 Clubhouses in more than 30 countries. For nearly 14 years, Cardenas has focused her career on ending the stigma around mental health and advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion.

austinclubhouse.org

ZENAE CAMPBELL Chief Executive Officer

Boys and Girls Clubs of the Austin Area

Passionate about equitable youth development and serving and strengthening communities, Zenae Campbell is the CEO of the Austin-area Boys and Girls Clubs, bringing 20-plus years of experience, including 10 years as vice president, Programs and Club Operations at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Houston.

bgcaustin.org

Musician Treatment Foundation of Austin Texas Inc.

Irene Chang-Cimino joined the Musician Treatment Foundation (MTF) board in October 2019 and has served as its first executive director since July 2020. MTF has offered more than $2.5 million in care to hundreds of injured musicians. Chang-Cimino has helped MTF establish its nationwide Physicians for Musicians network and increase its capacity to assist professional musicians with free upper limb orthopedic care.

https://mtfusa.org/about/

JENNIFER CARDENAS Executive Director

Chief

IRENE CHANG-CIMINO Executive Director and Vice President

SAFE

Siobhan Cook, human trafficking lived experience expert, serves as the drop-in manager for SAFE CARES. Cook knows her clients are the experts of their own experiences. Her goal is to bridge the gaps in services for youth who are vulnerable to trafficking by supporting their unique needs and goals.

safeaustin.org

Society for Animal Rescue & Adoption (SARA)

Tracy Frank founded SARA in 1996, on what was her family’s cattle ranch. The 110-acre sanctuary is home to a wide range of animals that are adopted or live out their natural lives in a caring environment. Heidi Wilson has been with SARA for more than two years. She assists with animal care, managing volunteers, adoption queries, social media and more.

sarasanctuary.org

TexARTS Association for the Visual and Performing Arts

Sandy Cox is a technologist, nonprofit leader and former mayor of Lakeway. She holds electrical and computer engineering degrees from Georgia Tech. She currently serves on the seven-county CAPCOG Economic Development Committee and mentors start-ups at Capital Factory. She returned to TexARTS in October 2022 as the executive director.

tex-arts.org

Open My World Therapeutic Riding Center

Jocelyn Franklin is the executive director of Open My World Therapeutic Riding Center in Leander. Open My World provides life-changing adaptive horseback riding and equine assisted services and learning sessions to participants living with physical, emotional and cognitive disabilities and mental health challenges.

openmyworld.org

TRACY FRANK AND HEIDI WILSON Founder/Executive and Director

JOCELYN FRANKLIN Executive Director

SIOBHAN COOK CARES Drop-In Manager

SANDY COX Executive Director

YWCA Greater Austin

Laura Gómez-Horton (LCSW-S), clinical director at YWCA Greater Austin, embodies the mission of “eliminating racism, empowering women, helping families, strengthening communities and standing up for social justice.” A leader with more than 25 years in the mental health field, she works to increase access, develop trauma-informed programing and advocate for others.

ywcaaustin.org

Zilker Botanical Garden Conservancy

Holly is a driving force in Zilker Botanical Garden Conservancy’s growth and transformation. In 2023 alone, she broke ground on their first capital project, established an endowment, secured a botanical collection and expanded community programing. With her leadership, Austin can anticipate an exciting chapter of growth for our beloved garden.

zilkergarden.org

Hound Rescue

As a board member, Cindy Haas guides Hounds Rescue, a Texas-based nonprofit dedicated to saving hounds nationwide. Through education and advocacy, we strengthen human-dog bonds, offering at-risk hounds a second chance. Haas also founded Pink Business Advisors, offering financial services to Hound Rescue, nonprofits and small businesses.

houndrescue.com

Central Texas Table of Grace

After entering the foster care system at the age of 2, Stacy Johnson spent the next 14 years dreaming of someday opening a children’s shelter. In May 2014, she opened Central Texas Table of Grace, an emergency shelter for children ages 6 to 17 in foster care. In 2021, Johnson launched the Grace365 program, a supervised independent living program for young people 18 to 22.

centraltexastableofgrace.org

LAURA GÓMEZ-HORTON Clinical Director

HOLLY HAWK Executive Director

CINDY HAAS Board of Directors/Treasurer

STACY JOHNSON Founder and CEO

MELISSA KELLER

Founder

and President

Abigail E.

FoundationKeller

Created in loving memory of Melissa Keller’s daughter, the Abigail E. Keller Foundation advocates for medically fragile and terminally ill children and their families. The foundation offers care baskets and birthday boxes for hospice families, collaborates with social workers on financial aid grants and aims to build a pediatric respite/hospice facility, dedicated to supporting families in need.

aekellerfoundation.org

BRITTY MANN Founding Executive Director

Planted Society

Britty Mann leads Planted Society, a nonprofit that mitigates Austin’s environmental impact through initiatives that increase access to healthy, climate-friendly foods. Their innovative approach in food systems has saved more than 1.3 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, and their work with Austin’s government, elected officials and small businesses has helped foster sustainable, communitydriven change.

plantedsociety.org

ANDREA MAGEE Executive Officer

Music Helps

It is with great excitement that we announce the release of new music from Andrea Magee. She has not only captivated audiences with her soulful voice and mesmerizing bodhran drum, but she has also made a significant community impact through her nonprofit, Music Helps, and her music festival, She Rises, uplifting women in the music industry and beyond.

musichelpsatx.org

SUSAN MCDOWELL Chief Executive Officer

LifeWorks

LifeWorks CEO Susan McDowell has dedicated more than 25 years to leading the organization’s mission of fearless advocacy for youth experiencing homelessness in Austin. LifeWorks provides housing, counseling, education and workforce programs for youth and young adults pursuing a life they love and a stable future for themselves and their families.

lifeworksaustin.org

El Buen Samaritano

Dr. Rosamaria Murillo leads El Buen’s mission to serve Latinos in Central Texas, supporting thousands of families to access health care and COVID-19 vaccines, basic needs (food, water, financial assistance) and educational services. As a nationally recognized advocate, she has secured more than $100 million to serve diverse communities throughout Texas.

elbuen.org/meet-our-staff

Center for Child Protection

Shonnery Pettit is the president of the board of directors for the Center for Child Protection. She has been involved with the Center for eight years and has served as a board member for six years.

centerforchildprotection.org/board-staff

Taylor Pride

Denise Rodgers, a native of South Texas, began her LGBTQ+ advocacy in the late ’90s. Serving as a DEI professional and Pride ERG co-chair, Rodgers takes pride in leading an inclusive LGBTQ+ family. In May 2020, she initiated the Taylor LGBTQ+ Facebook group, cultivating community support and laying the foundation for the vibrant organization Taylor Pride.

taylorpride.org

Reveal Resource Center

Susan Schaffer is the executive director of Reveal Resource Center, a faith-based nonprofit organization firmly committed to feeding families. In 2023, with unwavering determination and the support of the community, the center provided food to 26,432 families. Reveal Resource Center is a shining example of what can be achieved when a community comes together with a passion to serve.

revealresourcecenter.com

DR. ROSAMARIA MURILLO Chief Executive Officer

SHONNERY PETTIT President of the Board of Directors

DENISE RODGERS President

SUSAN SCHAFFER Executive Director

DOLORES K. SCHROEDER, MSW, J.D. Chief Executive Officer

RAICES

Dolores K. Schroeder is CEO at RAICES, the largest immigration legal services agency in Texas. Schroeder has extensive C-suite experience navigating cross-border issues across sectors. She holds her MNR from Virginia Tech University, J.D. and MSW from Loyola University of Chicago and B.A. from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame.

raicestexas.org

SUZANNE STONE

Livestrong

Suzanne Stone is president and CEO of Livestrong, the Austinbased global nonprofit that asks, “Which everyday cancer problem will we fix today?” Since 1997, Livestrong, a pioneer of cancer survivorship, has improved the lives of people affected by cancer, supporting nearly 10 million survivors and investing in more than 615 cancer initiatives.

livestrong.org

MONICA VON WAADEN

HopeAustin

Monica von Waaden is the founder and executive director of HopeAustin, an organization endeavoring to ensure all Central Texas students are well nourished. Founded in 2016 in Round Rock ISD, HopeAustin serves 75 students per week and has served more than 5,000 students per week across Central Texas. Students can be at peace knowing their next meal is secure.

Hope4Austin.org

HEATHER WHILDEN

Rockin’ City Rebels

Since 2016, Heather Whilden, a Canadianborn Texan who goes by Hot Mitts when on the track, has devoted her free time to Rockin’ City Rebels in Round Rock. “While serving on the board of directors for the adult league, I proposed a plan for a junior team.” In 2023, she accompanied the charter team to the national competition in Denver.

rockincityrollergirls.org/junior-derby

President and CEO

Founder and Executive Director

Founder & Head Coach

Numinosum: The Moment Where Creativity Happens

Musician Nagavalli is on a journey of constant evolution.

BY CY WHITE PHOTOS BY ANNIE RAY STYLING BY PARKE BALLENTINE, WITH INSPIRATION FROM IMPACT VINTAGE (IMPACTVINTAGE.ORG, @IMPACTVINTAGEATX) AND NORDSTROM. SHOT ON LOCATION AT ANTONE’S. SPECIAL THANKS TO HALEY CARADINE.

The menu is small and accommodating. After her photoshoot, she sits at a table at a formerly 24-hour diner (aptly called 24 Diner) that she knows serves a veggie burger. She talks about trying to go vegan as she peruses the menu options for the sides she wants. “But all of my favorite dishes have butter!” In this moment, as she chooses the mashed potatoes that are certainly full of butter, if the soft peak-whipped starch is anything to go by, she’s not only talking about having a “cheat day.” In this moment, IndianAmerican traditional-pop-soul fusion artist Nagavalli is talking about having grace. Being gracious with one’s self, being gracious with the efforts to get to the ultimate goal.

It makes sense, then, that so much of her life, her music, her artistry embodies the idea of graciousness. Being gracious for opportunities, having grace when some opportunities fall through. In fact, to hear her tell it, her entire life story is full of grace and a genuine feeling of graciousness.

Around the time Nagavalli was born and raised in Mumbai, India, the country had a population of between 9 million and 15 million, among them hundreds of thousands of children, all of whom were in one way or another absorbing spiritual lessons through song, dance, art or perhaps all three. Some, like Nagavalli, grew up surrounded by the sounds of traditional Indian classical music, learning the nuances, bends and melisma of the intricate singing style and bold citron hues of the compositions. It was through this artistic education from the age of 7 that Nagavalli first got her real taste of performance.

“When I was really young, I remember being in a classical dance class for a few months,” she says. “That was in first or second grade. My teacher got married and left town, and one of my class teachers told my mom, ‘Why don’t you get her into a music class?’ But I always had a bag for semi-classical light and more popular music. Anytime there was a popular, good record, whether it’s Bollywood or some independent artists, I remember very, very intensely always sitting and learning songs right off mostly cassette tapes and just obsessively learning a lot of songs from a very young age.

“I grew up learning Indian classical music, and, of course, a healthy amount of exposure to Bollywood music, or maybe unhealthy amount of exposure to Bollywood music,” she says with a chuckle in her voice. “So the amount of English pop or rock or soul records that I listened to was fairly limited. It was anything that was kind of popular when I was attending college in Mumbai. Everything from Elton John to Madonna, and then somebody introduced me to Guns N’ Roses; I was listening to Guns N’ Roses for a while. Tracy Chapman, though…” She pauses to revel a bit in a fond memory. “On a Grammy compilation probably in 1989, I believe is when she won for ‘Fast Car.’ That was the very first English cassette tape that I bought for myself. So I have very heartfelt memories about owning that cassette and how much I cherished that.”

LOCATION: ANTONE'S

Established in 1975 by the late Clifford Antone, Antone’s is an iconic blues venue located in downtown Austin. Over the past 40 years, Antone’s has brought Austin a variety of blues and musicians from across the country including B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, Ray Charles and James Brown, and helped develop local talent like Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Bob Schneider, Gary Clark Jr. and others. In 2015, the historic brand was restored and a new team brought the iconic venue back to the downtown Austin landscape with a renewed focus on once again making Antone’s the “Home of the Blues.”

305 E. 5th St. | antonesnightclub.com

The long hours, many days and weeks of practice certainly show themselves in the way she performs. Confidence, it radiates off her in waves. There’s a steadfast readiness, something like expectation of a great performance without having sung the first note. Calm, a relaxed knowing that all the energies combined in the room ensure this is going to be a night to remember for her and her captive audience.

Nagavalli is a giant on stage. Despite her near self-deprecating shyness when she has to pose for photos earlier in the week, her presence when she’s under the spotlight at Stateside at the Paramount Theatre, mic in hand, is a revelation. Regardless of the reverb, on Saturday, Feb. 10 when she debuts her “First and Foremost” show to a sold-out audience, her voice is steady as it carries beyond the seats, outside the theater, beyond South Congress Avenue and out into the universe, to be embraced by the very same thing that blessed her talent. She shines, her very own beacon among the spotlights, and those who join her on stage are blessed by her glow.

Training to mimic with almost perfect congruence the bends and dips of traditional hymns or national pop treasures gave Nagavalli’s voice its unwavering strength.

“In India, my focus was more on classical music learning,” she reveals. “Then I was just learning a lot of independent artists’ songs or Bollywood music by myself. There, the focus was not so much on writing original music or producing altered music, but it was more about, ‘Okay, how do you own yourself as a singer? How do you get stronger as a singer? How do you get more versatile as a singer?’ The more styles of songs that you could sing, the more versatile you were, and that was seen as a huge positive. So really, the focus was very much on how do you build yourself as a vocalist; it was never quite about writing your own music. That kind of a culture didn’t exist around me. It was only after coming to Austin.”

Finding a confidante on her journey to discovering her love of music for herself gave her the discipline to hone her already brilliant voice to a fine point—a mentor with the grace to take Nagavalli under her wing and guide her on her path to musical evolution.

“I started writing in the style [you hear] only after moving to Austin. I used to go play my songs to jazz singer Suzi Stern, and I was trying to learn jazz. A lot of times I would learn from her, but a lot of times I would just take my music and say, ‘What do you think about this song?’ Then she kind of encouraged me to really keep my style. Earlier when I was writing in English, I was trying to make it sound very much like whatever my perception of Western [music] was. Then very quickly, I came to a space where I realized that I should write what naturally speaks to me, comes to me and speaks to my experiences in life and music between these two different cultures, two different worlds. I retain that style,” she says firmly. “Which is why whatever I write, I try to keep it seamless. I write it intuitively and don’t try to intellectualize much of anything that I’m writing melodically. It’s not possible not to have any influences at all, right? But I think it’s just this amalgam of things I grew up with.”

Being an artist is the fine balance between self-expression and self-absorption, between telling the truth and telling a story. It’s almost impossible to be an artist and not have a brittle ego. However, grace lends itself to humility. In moments of grace, you are compelled to acknowledge when the art itself almost has nothing to do with you.

“I think it’s a force,” she says. “It’s a force beyond you. I think that’s what maybe lets you walk through apprehension and any kind of anxiety or fear that you have. It could be adrenaline, I guess, in a very simple way, but I think it’s really something beyond that. It’s some drive I feel, even the drive to keep on doing music. I feel like it couldn’t be me. It feels like it’s something beyond me.”

She has the same energy when she performs, her speaking voice the perfect counterbalance to her soaring vocal when she sings: soft where her singing is almost bombastic. “This is a night about

togetherness,” she says to her audience. “I’m so happy that we were able to spend this time together, that the other artists spent some of their time with me on stage.” This is humility bred from a lifetime discovering her true musical self; it’s earnest, thoughtful and simple.

LEANING IN TO EMOTION

After lunch fades into a pleasant memory, conversation lightens and the time continues to tick away, a suggestion, “Can I pop over to Waterloo for just two seconds?” is greeted with a hearty laugh. It’s a warm, wide-open slice of frivolity, a head back, mouth-open-to-thesun silly sound that is as part of Nagavalli as the coolness of her stage demeanor.

“Yeah, right. Two seconds,” she grouses back. But to Waterloo Records it is, only for the five minutes it takes to find the coveted vinyl: Grace by Jeff Buckley.

“I think it’s a force. It’s a force beyond you. I think that’s what maybe lets you walk through apprehension and any kind of anxiety or fear that you have. It could be adrenaline, I guess, in a very simple way, but I think it’s really something beyond that. It’s some drive I feel, even the drive to keep on doing music. I feel like it couldn’t be me. It feels like it’s something beyond me.

”

Nagavalli is a lover of the emotional. Whether she’d admit that or not, her soft smile and the glisten in her eyes when she sees the album worth risking the depletion of time and bank account paints a portrait of a woman who’s just remembered why she’s fallen in love. “Yeah, that’s a good one,” she says with words soft and reverent as a prayer. One can gauge her affinity for the emotional based on the music she’s performed and released. A chance to do a cover of the legendary Joni Mitchell in 2017 for a tribute, while not something she would’ve imagined for herself, provided Nagavalli another opportunity for growth, another adventure from which to glean a new perspective on happenstance. Things often do happen for a reason. For Nagavalli, performing one of Mitchell’s beloved classics, “That Song About the Midway,” was a chance to try something new and understand the weight of that moment.

“God, I have memories around that one because that was also the week I had shaved my hair off and had a bald head for the first time.” The laugh that follows is hearty, inviting. “That was the first time I was getting out in the public in Austin. Sue Young asked me if I would be a part of that event at NeWorlDeli. I really didn’t know much about Joni Mitchell’s songs. I had heard a few, but don’t obsessively listen to or follow her or anything. So I told Sue, ‘I’ve never done a Joni cover; I don't know many of her songs. Could you please send me some recommendations?’ I was honestly terrified, but I said yes because it was a challenge. Also, I was not going to say no to Sue. I think I was just back from a trip, and Katie Marie and I quickly rehearsed. It was pretty well received. I took it up as a challenge for myself. I’m sure at every level some desire to…” She takes another moment to gather her thoughts. “You’re looking for belonging to your community, to the music community. For that reason as well, I’m not gonna say no.”

She’s taken these moments for artistic evolution into her own work as well. On 2012’s Eastern Soul, she debuted her rendition of the Sufi qawwali classic “Damadam Mast Qalandar.” In Nagavalli’s care, the song—a devotional in honor of Sufi saint of Sindh, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar—carries a youthful exuberance. It’s precocious and full of light. Some 11 years later, on her latest full-length release, Numinosum, she decided to give the song another go, this time with more than a decade of life floating behind her.

“That song has been a constant in my life since the time I literally started singing,” she reveals, “It’s a Sufi song very popular in Pakistan, very popular in India. I initially learned it probably in third or fourth grade from a tape of a beautiful singer from Bangladesh, Runa Laila, who had performed a version of it. Many masters have sung this. There have been all kinds of arrangements and versions of this song.

“What used to happen in school is they wouldn’t let you sing Bollywood songs; you could only do spiritual songs or national integrating songs, unity songs and whatnot. But this was a very, very popular song, and it’s got a great rhythm, and it’s got a great beat and vibe to it. So every year, multiple times in school, whenever there was an opportunity to sing, they would grab me—the principal or somebody—and say, ‘Okay, come sing the song.’ So literally, year after year, this was a constant in my life. Finally, somewhere in between for two, three years, I thought, ‘Okay, I’m so done. I’m not gonna sing this.’ But when I was recording my first album, obviously, I wanted to put it on there.

“I think over the years, I’ve kind of, in some ways, developed my own feel and my own way of doing the song,” she says with a warm tone to her voice that speaks of fondness, of gratitude. “Maybe to some extent I’ve moved away from the original version that I learned. By the time I put the last album out, it’s been over a decade, so I kind of wanted to do the next evolution of that. It’s very similar, but you will still feel the difference between the first recording and this one. I think the version this time is more mature. Maybe I’ll record it after 10 years again, and see what happens.”

Certainly, this rendition of “Damadam Mast Qalandar” carries a level of maturity, a bit more grown up, as she’s grown up with it. This seems to act as a marker of time, Nagavalli constantly updating the soundtrack she’s created for her life, checking in on herself as if to ask, “How are you, Valli?”

CHAIRWOMAN OF THE BOARD, NAGAVALLI MEDICHARLA

Nagavalli makes history as the first Asian-American chair of Austin’s Music Commission. Along with the distinction, she sits on the board of several of Austin’s commissions to keep the city’s art scene thriving, including as board chairs for EQ Austin, a nonprofit created to advocate for diversity within the music industry, and as Mayor Kirk Watson’s appointee to Austin’s Arts Commission.

“The community feels very close to my heart. Especially in the early years, I really wanted to belong and felt that with my experience, and also within the music community here, I could contribute in some formal way in a positive manner to the different issues that were being discussed in the music community. The opportunity to be on the music commission happened to come my way. I wasn’t seeking it, but I did make the decision of, ‘Okay, this happened. Are you going to step up to the moment? There’s no right or wrong answer here, but if you choose not to, don’t ever feel like you didn’t get the opportunity to have an impact or, at least, be part of the conversation.’ The main driver was I can be of service. Here’s the opportunity; go do it.

“I think one of the fundamental things is you have to be in integrity with what you’re doing. I think that gives you some resilience. If you feel integrity with what you’re doing or saying, it doesn’t matter in the moment if you are afraid or not. For me, one of the proudest things at the Music Commission is being able to advocate for broad uses of the Live Music Fund for musicians. That means a musician can spend the funds on recording, on making a video, on a live performance, just doing a broad range of things that are positively beneficial for a musician’s career. When you see the outcomes, that gives you confidence. At the end of the day, you put in the work, stay in integrity and let the positive results that you’re seeking motivate you.”

NUMINOSUM

“That’s why the word ‘numinosum’ fits beautifully,” she says. “It’s this moment where creativity happens, or some one is capable of profound transformation. The late Dr. [Ernest] Rossi was my therapist at one point. During the pandemic, I used to talk to him, and he used to talk about numinosum. He would talk about how one is dealing with blocks or problems, and you go through these different phases, and then numinosum happens, for a multitude of reasons. It seemed so perfect as a title for that album.”

She’s right, of course. Finding that moment where true creativity lies, that moment when someone meets true inspiration and the urge to do something splendid with it, even if that thing is simply to soothe. This idea of “numinosum” follows Nagavalli wherever she goes, whatever she does. You can see it in her expressions when a fellow performer joins her onstage. You can sense it in her jittering energy when the band hits the curve of a song’s chorus just right.

She explored the same sense of euphoric weightlessness and mental peace with 2019’s Immersion. The album is as its name suggests: an immersive aural experience that draws in a listener and suspends them at the edge of everything, looking out into the inky blackness of forever to marvel at the stars. Another period of reflection and introspection, moments where she’s further sitting in her grace.

“That was part of my upbringing, generally Hindu spiritual devotionals and kirtan, with the call and response aspect of prayer,” she says, describing the significance of her homage to traditional Hindu music. “I also grew up learning a lot of bhajans. Many are written by the ancient saints that you find in the album like by Meera Bai, Sant Kabir and others. So I was writing original music, and I was also taking lyrics from these ancient saints. Again, different versions of melodies, and all have been done by different singers.

“I think it kind of takes you to a different space,” she continues. “I always kind of included some of that [on my albums]. There’s one song on the first album that I kind of did a very pop contemporary kind of version called ‘Search,’ a Kabir bhajan. I always wanted to do a full album of just bhajans and kirtan. I just always knew the second album was going to be an out and out devotional, meditative album.”

The album is nearly an hour and 20 minutes of meditative elegance, topped by a nearly 50-minute vocal instrumental jubilee. Title song “Immersion” is the epitome of Phil Spector’s wall of sound, a dervish of various musical sounds melding together to create this hypnotic hum. The taste of this song nestles on the bones like a meal made for royalty, all the delicacies of the universe without the clean-up, an unfettered bit of pure expression, emotion and gratefulness to every step that brought you here.

“I was sitting in with this band called A Is Red, which was kind of an experimental jazz world band. So I asked Don Harvey to co-produce Immersion with us. When it came to some of the Western instruments and some of these ideas of tying these things together, it was beautiful that even though these are separate chants and separate compositions, it would be wonderful to kind of have that uninterrupted, meditative experience with the music. The blend of the East and West, for me on this album, came from the arrangements. We had an Indian drum, the tanpura going

on; we had sitar; we had some tabla or a kanjira South Indian percussion instrument. Then on top of that, we put keys, we put a pedal steel guitar, and I feel like all those work so beautifully together. When the keyboard player, Stefano Intelisano, came in, or when Gary Newcomb came to play on the pedal steel, they did it as a stream of consciousness. They just sat there and played the entire 45 minutes straight.

“You know, in the moment, listening to the music and just playing along…” There’s that blissful pause again, Nagavalli lost in a sweet memory. “I did re-add my vocals in some spaces,” she admits. “But that first cut of the album, the 45 minutes, especially the exchange between me and the sitar player…We also did that live as a call and response—I would sing a melody and he would follow up on the sitar. We did that very organically as well. Probably not the smartest thing to do when it comes to wanting to put it on Spotify and stuff,” she chuckles. “But I guess I just decided to leave it the way I really wanted to do it.”

THE GRACE OF NAGAVALLI

So here is the moment when like spirits depart. After a raucous encore of “Damadam Mast Qalandar” that has the Stateside rolling with audience participation, Nagavalli holds hand to heart and offers an effusive “thank you” as the lights go up, DJ Crash spins a final track and all the artists depart from the stage.

With the mic in her hand, Nagavalli has seemingly boundless energy and a voice that pierces through this reality to touch the heavens. Without the relative comfort of a performance, however, she’s more reserved. A woman gifted with a warm smile and genuine heart for people, she doesn’t present herself as the Indian Soul songstress who’s unique blend of pop-inspired Indian fusion has garnered her recognition from WOVEN magazine in 2019 and the Austin Music Awards as one of the Top 10 Female Vocalists and World Music Artists 2015-2016. She’s not Nagavalli, the diminutive songstress with a Herculean presence on stage who sold out Austin’s legendary One World Theatre in 2019. She’s simply Nagavalli Medicharla, a woman with a deep love for the blues and Jeff Buckley, who’s trying to live a vegan life full of grace.

“Immersion is the word for those devotionals. It’s this whole feeling of complete dedication to a higher consciousness with Krishna or God, Rama, any god or higher consciousness that one might believe in. I also think Indian music, because of the way the notes are used and with the quarter notes and the microtones, I think the music itself has something in it that I feel almost psychologically and physiologically touches you in some way. I feel like I’ve been lucky to be surrounded with it and lucky to be able to sing in that style. I think all that is already naturally there. This has nothing to do with me. There’s really a lot of opportunity and possibility to go deep, and I experienced those moments. Can I stay there all the time? I don’t think I’ve evolved that much, but it’s a beautiful space to be in.”

All the Right Questions

Shining a light on woman-identified artists 40 years old and older, Wavemakers is making dreams come true.

BY BELLA LARRALDE

There is a misconception that if you are 40 years old or older, your life has already reached its peak. You will have your set career, a family and maybe even be ready to retire, but for artist Lurleen Ladd, turning 40 was just the start.

After graduating with a degree in sociology and social work from Southwestern University, Ladd practiced social work for a couple of years, working in maternal child health. A couple of moves with her physician husband got them into the health care business. Beginning with helping to launch a tech-forward pediatrics home care program, Ladd then worked with Interim Healthcare in Dallas before her husband founded Tru-Skin Dermatology, a company they co-owned in Austin and succeeded in opening eight locations before selling. This led to the start of The Shade Project, a skin cancer prevention nonprofit that Ladd founded, making her no stranger to the process of running an organization.

“Coming from a business background, the principles of success I had in health care and in management and even social work do not just fly out of the window because it is music,” she says. “I think one of my superpowers is that I can go in and out of both sides of my brain from music to business.”

It wasn’t until Ladd was 37 years old that her passion for music was born. She started writing songs out of the blue, and before she knew it, she had created three songs. Not knowing what to do with them, she did what any artist would: create a CD and book the next one-way plane to Nashville.

“We had left the state for my husband’s office training and came back, and I just kind of started writing music and was like, ‘What do I do now?’ There wasn’t then, nor today, a roadmap of how you go from zero to whatever success looks like for anybody. So, I sort of flailed around and wrote three songs and then ran to Nashville—which is crazy to do—with my CD in my hand.”

Playing gig after gig, trying to curate an album while at the same time trying to boost her name and get recognized, Ladd quickly realized something was not right.

“Certainly, by the time somebody’s 40, you might look around and think they’ve done this forever. I wasn’t one of those people, so I didn’t quite understand my narrative with that,” Ladd says. “I sort of struggled, and then I performed some and got experience, but you know sometimes the only way from point A to point C is through B, so it was challenging.”

Photos courtesy of Wavemakers.

Taking on the weight of being a new artist during the making of her second album, No Goin’ Back, Ladd knew there had to be others like her. She started a campaign, Sing Out Loud, which aimed to encourage aspiring female artists aged 40 and up to share their stories for a chance to be Ladd’s opener at her album release party. However, hearing their stories and struggles sparked a fire in Ladd.

“It was incredible,” Ladd says. “You could hear the importance of what it meant to them to be able to perform. I very much wanted to find women who were like me and encourage them to not give up and disappear. There’s this idea that after 40 you are just supposed to go quiet and disappear, which you never know when this can happen in your life. So out of that album release, the very next spring, we formed Wavemakers.”

One artist that Ladd chose for her campaign is singer Julie Russell. For as early as she can remember, Russell has been singing, starting off in choirs from the age of 4 and continuing into college. A series of accidents resulted in her vocal chords being injured. Russell says it’s a “modern-day miracle” she can still sing.

“I felt so honored to be chosen to be a part of this event,” Russell says. “Some of my favorite parts of the experience were performing at the showcase, meeting and interacting with Lurleen’s team and simply soaking up all the encouragement and support from the audience.”

Russell has an upcoming performance on March 4, at Carnegie Hall.

Founded in spring of 2023, Wavemakers ~ Women in Music 40+ is targeted to help women over 40 succeed in the music industry and to act as an advocacy organization that helps with aspects such as funding, shows and support for these artists in need.

“We are figuring out how best to do that,” Ladd admits. “We might be able to come up underneath these artists with some funding so that the subgroup of women could have those services at a discounted rate, or they are underwritten.”

Ladd, along with co-founder Amber Perley, got together a panel of industry experts and artists to explore the common challenges of being a 40-plus musician in Austin.

“The idea of starting a dialogue, what is it like for women in this age group who continue to play?” Ladd says.

“

I’m only one person; I can’t change everything, but I want to be able to go into those existing organizations and make sure there is a voice for women 40-plus within those organizations.

After that first panel, Ladd came to the realization that the Austin community needed more support for musicians. Wanting to be the backbone these artists needed, she knew she could not do it alone, so she explored other organizations for artists in the area.

“I’m only one person; I can’t change everything, but I want to be able to go into those existing organizations and make sure there is a voice for women 40-plus within those organizations,” Ladd explains.

Part of the process of building Wavemakers included gaining important partnerships. Ladd swiftly worked on getting in touch with multiple businesses and organizations that focus on music. Co-founder and designer Perley came into the organization acting as a partner, creative consultant and project manager. Some of her responsibilities include event planning, graphic and web design, social media and, most importantly, helping to align and execute Ladd’s vision of Wavemakers as a trusted resource. Some of Perley’s favorite things about the organization include the creative vision and their partnership with Antones.

“Connecting and partnering with Antone’s, Austin’s world-famous ‘Home of the Blues,’ has a long-running history of supporting female musicians 40-plus,” Perley says. “So having a partnership with them and giving back to the Clifford Antone Foundation is a huge honor for Wavemakers.”

Wavemakers officially launched to the public on March 31, 2023, at Antones, where they held a panel of artists for the organization’s debut. Since then, the organization continues to grow, and its mission has only strengthened.

“Lurleen and Wavemakes are promoting and expanding the platform for seasoned female artists to create, perform and to be recognized,” Russell says. “With their momentum, passion and vision, the sky’s the limit.”

Pulling on her experiences of a working artist trying to get a gig, Ladd is establishing a database to give interested women a place to sign up and have a roadmap for the businesses that are looking to book an artist.

“Part of the uphill battle of a playing musician is getting booked. There are some stats out right now that relate to a female booker at the venue level, and they are not booking as many women, which is huge,” she explains. “The pay issue once booked is still significant and is not on par with men.”

As Ladd suggests, the numbers do not exactly favor womenidentified musicians in general. In July 2023, career resource company Zippia published a study about booking agency demographics. Interestingly enough, the study found that of the nearly 4,000 booking agents in the U.S., 52.4% are women and are over 40 years old on average. However, according to a study looking at post-pandemic music festival trends conducted by Viberate in June 2022, 76 of the 100 most booked artists at the 500 top festivals are all-male groups or solo artists, while 21 are all-female groups or solo artists.

In the coming year, Ladd hopes one of the strides they take are more showcases that will set up an example other venues can follow.

“I would like to see some of our corporate and strategic partners come up underneath this initiative, especially on the showcase side, to make sure that we’re setting a minimum threshold for what a woman would get paid,” she says.

Ladd wants to achieve recognition through Wavemakers so that these groups of women are no longer written off. The organization is certainly off to a strong start. Currently nearly 60 artists are connected through Wavemakers. Ladd hopes to garner that recognition she seeks by being the voice in all of the other bigger organizations such as Women in Music or Herizon Music Foundation.

“If you ask me what a home run looks like, it is maintaining a presence in these organizations and these meetings and these decisions so that this group doesn’t get left off,” Ladd explains.

“I do think the bigger story is that there are more organizations that are setting up in Austin that were not here before to support women,” she continues. “I think that is how you know we are onto something. You may feel like you do not have all the answers, and that is okay. There are resources in this town, so call me and I’ll connect you.

Lurleen Ladd, Sue Foley, Kathy Valentine, Amy Edwards and Tameca Jones

Harmonizing Music and Sustainability

Eco-Conscious Music Alliance Founder Lisa Pavati believes in the change-inducing power of music.

BY BRANDI CLARK BURTON

Lisa Pavati moved to Austin from a small town in Oregon where, she reflects, it was easy to have a large impact in a small community. Through her passion for music and the environment, she was able to produce festivals, gather leaders and influence how people related to sustainability with her music and performance art. Now nestled in the Live Music Capital of the World, the visionary founder of the EcoConscious Music Alliance (EMA) is orchestrating global collaboration within the music industry, inspiring musicians and fans alike to embrace eco-conscious practices and take action together.

Pavati believes deeply in music’s ability to effect change. “Music has the power to move people, to inspire action and to bring communities together,” she says. “It’s a universal language that transcends boundaries and connects us all.” This sentiment lies at the core of her work with EMA, where she harnesses the change-making power of music to catalyze action for sustainability while amplifying eco-conscious musicians.

While still in its early stages, EMA serves as a beacon of hope and a catalyst for change within the music community. Through initiatives such as promoting carbon-neutral touring, advocating for renewable energy usage and raising awareness about environmental issues through music, EMA is leading the charge toward a more sustainable future.

In discussing the intersection of music and sustainability, Pavati emphasizes the importance of taking action and bringing community together. “As musicians, we have a unique platform and

a responsibility to use our voice for good, including educating people about climate action,” Pavati says. “By adopting eco-conscious practices in our personal lives and professional careers, we can make a tangible difference and inspire others to do the same.”

Indeed, there are numerous actions that individual musicians can take to be more sustainable and regenerative to a thriving world for all. From reducing energy consumption and carbon offsetting touring emissions to choosing sustainable merchandise and supporting environmental causes, the possibilities are endless. Here are a few actionable steps that musicians can take. (Note that these actions might apply to other professions as well.)

Reduce Energy Consumption and Choose Green Energy: Invest in energy-efficient equipment and use renewable energy sources whenever possible.

Carbon Offset Touring: Offset emissions from tours by investing in carbon offset programs, supporting reforestation projects and especially supporting organizations that are spearheading tree-planting, soil-building and environmental initiatives where we live and tour.

Eco-Friendly Merchandise: Choose sustainable materials like organic or recycled cotton for merchandise and opt for reusable products over single-use or disposable.

Reduce Single-Use Plastics: Minimize single-use plastics on tour and opt for reusable or compostable packaging. Ask venues to offer alternatives to single-use water bottles and promote zero-plastic in riders.

Support Environmental Causes: Partner with causes that are contributing to healthier people, communities and a healthier planet. You can provide visibility for organizations at your performances and/or donate a portion of proceeds to support their initiatives.

To learn more about what you can do as a musician to promote sustainability, see the full article at atxwoman.com.

Brandi has earned t-shirts at ACL fest by collecting recyclables, and she has produced green events (featuring lots of live music) that have won local and statewide awards for being models of sustainability.

SUSTAINABLE LIVING GUIDE

sustainablelivingguide.org

@sustainablelivingguide

SustainableLivingGuide

LIVING EARTH CIRCLE

LivingEarthCircle

Lisa Pavati is the founder of The Eco-conscious Music Alliance (EMA) and The Sustainable Living Guide. “Uniting In Music, Arising in Action,” EMA mobilizes the change-making power of music to grow sustainability projects. The Sustainable Living Guide is EMA’s educational partner, an innovative eco-hub developing online classes for regenerative sustainability. The organization’s youth branch, GenEarth, supports youth climate activists and helps them develop climate impact projects wherever they live. Pavati’s Living Earth Circle performance art troupe was born on Earth Day 1993 and has featured hundreds of musicians and dancers.

ECO-CONSCIOUS MUSIC ALLIANCE ema.earth @emaecomusic

Pursuing a Creative Passion on a Shoestring

Unleash your creative genius without the excuses.

BY JENNY HOFF

Pursuing a creative passion is easy. Becoming successful at it is not. That fear of failure coupled with the very real need to pay the bills is what keeps so many talented people from using their creativity in a productive way. But most people who successfully write a book, produce an album or create a film have a real job, a real family and real responsibilities.

“It’s about making the time and not finding the time, because you’re never going to find it,” says Leila Sales, an Austin-based author who has published eight young adult novels. “Make dates with yourself. Schedule your writing time, and get it on your calendar.”

Sales worked in the publishing industry as an editor for Penguin Random House in New York City for 12 years while she wrote her own books. Most of the authors she worked with had all kinds of fulltime jobs, from lawyers to scientists. Some used their jobs as an idea for a book; others used writing a book as a chance to escape their day jobs. Some creative pursuits may require classes to learn the basics, but most simply require a time commitment and the discipline to keep forging ahead, even when it gets difficult.

“It’s about actually wanting to sit down in front of your computer and exist in this story rather than just fantasize about the finished product and what your life will be like when you’re a published author,” says Sales. “It requires saying no to some other things that you might want to do.”

In his book The War of Art, Steven Pressfield likens the art of creation to going to war. A soldier doesn’t have a choice—they must strap on their boots and head out to the battlefield. The same with an aspiring author, actor, musician, creator. Pressfield says it’s important

“ Don’t set unreasonable expectations for yourself. I know I can’t commit to writing 1,000 words every day, so I set days to write two or three times a week. Find joy in the process.

to recognize there will be an inner resistance telling you that you can’t do it, there will be fear, there will even be some misery, but carving out the time and finding things to inspire you is what matters.

Sales wrote her first book and tried to get it published at 11 years old. She spent the next 15 years writing books and submitting them, only to get rejection letters from agents. However, those early manuscripts were not failures, but rather stepping stones to carve out the voice and style that eventually led her to success as a published author. It’s a journey one can start at any age, even with a family and a full-time job.

The first step is the most important. There are many free online classes for learning some basic skills and getting inspiration, as well as meetups and groups in the Austin area to work side-by-side while practicing a creative pursuit. Making it a pleasurable experience rather than a chore is the key to staying motivated.

“Don’t set unreasonable expectations for yourself,” Sales cautions. “I know I can’t commit to writing 1,000 words every day, so I set days to write two or three times a week. Find joy in the process.”

Leila Sales will be reading from her most recent book, The Museum of Lost and Found, at the Books & Bees Festival on April 6 at Bee Cave City Hall in the Hill Country Galleria. The full schedule of authors and events can be found at booksandbeesfestival.com.

Mental Health IS WEALTH

The Mindset of a Legend

It’s time to reevaluate what it means to be a “legend.”

BY SHONTÉ JOVAN TAYLOR, M.SC., PH.D.(c)

When we ponder the term “legend,” a myriad of images and names may flutter through our minds. Perhaps the visage of Willie Nelson strumming his guitar surfaces, or maybe it’s the indomitable spirit of women from various eras—icons whose lives and deeds have transcended the confines of their time.

YET WHAT TRULY CONSTITUTES A LEGEND?

Beyond the glitter of fame and the echoes of accolades, a deeper narrative unfolds, one that encompasses individuals like Harriet Tubman, Mother Teresa, Oprah Winfrey, Simone Biles, Rosalind Franklin and the unsung heroines of our personal lives, such as our mothers. These women share a common thread: years of experience, wisdom, and the profound ability to transform the world or deeply touch an individual’s life.

Unfortunately, society’s lens often narrows the scope of who gets to be labeled a “legend,” with a tendency to skew toward male figures, inadvertently sidelining the monumental contributions of older women—a glaring reflection of ageism.

However, in the spirit of challenging and reshaping these perceptions, we spotlight the achievements of legendary women, including music icons like Tina Turner and local luminaries such as the late Texas Senator and U.S. Congresswoman Barbara B. Jordan, heralding a call to acknowledge and celebrate their indelible impact.

Austin, renowned as the live music capital of the world, has been the cradle for legends like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Janis Joplin and Lucinda Williams, whose stories and music resonate with the soul of the city. Their narratives, alongside those of visiting legends like Turner and Duke Ellington, weave a rich tapestry of Austin’s cultural and musical heritage. This vibrant scene also nurtured groups like The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks), who, with their unique blend of genres and bold sociopolitical stances, encapsulate the pioneering spirit of Austin’s music community.

Yet the journey to becoming a legend, particularly for women in the entertainment industry, is fraught with challenges. The industry’s obsession with youth

and the marginalization of older women highlight a pervasive ageism that stifles voices and careers. This bias is not just confined to the entertainment sector but is a widespread societal issue that affects women’s job security, financial stability and self-esteem, further exacerbated by gendered ageism.

To counteract these biases and foster a culture that celebrates legendary women, we must embark on a journey of redefinition and recognition.

REDEFINE “LEGEND”

Defining a legend on our own terms means acknowledging the rich tapestry of experiences, challenges and triumphs that shape a legendary life. It’s about understanding that legend is not just a title bestowed by time or society, but a mindset and a testament to the human spirit’s resilience and capacity for greatness.

CREATE YOUR OWN LEGENDARY PATH

Women across various fields, from entrepreneurship to the arts, are crafting their legendary paths, breaking barriers and setting new benchmarks for success and impact. Figures over the age of 50 years old like Vera Wang, Gloria Steinem, Vice President Kamala Harris and Shonda Rhimes exemplify the diverse trajectories through which women can ascend to legendary status, proving that age is but a number and that true greatness knows no bounds.

TRUST IN YOUR BRILLIANT AND WISE BRAIN

Embracing this journey requires a deep belief in one’s value, the courage to forge one’s own path and the wisdom to seek inspiration from those who have navigated similar roads. It’s about trusting in the brain’s remarkable ability to grow, adapt and innovate throughout life, and giving oneself the grace to overcome biases and societal constraints.

In the end, the essence of being a legend transcends age, gender and societal expectations. It’s about shaping cultures, breaking barriers and leaving an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of others. Each of us has the potential to be a legend in our own right, in our own time.

By recognizing and celebrating the legendary figures among us, we not only honor their contributions but also inspire future generations to pursue their own paths to greatness. Legends are not just those who are remembered in history books; they are individuals who inspire, challenge and change the world—one act, one voice, one story at a time.

Illustration Courtesy Of Shonté Jovan Taylor, M.sc., Ph.d.(c).

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