KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion Spring 2021 Magazine by Kentucky Kernel

L I F E S T Y L E + FA S H I O N

VOLUME 3 | ISSUE 2 | SPRING 2021

OUR MISSION The mission of KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion is to promote the individuality, creativity and uniqueness of storytelling by University of Kentucky’s students utilizing all of our publishing platforms. KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion strives to bring awareness to the stories that inspire us — through art, human interest, enterprise, investigative, health and well-being or recreation — on and around campus and throughout our community. Whether through words or pictures, our diverse staff invites, welcomes and embraces all perspectives, allowing us to bring to life a variety of stories that we want to tell. Produced and distributed in the fall and spring semesters on the campus of the University of Kentucky and throughout the city of Lexington, KRNL Lifestyle + Fashion aspires to be an important voice of our community.

SPRING 2021 | 3

20 21 SPRING ISSUE

4 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

EDITORS’ NOTE It has been a year since COVID-19

brand our staff has created that fosters

brought life as we knew it to a halt —

energy and excitement in our campus

a year of changes, of hardship and of

community. The stories we chose for

growth. The “new normal” has simply

this magazine are all uplifting stories of

become a normality, and it is hard to

people, places and things that bring life

imagine a time without masks and

to our city and state. From love stories to

social distancing. Despite all this, the

esports, we have something for everyone

Lexington community has adapted to

in this Spring Edition of KRNL.

and overcome these obstacles, and the

In the late winter months, the staff

city is full of individuals who refused to

got together via Zoom to brainstorm

let the pandemic dampen their spirits

an overall theme and aesthetic for the

and resolve.

magazine. Spring is the season of new

We at KRNL are fortunate to have an

beginnings, and we hope that 2021 is

entire staff of these inspiring people

filled with lots of them. The fresh start

as we tackled yet another semester of

of spring is depicted in our fruit shoot

working virtually. The spring semester

filled with bright colors and juicy fruit to

is always more challenging than the fall

create a fun and uplifting mood. Staff

due to the quick turnaround we have

members had the opportunity to tap

from when we first plan the magazine to

into their carefree childhood sides when

when it is sent to print.

producing our nostalgic shoot, filled with

However, one of the best things about

vintage clothes and props that remind

our team is how well we are able to

of a simpler time. The new beginnings

adapt to new situations and challenges,

theme comes full circle in our Grand Ole

ice storms and pandemics included. We

Opry shoot, featuring our graduating

are able to take a situation and work with

seniors.

what we have to produce something

May this magazine find you healthy

amazing. This magazine is evidence of

and well as we look forward to what the

that. Despite the complications of the

year holds. Cheers to new beginnings

pandemic, KRNL grew from a staff of 37

and another spring semester in the

to a staff of 81.

books!

KRNL

constantly

evolving

and

changing, and we are so proud of the

& l e Racha leigh Ray

RACHAEL COURTNEY Editor-in-Chief

RAYLEIGH DEATON Lifestyle Editor

SPRING 2021 | 5

20 21 SPRING ISSUE

4 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

EDITORS’ NOTE It has been a year since COVID-19

brand our staff has created that fosters

brought life as we knew it to a halt —

energy and excitement in our campus

a year of changes, of hardship and of

community. The stories we chose for

growth. The “new normal” has simply

this magazine are all uplifting stories of

become a normality, and it is hard to

people, places and things that bring life

imagine a time without masks and

to our city and state. From love stories to

social distancing. Despite all this, the

esports, we have something for everyone

Lexington community has adapted to

in this Spring Edition of KRNL.

and overcome these obstacles, and the

In the late winter months, the staff

city is full of individuals who refused to

got together via Zoom to brainstorm

let the pandemic dampen their spirits

an overall theme and aesthetic for the

and resolve.

magazine. Spring is the season of new

We at KRNL are fortunate to have an

beginnings, and we hope that 2021 is

entire staff of these inspiring people

filled with lots of them. The fresh start

as we tackled yet another semester of

of spring is depicted in our fruit shoot

working virtually. The spring semester

filled with bright colors and juicy fruit to

is always more challenging than the fall

create a fun and uplifting mood. Staff

due to the quick turnaround we have

members had the opportunity to tap

from when we first plan the magazine to

into their carefree childhood sides when

when it is sent to print.

producing our nostalgic shoot, filled with

However, one of the best things about

vintage clothes and props that remind

our team is how well we are able to

of a simpler time. The new beginnings

adapt to new situations and challenges,

theme comes full circle in our Grand Ole

ice storms and pandemics included. We

Opry shoot, featuring our graduating

are able to take a situation and work with

seniors.

what we have to produce something

May this magazine find you healthy

amazing. This magazine is evidence of

and well as we look forward to what the

that. Despite the complications of the

year holds. Cheers to new beginnings

pandemic, KRNL grew from a staff of 37

and another spring semester in the

to a staff of 81.

books!

KRNL

constantly

evolving

and

changing, and we are so proud of the

& l e Racha leigh Ray

RACHAEL COURTNEY Editor-in-Chief

RAYLEIGH DEATON Lifestyle Editor

SPRING 2021 | 5

FRUIT SHOOT Page 24

SEXY SEX ED Page 12

CONTENTS 08

Consoles, Competition & Community

Sexy Sex Ed in Appalachia

COMFORT FOOD Page 64

Stepping Up to the Front Line

Fruit Shoot

REWIND TO NOSTALGIA Page 80

Spring Playlist

Behind the Stables

In Pursuit of Timelessness

When Marsha Met Tom

52 6 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

Comfort Food

Grand Ole Opry

Page 70

How Do You Proceed, Adventurers?

A Look Into Transformative Travels

Intricate, Delicate Women

BEHIND THE STABLES

Rewind to Nostalgia

Heart & Sole

The Art of Being A Wildcat

Sponsored Content: Timeless & Trendy

SPRING 2021 | 7

CONSOLES COMPETITION & COMMUNITY THE ESPORTS REVOLUTION

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate plays on one of the gaming setups on stage in the gaming auditorium on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at The Cornerstone in Lexington, Ky.

8 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

BY IAN ALVANO PHOTOS BY AMBER RITSCHEL

sports, a competitive way for people to play video games, has come a long way in recent years and is gaining popularity on the University of Kentucky campus. The perfect example of this is the opening of UK’s new state-of-the-art facility, The Cornerstone, boasting new monitors, multiple gaming rooms and a cafeteria. With advances like these, esports now has many more followers on campus and teams that compete in different video game leagues with other schools across the nation. “My roommate and I got into esports as freshman when it was a really small community,” said Matt Curry, captain of the Rocket League team. “We were starting to get more exposure UK Esports has been able to take major steps forward by partnering and people around campus were starting with Gen.G, a professional esports to understand what esports were and the organization. Having Gen.G working with impact of video games in general.” UK allows for exposure, and the – SPENCER COMBS ability to work with professionals is a unique opportunity for students in college with a gaming passion. Curry was very appreciative of Gen.G’s impact on UK and how it will help students improve the future of esports. “It’s been really cool to see that after we partnered with Gen.G that we’ve had articles written about us,” Curry said. “We were starting to get more exposure and people around

An RGB keyboard lights up at one of the 50 PC gaming stations in The Cornerstone on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

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CONSOLES COMPETITION & COMMUNITY THE ESPORTS REVOLUTION

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate plays on one of the gaming setups on stage in the gaming auditorium on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at The Cornerstone in Lexington, Ky.

8 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

BY IAN ALVANO PHOTOS BY AMBER RITSCHEL

An RGB keyboard lights up at one of the 50 PC gaming stations in The Cornerstone on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

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A student shows off the custom UK Esports mask that can often be seen in The Cornerstone on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

campus were starting to understand what esports were and the impact of video games in general … It’s really exciting to see how it’s shifted the narrative from competitive to anyone that has interest in video games.” The brand-new esports facility, on the corner of South Upper and Winslow streets, boasts amenities where the esports team can practice and enjoy new equipment like dozens of monitors and flat screen TVs. Specific team rooms allow members to practice before a match. Students can also play video games with friends and take some time off schoolwork to see what the place has to offer. However, since Feb. 22, students have had to pay a small fee per hour if they wanted to play video games. Still, Curry is grateful for UK’s support. “It really highlights the commitment that UK has made to esports and the future because they’re really funding this stateof-the-art facility for students and others to use as a public space to have access to the kind of equipment needed to play esports,” Curry said. There are a variety of teams for different video games that compete for the overall UK Esports team. Students are allowed to select video games and participate on that specific team, and all teams operate under the UK Esports team.

“It really highlights the commitment that UK has made to esports and the future...”

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– SPENCER COMBS

Curry mentioned that his Rocket League team recently qualified for the playoffs in the Collegiate StarLeague (CSL). Along with Rocket League, there are teams for Valorant, League of Legends and many other competitive games. Multiple video game teams participate in a variety of leagues throughout the semester. These leagues are getting to be quite competitive with the participation of other universities. While COVID-19 has proven to be a tough situation for many organizations around campus, the esports facility at UK has been able to maneuver the pandemic without many hiccups. The University has made sure to follow COVID-19 guidelines while keeping the facility open to students. Cameron Jackson, the coordinator for the esports team and the president of SmashCats, the UK Super Smash Bros. team, said UK Esports is taking many different steps to keep students safe. “We hosted a Super Smash Bros. event in here about two weeks ago and it went really well,” he said. “Everyone stayed apart … We had about 10 setups, two people to a setup, and everyone else was spread out until they were ready. If you weren’t part of the event, we had to put you out, which was probably the biggest disappointment, but it’s just what we had to do.” Everyone is required to wear masks in the esports facility, whether it be in the gaming arena or in one of the two game rooms that they have. As long as people are following social distancing, the staff allows for a safe and fun experience that everyone is able to enjoy. Spencer Combs, a junior on the Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) team, is optimistic about the growth of esports at the University and in the future. “I’m extremely hopeful that this foundation at UK can further college esports,” Combs said. “I think where we are now regarding esports is a good place to be, so that we can also improve in coming years.” The UK Esports team has shown how gaming can be successful at the collegiate level and the future holds multiple possibilities for the growth of esports not only at UK but across the country at many universities. “Whether it be an escape for students from their coursework, or if they were going through hard times, esports proves to be an outlet and can help students get away from the stress of school,” Curry said. •

A student focuses while playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at The Cornerstone on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

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A student shows off the custom UK Esports mask that can often be seen in The Cornerstone on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

“It really highlights the commitment that UK has made to esports and the future...”

10 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

– SPENCER COMBS

A student focuses while playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at The Cornerstone on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

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SEXY

Shaylan Clark, a Sexy Sex Ed educator and filmmaker, smiles on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

SEX ED I N A P PA L A C H I A

BY MADISON DUNHAM & CALLIE JUSTICE PHOTOS BY AMBER RITSCHEL

arah Helayne met their classmates in the bathrooms of their eastern Kentucky high school to give them Plan B and condoms. Helayne wasn’t afraid or ashamed to hand these out in the hallways, but their peers sometimes felt uncomfortable receiving contraceptives in public, so bathrooms were a refuge. When Helayne was reprimanded in the principal’s office, which happened often, Helayne told disgruntled administrators that they would keep being a resource for their peers until the school put something in the rulebook or they found some law stating that they couldn’t. Helayne insisted they were doing the school a favor by promoting safe sex. “There were six pregnant girls in my graduating class,” Helayne said. It’s a tradition Helayne, the former Montgomery County High School “Condom Fairy” who now works part-time for an unconventional sex education program in Appalachia known as “Sexy Sex Ed,” has continued as a freshman at UK, making emergency and preventative contraceptive products accessible for others. Sexy Sex Ed receives donations from abortion clinics and other organizations. For Helayne, pleasure and safety are their main concern, even when their 12 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

efforts to educate are met with resistance. Kentucky’s 2019 teen pregnancy rate was the seventh highest in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is the kind of statistic Helayne and their fellow educators are intent on lowering with the Sexy Sex Ed program. Sexy Sex Ed is an interactive workshop series that encourages teenagers and people of all ages to openly discuss personal and political consent, sexual safety and anatomy. Using visual and performance art, open dialogue and popular education methods, Sexy Sex Ed aims to fill a vital gap in conventional reproductive education as a resource of liberation, positivity and love and acceptance for all bodies and all ages and all types. Tanya Turner is the founder of Sexy Sex Ed. She was raised in Pineville, Ky., and has been living and working out of Whitesburg for 10 years. In college, Turner studied sociology, political science and special education. Turner identified the lack of progressive, accurate and inclusive sexual education curriculum in the Appalachian region where she grew up. She began hosting workshops in after-school drop-in centers, rural community colleges and church gymnasiums, developing SPRING 2021 | 13

SEXY

Shaylan Clark, a Sexy Sex Ed educator and filmmaker, smiles on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

SEX ED I N A P PA L A C H I A

BY MADISON DUNHAM & CALLIE JUSTICE PHOTOS BY AMBER RITSCHEL

PHOTO PROVIDED BY NATASHA RAICHEL PHOTOGRAPHY

Tanya Turner, Founder of Sexy Sex Ed, poses for a photo on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019.

14 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

her own curriculum that covered the diverse needs of young people she believed weren’t being met in schools. “I received horrifying sex ed, and there’s a lot of ‘abstinence only’ here,” Turner said. “I have a lot of friends who have dealt with teen pregnancies.” In 2012, Turner began hosting Sexy Sex Ed workshops alone, relying on word of mouth to bring the public to her. She went to youth centers, youth camps and after school programs, hosting dozens of workshops. By 2017, the workshops had grown into a series expanding across the Appalachian region. Sexy Sex Ed workshops are based on a popular education model, a student-guided approach to learning that centers on the workshop participants’ life experiences. “I think it’s a tool of survival and it’s certainly about healing, not just for individuals but for community,” Turner said. Workshops mostly cater to people between 13 and 40, though the curriculum can be altered to fit younger or older individuals. Turner recruited a team of educators who used their personal experiences to grow Sexy Sex Ed into a cooperative that has over a dozen educators in five states. Shaylan Clark is a Black filmmaker from Harlan, Ky. She is the first and currently only fulltime employee of Sexy Sex Ed and acts as the “headmistress” for the program. Clark first attended a workshop hosted by Turner at the It’s Good 2 Be Young in the Mountains conference, a festival that aims to give youth in Appalachia a voice in the future of their region. She went with her boyfriend at the time, which opened a dialogue between them about consent, sex and their own bodies. “After that first workshop, I just wanted to tell all my friends about it,” Clark said. “I just wanted to kind of quiz them and see if they knew these things that we should’ve been taught as like seventh and eighth graders. When it came to consent, I learned things that I should’ve been taught as a child.” A common icebreaker for workshop participants is a song about the five bodily fluids that transmit STDs. One verse goes like this: Breast milk, breast milk. Don’t drink it unless you’re a baby.

Breast milk, breast milk. If you’re sick with STDs, don’t feed the baby (Unless your doctor says otherwise) In the “Birth Control Newsflash” exercise, participants pair up and give breaking news style presentations on the different forms of birth control, the effects of it, what it does to the body, how effective it is and how it reacts with certain bodies. “Everything they learn they have to come back and teach to the group,” Clark said. At the beginning of workshops, participants are given three minutes to draw their own sexual reproductive system. Clark said that the exercise is normally really fun and gets people out of their comfort zone.

“I think it’s a tool of survival and it’s certainly about healing, not just for individuals but for community.” – TANYA TURNER

“We all realize in that moment that we don’t know as much as we should about our bodies,” Clark said. “No one gets it wrong, but people aren’t good artists; they have to label it, though they forget to add things because they weren’t really taught about them.” Educators are there to “fill in the gaps,” Clark said. She remembers a conversation with one young person in a workshop who didn’t know that birth control didn’t protect them against STDs. “Let us tell them what they know, then they’ll step in and correct things they might not know all about, or things they’ll have completely wrong,” Clark said. Sexy Sex Ed workshops enforce the idea that “no” is a full sentence, not a bridge for pressure or coercion. “When we talk about consent, it’s probably my favorite. We start off with asking the people in the room, ‘What is the first word that comes to your mind when you hear the word consent?’” Clark said. “Just hearing from the audience what they feel when they hear the word consent helps us know where to take this conversation.” In one exercise, participants discuss their favorite song or movie. Then, they ask each other to perform a scene from the movie or sing the song. Some attendees spring into song or

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PHOTO PROVIDED BY NATASHA RAICHEL PHOTOGRAPHY

Tanya Turner, Founder of Sexy Sex Ed, poses for a photo on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019.

14 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

“I think it’s a tool of survival and it’s certainly about healing, not just for individuals but for community.” – TANYA TURNER

SPRING 2021 | 15

dramatic monologue. Others simply say no. “Boom, consent! They liked the movie, but they didn’t want to perform it,” Clark said. “Just because you like something doesn’t mean you want to do it.” Part of the workshops is offering participants language to help them communicate what they want and don’t want to do with their bodies.

Caitlin Cummings, a Sexy Sex Ed educator, poses for a portrait on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

“I think, in general, people need permission sometimes to be who they are and to love who they love and to do what feels good,” Helayne said. “If we can be that for people, I think that can be really lifesaving and life changing.” Helayne recalled the misconceptions they were taught in their Catholic-based sex ed classes, which they said caused confusion and fear of identity. They remember disturbing photos of 16 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

AIDS patients and verbal and visual threats about what homosexuality led to. Helayne said afterward they stopped talking about sex, exploring their interests or asking questions. “I was raised by my grandparents, so I was not about to ask my 64-year-old grandma about gay sex,” Helayne said. It wasn’t until Helayne attended their first Sexy Sex Ed workshop at a Girls Rock Camp in Whitesburg as a teenager that they felt empowered to have frank conversations about sex. “We just started having all these really honest conversations about consent and sex and what we were into,” Helayne said. “It kind of released my vulnerability, and my personal journey of liberation was having that same effect on other people, and that’s what drew me to become an educator.” Sexy Sex Ed workshops encourage comfort with your own body and exploring your own sexual preferences. Helayne describes how after their first workshop, they felt okay with the idea of masturbation and appreciated the reinforcement that it wasn’t something dirty. “My friends went together and bought me a really nice electric toothbrush as my first vibrator. That was my first Sexy Sex Ed moment,” Helayne said. “You have to figure out what you like before you can try to figure out what someone else likes. You need to know yourself before you go in and try to do anything.” When talking about masturbation in workshops, Clark wants the focus of the conversation to be on the exploration of the self. She hopes that participants consider what they can do for their own pleasure first. “Sex doesn’t have to be co-dependent,” Clark said. “Sex does not have to include giving yourself to someone else unless you want to. But if you like sex and you like pleasure and you don’t necessarily want to give yourself to someone else, or give someone access to you like that, that’s perfectly fine. You can do everything that someone else could do.” Caitlin Cummings, a Sexy Sex Ed educator from Hazard, Ky., remembered early conversations in school about sexual education being centered on shame and abstinence. “It just had me scared to death,” Cummings said. As part of her grade school sex ed curriculum,

PHOTO PROVIDED BY NATASHA RAICHEL PHOTOGRAPHY A workshop participant showcasing their artwork at a Girls Rock Whitesburg workshop in Whitesburg, Ky., in August 2019.

she had to desexualize “hypersexual” songs. Hers was “Buttons” by The Pussycat Dolls. “Why would you just sit there and make a bunch of kids do that and think like that?” Cummings said. She got involved with Sexy Sex Ed via her work with All Access EKY, an organization that works within 10 Southeastern Kentucky counties to build support for policies, programs and services that ensure young people have access to the full range of contraceptive methods. The educators are bound by their shared negative experience of sexual education they found especially lacking in LGBTQ+ inclusion and steeped in cis-hetero norms, which often means that the multi-faceted educational needs of LGBTQ+ folks in Appalachia are not met. “There are so many more options for relationships than a straight cis-gender monogamous relationship,” Helayne said. “For me as a Queer person, polyamorous person, when I look at the relationships in my life that have failed, I feel like 90 percent of it

is because they refused to explore any other options. If people were empowered to have these conversations like, ‘Hey! I really like our relationship, but I also think that maybe this could be cool or that we could experiment in this way,’ you have all these options to make it work.” The Bible Belt of rural Appalachia shortens the reach of sexual health in schools. Kentucky law requires that sexual education in public schools must include abstinence as “the desirable goal for all school-age children; the only certain way to avoid unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other associated health problems” and assert that the best way to avoid disease is to “establish a permanent mutually faithful monogamous relationship.” But the conversation about sex ed and the need for a comprehensive education for young people in Kentucky is changing. In January 2020, State Rep. Lisa Willner, D-Louisville, sponsored House Bill 296, which would require school districts to offer age appropriate, inclusive SPRING 2021 | 17

Caitlin Cummings, a Sexy Sex Ed educator, poses for a portrait on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY NATASHA RAICHEL PHOTOGRAPHY A workshop participant showcasing their artwork at a Girls Rock Whitesburg workshop in Whitesburg, Ky., in August 2019.

Larah Helayne, “Condom Fairy” and freshman at UK, poses for a photo on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

and medically accurate sex education classes. Schools would be required to cover human anatomy, reproduction and development, also examine topics like healthy relationships, consent, sexually transmitted diseases and the effectiveness of contraceptives, plus the benefits of abstinence. “Being from Appalachia, that’s something I’m constantly having to remind myself, it’s not Appalachia’s fault,” Helayne said. “It’s the systems that we live in that are at fault.” Recently, Helayne has been working with another organization to pass a bill to ban conversion therapy in Kentucky. This type of therapy is meant to change an LGBTQ+ person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression to fit within the cis-hetero societal structure. LGBTQ+ curriculum is included in every Sexy Sex Ed workshop. “If we can start with these conversations of ‘Hey, it’s OK to be gay,’ and ‘It’s OK to have sex. It’s OK for things to feel good,’ I think that’s the ground level of how we’re gonna get anywhere,” Helayne said. Clark recognizes that sex ed voids aren’t limited to Appalachia. For her, our inability to talk about safe sex, consent and pleasure is part of American culture. “There are a lot of areas in this country that hate sex workers, that hate pleasure, that hate women’s rights, that hate women, that hate the LGBTQ community,” Clark said. “These are actual humans; these are actual bodies with needs of knowledge that is ultimately vital to their well-being.” According to a 2015 CDC report, in the United States, 43.6 percent of women experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime and approximately one in six women experience sexual coercion (being worn down by someone who repeatedly asked for sex, or sexual pressure from someone using their influence or authority); one in three female rape victims experience it for the first time between 11-17 years old. Nearly a quarter of men in the United States experience some form of

PHOTO PROVIDED BY NATASHA RAICHEL PHOTOGRAPHY

Tanya Turner shows off a hand-drawn sex ed diagram at a Girls Rock Whitesburg workshop in Whitesburg, Ky., in August 2019.

contact sexual violence in their lifetime. At every Sexy Sex Ed workshop, there is a box that attendees can drop in anonymous questions that they don’t feel comfortable asking out loud. Clark said that boxes are filled with a lot of different questions by the end of the session. Common questions are about sexuality. When the box is opened, educators don’t answer it as educators. Instead, Clark will ask, “Does anyone have an answer to this?” For her, it goes back to people teaching people. “Community helping community. They’re exploring what they are, what they want to be, what they think is OK,” Clark said. “People of all bodies really looking for validation.” Clark remembers how comfortable and supported she felt the first time she attended. “I wasn’t cringing in my skin,” Clark said. “Everyone was having fun, everyone was being creative, and it was OK to be wrong.” Clark wants people to leave Sexy Sex Ed workshops knowing that sex shouldn’t be shameful, that everyone deserves pleasure. “If the only thing you can give to yourself is pleasure, give it to yourself!” she said. •

“Being from Appalachia, that’s something I’m constantly having to remind myself, it’s not Appalachia’s fault. It’s the systems that we live in that are at fault.” – LARAH HELAYNE

SPRING 2021 | 19

Larah Helayne, “Condom Fairy” and freshman at UK, poses for a photo on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY NATASHA RAICHEL PHOTOGRAPHY

Tanya Turner shows off a hand-drawn sex ed diagram at a Girls Rock Whitesburg workshop in Whitesburg, Ky., in August 2019.

“Being from Appalachia, that’s something I’m constantly having to remind myself, it’s not Appalachia’s fault. It’s the systems that we live in that are at fault.” – LARAH HELAYNE

SPRING 2021 | 19

PHOTO BY JACK WEAVER

STEPPING UP TO THE

FRONT LINE

more hybrid and online classes available. “It’s been so much harder. Everything we do is hands on; I can’t learn to put a Foley catheter in through a computer, I can’t learn how to draw up a medication and administer a flu vaccine through Zoom. In-person classes for us are vital,” Duncan said. However, Duncan said that clinicals have remained in-person. “We were still able to participate, and the College of Nursing provided us with the proper personal protective equipment needed to care for the patients,” Duncan said. “My love for the medical field grew as I experienced firsthand the teamwork that I saw put forward every day at clinicals.” Duncan also had a memorable moment during a conversation she had with the doctor in a pediatric clinical. “The doctor looked at me, assuming that I was the nurse for the patient, and had asked me pertinent information on the patient. I then exclaimed that I was ‘just a student nurse.’ The doctor stopped. Her facial

expression changed, and she became very serious,” Duncan said. “‘You are not just a student nurse; you are a vital part of the healthcare team.’ It may have been insignificant to her and maybe to many others who heard, but to me, it meant everything,” Duncan said. “I finally felt like I mattered, I felt acknowledged, and I will remember what she said throughout my nursing career.” In some cases, nursing students are also being asked to perform beyond their usual responsibilities. The summer before her last semester, Duncan participated in a student nurse program called SNAP. “My classmates expressed to me that they had to train to become spotters. Spotters are people who sit outside of a COVID-19 positive patient’s room and make sure that the staff entering the room have on the proper personal protective equipment (PPE). This was not in the SNAP job description,” Duncan said.

PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL

BY ANNA BYERLEY

A vaccination is prepared at UK’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky.

rom the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers all over the world have been working tirelessly to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. As the pandemic has continued since March 2020, University of Kentucky alumni and students have stepped up to the front line. Three of these individuals shared their stories and experiences of what it has been like this past year.

— DANIELLE DUNCAN — Danielle Duncan, a recent UK Nursing School graduate, is currently working at the Kentucky Children’s Hospital as an RN. “Being a student nurse during a global pandemic was challenging, but the support from the College of Nursing did not waver,” Duncan said. “They continued to reach out and give us the proper resources we needed to succeed not only academically, but mentally as well.” COVID-19 has changed many classroom settings, including nursing courses; fewer fully in-person classes are offered with 20 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

A sign directs traffic to the COVID-19 testing and vaccination facilities on Sunday, March 21, 2021 at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky.

SPRING 2021 | 21

PHOTO BY JACK WEAVER

STEPPING UP TO THE

FRONT LINE

PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL

BY ANNA BYERLEY

A vaccination is prepared at UK’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky.

A sign directs traffic to the COVID-19 testing and vaccination facilities on Sunday, March 21, 2021 at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky.

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— GABRIELLE INNOCENT — Gabrielle Innocent, a May 2019 UK graduate, is now working in the Emergency Department at UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital. Innocent has been working on the front line since March 2020. She said her experience thus far has been simultaneously PHOTO BY JACK WEAVER exhausting and interesting. “Most bewildering is seeing people not believe COVID-19 and that it’s still raging on. It’s frustrating seeing that and then watching people walk in with mild difficulty breathing to having to be placed on a mechanical ventilator within hours because of COVID-19,” Innocent said. “On the other hand, I’m grateful for the people in the community who take steps to protect themselves and others. Shout out to y’all,” she said. Unlike Duncan and many other nursing students, Innocent’s college experience was not affected by the virus. “I’m very grateful I didn’t have to learn to become a nurse while navigating an ongoing global pandemic,” Innocent said. “New nurses may approach this as a challenge and feel empowered to help A note is left on a table at UK’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic on out where they can.” Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky. Innocent thinks the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to encourage and discourage young nurses in the field but hopes that they stay inspired by the nurses and doctors who have worked nonstop since March. As COVID-19 continues to be a threat, Innocent’s advice is for people to stay safe, social distance as space allows and to wear a mask.

For Simpson, the most rewarding part of being involved in COVID-19 testing has been the opportunity to work with patients. “It’s definitely a good experience for learning how to deal with patients, learning how to keep myself calm and to keep them calm when they get frustrated,” Simpson said. Simpson has now given thousands of COVID-19 tests. “The first experience was scary, I was definitely nervous,” Simpson said. “I didn’t want to mess up or hurt anyone.” Simpson has seen everything from a child kicking his mom to adults screaming while being administered. “It’s always interesting,” Simpson said. “Sometimes when I ask people if they’ve been tested before and they say no, it’s crazy

to think that this pandemic has been going on for almost 12 months and some people are getting tested for the very first time.” Students from a variety of majors are involved in testing. Simpson believes all students, no matter their major, should get involved to help fight COVID-19 in the Lexington community. “The training process is fairly easy,” Simpson said. “It was an entire day dedicated to training, and they went through each position we would be working.” UK Wild Health requires student testworkers to work 12-hours per week in twohour shifts. However, Simpson said that Wild Health is accommodating and willing to work with students’ schedules, making it easy to get involved and help stop the spread in the UK community. •

Catherine Crawford, a UK College of Medicine student, prepares a patient’s arm for the COVID-19 vaccine at UK’s COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky. PHOTO BY JACK WEAVER

— CONNOR SIMPSON — Although doctors and nurses have stayed in the spotlight as they continue the fight against COVID-19, non-nursing students have also stepped up to the front line. Connor Simpson, a current UK student studying kinesiology and health promotion, is now working 12 hours weekly administering COVID-19 tests at one of the University’s testing sites. “I saw that they were hiring, and it was an opportunity to help join the force,” Simpson said. “The more people we test, the sooner we can get back to normal.” 22 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

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MAPLE & J YELLOW GOLD HALF ROUNDS | 85 GOLD BOLD CUFF | 115 VINTAGE THERAPY 50s RED JUMPER | 50 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL

FRUIT

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FRUIT SHOOT BY ALLIE DIGGS

exington’s winter stood cold and bitter. Looking forward to warmer weather, I strived to imagine a theme that embodied the exciting sensation when approaching the spring and summer months. After scrolling through some of my archived inspirations, a recurring theme spoke out to me, and the “Fruit Shoot” was born. This shoot aimed to create an elevated purpose of fruit. We did not want the only focus to be on the clothes and models. The added emphasis on fresh fruit suggests that the use of “ordinary” items can be used to symbolize deeper meaning. Fruits are a bright and refreshing reminder of the approaching spring and summer, and when ripe, their sweet tastes leave us longing for warmer months ahead. Fruit is seen in almost every kitchen, consumed every day

by people around the world. Its vibrant beauty can frequently be overlooked when in its standard setting, but it can produce a unique perspective when applied in a different context. Stringing grapes together as a necklace and making statement earrings out of orange wedges, we created eye-catching accessories made of various fruits. We dressed the models in summery colors that complemented the fruity ornaments. Although a simplistic concept, this use of fruit resulted in some fashionable and bold ensembles and made for a fun shoot. This collection of photos serves as a reminder that an everyday object can elicit an engaging sensation, memory or story. We hope this shoot prompts you to reimagine the “ordinary” things in life, because doing so makes it more colorful — and dare I say fruitful? •

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MAPLE & J YELLOW GOLD HALF ROUNDS | 85 GOLD BOLD CUFF | 115 VINTAGE THERAPY 50s RED JUMPER | 50 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL

FRUIT

24 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

FRUIT SHOOT BY ALLIE DIGGS

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VINTAGE THERAPY GOLD SHIRT | 26 MACY’S MEN’S 505 LEVI JEANS | 60 POPS RESALE BLACK SHADES | 12

MAPLE & J HAMMERED JOCKEY CUFF | 90 ANGLE BANGLE | 85 YELLOW GOLD HALF ROUND | 85

MAPLE & J PACIFIC CHAIN | 120 CLASSICO CHAIN | 85 PHOTO BY OLIVIA FORD

VINTAGE THERAPY ND POSITIVE DRESS | 26 PHOTO BY CORRIE McCROSKEY 26 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

VINTAGE THERAPY GOLD SHIRT | 26 MACY’S MEN’S 505 LEVI JEANS | 60 POPS RESALE BLACK SHADES | 12

MAPLE & J HAMMERED JOCKEY CUFF | 90 ANGLE BANGLE | 85 YELLOW GOLD HALF ROUND | 85

MAPLE & J PACIFIC CHAIN | 120 CLASSICO CHAIN | 85 PHOTO BY OLIVIA FORD

VINTAGE THERAPY ND POSITIVE DRESS | 26 PHOTO BY CORRIE McCROSKEY 26 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

MAPLE & J PACIFIC CHAIN | 120 CLASSICO CHAIN | 85

MACY’S ALFANI FAUX-SUEDE BLUE MAXI COAT | 150 75 ALFANI MOCK-NECK SPLIT HEM TOP | 40

MAPLE & J BOLD TWISTED SILVER | 65

MEN’S 505 LEVI JEANS | 60

SILVER BOLD CUFF | 90 RIGGINS CHAIN | 145

POPS RESALE SUNGLASSES | 12 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL

MACY’S BACKSTAGE JUICY COUTURE BACKPACK | 12 MEN’S 501 LEVI JEANS | 60 POPS RESALE WHITE CACHE BODYSUIT | 25 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL MASK DESIGNED BY XXXXXX XXXXXX PHOTO BY ISAAC JANSSEN SPRING 2021 | 29

MAPLE & J PACIFIC CHAIN | 120 CLASSICO CHAIN | 85

MACY’S ALFANI FAUX-SUEDE BLUE MAXI COAT | 150 75 ALFANI MOCK-NECK SPLIT HEM TOP | 40

MAPLE & J BOLD TWISTED SILVER | 65

MEN’S 505 LEVI JEANS | 60

SILVER BOLD CUFF | 90 RIGGINS CHAIN | 145

POPS RESALE SUNGLASSES | 12 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL

MACY’S MEN’S 505 LEVI JEANS | 60 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL

MASK DESIGNED BY XXXXXX XXXXXX PHOTO BY ISAAC JANSSEN

MAPLE & J HAMMERED JOCKEY CUFF | 90 ANGLE BANGLE | 85 YELLOW GOLD HALF ROUND | 85 GOLD STANDARD NECKLACE | 265

VINTAGE THERAPY 50s GREEN CARDIGAN | 15 PHOTO BY OLIVIA FORD

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MACY’S MEN’S 505 LEVI JEANS | 60 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL

MASK DESIGNED BY XXXXXX XXXXXX PHOTO BY ISAAC JANSSEN

MAPLE & J HAMMERED JOCKEY CUFF | 90 ANGLE BANGLE | 85 YELLOW GOLD HALF ROUND | 85 GOLD STANDARD NECKLACE | 265

VINTAGE THERAPY 50s GREEN CARDIGAN | 15 PHOTO BY OLIVIA FORD

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POPS RESALE ODETTE BARSA YELLOW LINGERIE | 50 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL

MACY’S ALFANI PRINTED BELT SHIRT DRESS | 110 55 REESE SLIM-LEG PANTS | 30 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL

MAPLE & J MENS SILVER MJ | 65

MASK DESIGNED BY XXXXXX XXXXXX PHOTO BY ISAAC JANSSEN

32 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

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POPS RESALE ODETTE BARSA YELLOW LINGERIE | 50 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL

MACY’S ALFANI PRINTED BELT SHIRT DRESS | 110 55 REESE SLIM-LEG PANTS | 30 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL

MAPLE & J MENS SILVER MJ | 65

MASK DESIGNED BY XXXXXX XXXXXX PHOTO BY ISAAC JANSSEN

32 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

SPRING 2021 | 33

AN INSIDE LOOK INTO

TRANSFORMATIVE

TRAVELS BY CATIE ARCHAMBEAU PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JASON SWANSON

hen looking back at her college experience, one of the most unique opportunities University of Kentucky and KRNL alum Arizzona Albright had was being a part of a hospitality and tourism television series. The series, “Transformative Travels,” was based on two separate hospitality management and tourism courses taught by University of Kentucky professor Dr. Jason Swanson. Swanson came up with the idea of the tourism class while riding on one of the charter buses the UK basketball team uses to travel. He thought it would be interesting to hop on a bus and have a domestic travel experience, as opposed to flying elsewhere in the world. Soon after, Swanson struck up a friendship with Douglas High, who at the time was working on a documentary for Kentucky Education Television (KET). Swanson pitched the idea to High of a travel series showcasing UK students and their real-world reactions to the experience. The two collaborated on the idea of “Transformative Travels” and put the production into play. High served as the executive producer and director of the first season and consulting producer for the second. He has been producing documentaries for

34 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

KET for about a decade and has 12 films in rotation with the educational television station. Co-executive producer of the second season, Brian Volland is a communications specialist for UK. Volland has also worked with KET in the past, producing independent content for the television station. After two TV seasons and an anticipated plan for a third, Swanson, High, Volland and Albright reminisced on the vision and production process. Swanson’s vision behind “Transformative Travels” was to have students recognize how important travel is and how it opens one’s mind and new pathways in life. This idea that travel has an impact on individuals beyond just memories developed into two separate courses offered at UK. In spring 2018, Swanson planned a domestic travel experience in Kentucky. The first season, “Transformative Travels: Exploring Kentucky,” was filmed at the end of a semester-long course and was shot in small western Kentucky communities. Swanson, 10 UK students and the production crew of about 20 people spent a week traveling around the commonwealth, producing a six-

episode series. First stop on the students' weeklong exploration of western Kentucky was Horse Cave. Students had the opportunity to get GoPro footage rappelling and ziplining. Next, the travelers visited Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese in Austin, where they made cheese and milked cows. Albright’s favorite stop on the road was next — the “Plate It Up Kentucky Proud” cooking challenge in Paducah. “One of the highlights of the trip was on the day we did a cooking show and I got to be the host. It was goofy and fun to portray that side of my personality on the TV show,” Albright said. Travelers also had the opportunity to go to a fish processing plant alongside the Mississippi River. Albright explains that the fishery removes an invasive species of fish, Asian carp, from the water, which in turn helps the environment and also feeds people. Some students had more of a handson experience and even gutted the fish. On the production side of the first season, the filming process and content were easy to obtain because businesses were excited to receive the exposure that they may not normally receive. Following the success of the first class and after the first season was produced, Swanson offered the second course. This included a trip to London in spring 2019. Location and time frame weren’t the only drastic differences from the first season; season two saw fewer hands on deck in every aspect. This season included three UK students, Swanson and a production crew of one: Brian Volland. The biggest challenge of the London series, Swanson said, was the one-person crew. London has permitting requirements when filming if there is more than one camera or excessive equipment. The only way to get around these requirements was to utilize Volland, the “one-man-band,” as he called himself. This production issue was resolved by the students in London having homework assignments requiring them to film videos in unique places of the city and reflect on

“...with the course I wanted students to be able to recognize the way travel changes them.” – JASON SWANSON

Jason Swanson poses for his portrait on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, in Lexington, Ky.

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AN INSIDE LOOK INTO

TRANSFORMATIVE

TRAVELS BY CATIE ARCHAMBEAU PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JASON SWANSON

34 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

“...with the course I wanted students to be able to recognize the way travel changes them.” – JASON SWANSON

Jason Swanson poses for his portrait on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, in Lexington, Ky.

SPRING 2021 | 35

their reactions to the new locations. These videos filled the gaps where other footage would have been if there had been more cameramen. Volland used these clips to highlight the students’ progression throughout the semester abroad. Albright, who was involved in the London program as well, found these homework assignments transformational. “The course was structured around the TV show, so there was no surprise when we had small assignments to record ourselves outside of class,” she said. “I now get to look back on these videos and remember not only what I was doing, but how I felt during it.” Swanson used the assignments to further push students to realize the impact of what they were experiencing. “Traveling with a purpose is important, not just going to see places but using travel as a way to reflect and think about yourself while you’re traveling,” he said. Students in London traveled around

Jason Swanson interviews Emma Rosenswag, Arizzona Albright and Catie Archambeau for the upcoming season of “Transformative Travels” on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, in Lexington, Ky.

the city all semester, visiting both tourism hot spots and places off the beaten path. Albright contrasts two of the places she visited: the Dior exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum and a canal boat tour. “The canal boat tour was more of a once in a lifetime experience — we spent the day traveling through canal locks in the outer city,” she said. Albright notes how it was interesting to participate in activities like the boat ride, because it wasn’t something she’d plan as a tourist but indulged her in an experience outside of her comfort zone. The Dior exhibit opened up Albright’s eyes to the history of designer fashion and inspired her career direction as a merchandising, apparel and textiles major. As opposed to the first season, Swanson found most location managers in London to be less enthusiastic. “There is so much going on in London that it was never a big deal to people at locations where we shot, like it was in

Kentucky,” Swanson said. “This actually made some of the London shooting easier.” The second season, “Transformative Travels: Exploring London,” is currently in the approval process to be aired on KET. The two seasons offer a new perspective from that of normal travel documentaries or what can be seen on KET, High said. “The show is absolutely unique,” he said. “How often in college do you get the opportunity to front your own mini-series to a statewide PBS station that covers 4 million individuals across the Commonwealth of Kentucky?” Volland said depending on who the viewer is — parent or student — they might have a different viewing experience when watching the show. “As a parent, I hope it encourages parents to be willing to help their children go out and have these life-changing experiences,” Volland said. Studying abroad opened Albright’s eyes to her potential as a person and as a professional going into the working world. Albright says she owes her new thinking perspective to her experience abroad. “When you think about it, we have a choice in what we are perceiving and the way it affects us. We can analyze our situation and understand what we are doing and why we are doing it,” she said. Talk of season three of “Transformative Travels” has begun, and more UK students will have the chance to be a part of it. Swanson, Volland and High are all hoping for more cultural diversity amongst cast and crew in the coming seasons. •

Behind the camera, Brian Volland films a tour group exploring the Thames River in spring 2019 in London.

“...see that traveling with a purpose is important: not just going to see places but using travel as a way to reflect and think about yourself while you’re traveling.” – JASON SWANSON

36 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

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Jason Swanson interviews Emma Rosenswag, Arizzona Albright and Catie Archambeau for the upcoming season of “Transformative Travels” on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020, in Lexington, Ky.

Behind the camera, Brian Volland films a tour group exploring the Thames River in spring 2019 in London.

“...see that traveling with a purpose is important: not just going to see places but using travel as a way to reflect and think about yourself while you’re traveling.” – JASON SWANSON

36 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

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Heaven Hernandez, 25, poses for a portrait while getting ready backstage at The Bar Complex in Lexington, Ky., on Thursday, March 4, 2021.

BY RANA ALSOUFI | PHOTOS BY AMBER RITSCHEL

INTRICATE DELICATE WOMEN

is 6 p.m. on a Saturday evening at The Bar Complex, one of Lexington’s most well-known and long-standing gay nightclubs and the heart of its drag scene. Rihanna’s “Disturbia” blares in the hallway as the drag queens get ready backstage for their weekly Saturday night performances. Dakota Brooks asks around to see if she could borrow a pair of earrings to match the rose gold cocktail dress she is wearing, while Heaven Hernandez, “Cuban Barbie of Lexington,” applies yellow craft glitter to her eyelids. “We sometimes borrow things from each other like hair, jewelry, things like that,” said Hernandez, a 25-year-old Miami native. Hernandez has been doing drag in Lexington for only a month but has come to love the community and relationships she has built along the way. “We’re just one big happy family,” she said. Before coming to Lexington, Hernandez lived in Louisville, where she first started experimenting with drag around six years ago. “It’s the gay cliché of ‘I’ve always felt different when I was a little boy,’ but I was a very outgoing kid, and I didn’t fit in with a lot of kids, so I said, ‘This may be something different I want to try,’” she said while applying powder to her face. Hernandez first got her start in drag after performing on a Sunday night at Play Louisville, one of the bigger gay clubs in Louisville and home to many drag personalities. “Since then, it’s just been something I’ve grown to love,” she said. Hernandez moved to Lexington and started working at The Bar Complex three nights a week after her close friend, roommate and

fellow drag queen, Natalia Jolie, encouraged her to audition for cast. “The girls are amazing here,” Hernandez said. “We just get along so well, and that’s another reason why I wanted to move to Lexington as well as to pursue new opportunities: to see what I can do and how far my drag will take me.” Jolie, who has been doing drag for five years, had different motives for her start in drag. “It sounds really generic, but I’m trans, so I always wanted to wear girl clothes and to experiment with gender, and drag was a really safe and fun way to do that at first,” said Jolie, also 25 years old. “I started doing it pretty frequently, and then I wanted to audition for cast at Play. From then on it was more about the actual job of doing drag and less about the gender expression. I was already pretty comfortable with my gender at that point, so I’ve just stuck with it.” Including Hernandez’s “clean, polished, curvy and stunning” drag style, as she describes it, and Jolie’s extravagance and adult humor, Lexington is home to a diverse range of drag talent; every single queen has something different to offer to the scene, and every night you can expect something new from the performers, Hernandez said. The Bar Complex hosts shows every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. A typical 9 p.m. show at the bar is filled with a variety of drag talent as one can observe during a night out at the establishment. Serena Van Daren incorporates a lot of humor into her performance while interacting with the audience, whereas Benita Bloom, the bearded queen of Lexington, delivers a much softer, spookier yet beautiful rendition

BEHIND LEXINGTON’S DYNAMIC DRAG SCENE 38 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

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Heaven Hernandez, 25, poses for a portrait while getting ready backstage at The Bar Complex in Lexington, Ky., on Thursday, March 4, 2021.

BY RANA ALSOUFI | PHOTOS BY AMBER RITSCHEL

INTRICATE DELICATE WOMEN

BEHIND LEXINGTON’S DYNAMIC DRAG SCENE 38 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

SPRING 2021 | 39

“I feel like we all bring a different type of taste to the stage here in Lexington.” – HEAVEN HERNANDEZ

of Kesha’s “Woman.” Billie Blaze is known for her energetic kicks and splits on the stage floor, while Scarlet Princess shows off her sensuality and femininity while dancing with the bar patrons. Dakota Brooks shocks the audience with her costume reveal and can turn it out while dancing and lip-syncing to the Tina Turner classic cover of “Proud Mary,” and Adriana P T Fuentes, a multipageant winner, closes the night out with her energetic dance movies and contagious bright attitude. “I feel like we all bring a different type of taste to the stage here in Lexington,” Hernandez said. “Louisville drag, they have their thing going on, we have our thing going on. We all have that one thing that sets us apart, and it’s just our craft, you know?” In bigger cities, such as Nashville, the drag is starting to transition to a sleeker, more high-fashion era, said Jolie, whereas Lexington seems to hold onto the more traditional aspects of drag while at the same time incorporating new trends and styles. “I really like Lexington’s drag scene,” she said.

“Different places have different communities and types of drag that are popular. I think that the reason why Lexington’s drag is doing so well right now is because it’s still oldschool drag but with new fashion.” Lexington’s drag scene in particular has been known to be welcoming and accepting to all forms of drag, according to Hernandez, especially as drag starts to become more mainstream all over the world. The queens at The Bar Complex are ecstatic to see the growth and normalization of drag with television shows such as “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” a popular reality show where different drag queens across the country compete for the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar.” “I think it’s wonderful,” Hernandez said. “It shows that we’re all different in our own type of way and we love each other no matter what and being able to present what we do with the world and have them return the favor with love and affection is the best gratitude in the world.” Drag becoming more mainstream in our culture has also helped in creating brand new drag personalities all over the world, Jolie said, which was an unexpected but welcome surprise for the drag community. However, due to the pandemic, times have been tough for drag

The queens put on lively performances at The Bar Complex on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, in Lexington, Ky. PHOTOS BY HANNAH ADDINGTON

queens in the Lexington area. With cities shutting down and bars closing their doors for extended periods of time in 2020, many of the entertainers have struggled with making ends meet. Jolie, whose income relies solely on drag (including what she is paid by The Bar Complex and tips), has worried about making a living at a time like this, but Hernandez says that The Bar Complex has been making efforts to help the queens with financial stability. “It’s just been so wishy-washy between how many people we can get in here as well as people tipping with no masks on and us having to tell them, ‘Hey, please make sure to keep up regulations so that we can stay open,’” Hernandez said, who also works as a delivery driver for DoorDash. “But it has affected me as well in the sense of money and income. It’s been a struggle, but we’re back on the boat, and hopefully it all gets better from here on out.” Fortunately, after implementing a series of strict COVID-19 regulations, establishments like The Bar Complex have been able to open back up to host guests and entertainers safely. Patrons are required to wear masks at all times unless they are sitting at their own tables drinking, and everyone’s temperature is checked at the door before entering. For many drag queens, entertaining an audience is one of the best things about the job, Hernandez and Jolie said. Bar patrons love interacting with the queens while they perform, and the queens love interacting with them right back, whether that means dancing around their tables as they lip-sync or behaving flirtatiously while being tipped.

Heaven Hernandez gets ready backstage for her performance at The Bar Complex on Thursday, March 4, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

“Gay bars are always lit as shit out here, and it’s not even just gay people,” Jolie said. “A lot of straight people go to gay bars and have a great time.” “I require an audience to perform,” she said. “I go out and I make eye contact with people and interact with them … My job is to entertain you, and I don’t have to do the splits to do that.” But even though some queens enjoy performing with high levels of energy while others prefer softer ballads, the audience provides the same love and support regardless of the differences, Hernandez said. “They appreciate each of our arts separately,” Hernandez said. People are often curious about what it is like to SPRING 2021 | 41

“I feel like we all bring a different type of taste to the stage here in Lexington.” – HEAVEN HERNANDEZ

The queens put on lively performances at The Bar Complex on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, in Lexington, Ky. PHOTOS BY HANNAH ADDINGTON

Heaven Hernandez gets ready backstage for her performance at The Bar Complex on Thursday, March 4, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

be a dedicated drag queen. Queens devote a lot of time, money and energy toward their craft, investing thousands of dollars into their hair, makeup and clothing as well as working late hours at night and being physically active for extended periods of time while performing. “It’s not cheap,” Hernandez said. She has spent around three to four thousand dollars on hair alone. One of her human hair units, a long black Brazilian wig, cost her one month’s rent, she said. “It depends on who’s making it, the type of hair they’re using, what type of style, how long it takes to make … all that stuff.” Jolie said she has invested at least $10,000 into her drag with $1,000 to $2,000 going towards just makeup and hair. Many of the queens’ outfits, jewelry and wigs are handmade. There are queens like Benita Bloom, the 35-year-old queen from Harlan County, Ky., who has been doing drag for 11 years, who make a lot of their own pieces. “Ninety-five percent of what we wear is handmade,” said 33-year-old Dakota Brooks. From the body padding to the garments to the accessories, drag queens often have to seek custom, handmade pieces to fit their needs and their particular drag styles. The outfits that drag queens wear are nothing like what women wear on a daily basis; rather, they are bolder, more dramatic and draw a lot more attention. “What woman have you seen go to the 7/11 in these types of earrings, girl?” Hernandez said, as the dressing room erupted into laughter. Bruising and bodily injuries are not uncommon for drag queens either. “My body is aging at a rapid rate,” Jolie said. “I keep medical tape here because I have to wrap my foot before I go on stage, because I cracked my toe six months ago and it’s permanently messed up.”

Heaven Hernandez puts on her eyelashes in a mirror while backstage at The Bar Complex in Lexington, Ky., on Thursday, March 4, 2021.

“What woman have you seen go to the 7/11 in these types of earrings, girl?” – HEAVEN HERNANDEZ 42 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

“But the show must go on,” Hernandez said, recovering from a knee injury as a result of jumping into the splits during a performance the previous night. Despite the hardships, the queens’ love for drag and performing outweigh all the negatives. For Brooks, drag is an outlet for artistic freedom and expression. “It’s like I turn into a different person when the makeup, eyelashes and the wig come on,” she said. “Stepping out on the stage with a spotlight hitting you and feeling the energy of the crowd is everything.” Hernandez expressed a similar sentiment. “The best part about drag is being able to go from a zero to a hundred in like two hours,” Hernandez said. “The whole transformation is just stunning ... Honey, we are intricate, delicate women.” Lexington swims against the current in being one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly and accepting communities in a traditionally conservative state, said Jolie. “I’ve only ever done drag in Lexington and in Louisville, which are the two most LGBT friendly communities in Kentucky,” she said. “I think that even though Kentucky is a conservative place, it’s not that hard out here for us. I’m not saying there isn’t risk of danger, but like … you know.” The city embraces the uniqueness and differences of the people who live here by providing safe spaces for all to express themselves as freely as they like, such as The Bar Complex. “Growing up in a small town was hard for me as a gay kid,” Brooks said. “There was no such thing as a gay/straight alliance in schools back then. It wasn’t until after high school I ended up coming out to my family and friends.” Hernandez believes that the drag scene here in Lexington is one that is very welcoming. “We will always have our arms open to any type of drag,” she said. “Every Thursday, we have a show at The Bar Complex for open-stagers, so come out here, put on a shake-and-go wig and just live your dream, girl, ‘cause if you don’t try and do it, how do you know it’s gonna be for you or not?” To be a drag queen in Lexington is to defy societal expectations, to find one’s inner calling and to perfect an art to share with the rest of the world. It allows people to “march to the beat of their own drum,” as Benita Bloom puts it, making it possible to create one’s own path in life. “Drag is art, and art is subjective,” Bloom said. “Drag helped this small backwoods country boy who was shy as hell find his voice and gain self-confidence. Without her, I wouldn’t be half the person I am today.” •

Wigs hang along the walls next to the vanity mirrors of the dressing room backstage at The Bar Complex in Lexington, Ky., on Thursday, March 4, 2021.

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Heaven Hernandez puts on her eyelashes in a mirror while backstage at The Bar Complex in Lexington, Ky., on Thursday, March 4, 2021.

“What woman have you seen go to the 7/11 in these types of earrings, girl?” – HEAVEN HERNANDEZ 42 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

Wigs hang along the walls next to the vanity mirrors of the dressing room backstage at The Bar Complex in Lexington, Ky., on Thursday, March 4, 2021.

SPRING 2021 | 43

WHEN

MARSHA MET

TOM

A LEXINGTON LOVE STORY

BY GAVIN COLTON

meet Marsha and Tom Skinner in their Lexington home on a snowy Thursday afternoon. Empty ceiling-high cabinets and glass cases that housed collectibles and trinkets from their lives lie dormant in preparation for their move to a house that’s more practical for the years ahead. In the living room, Marsha and I sit at either end of a long, plush sofa. She looks around the room and says she wishes I could have seen their house in all its glory. Tom sinks into a leather recliner. Outside, the back garden is divided into two parts: Tom’s English garden, Marsha’s Japanese garden. Along the boundary that divides the precincts is a row of toy soldiers that Tom stuck into the ground to halt Marsha’s flora from encroaching into his side. Marsha is 71, Tom 77. They have lived many lives by now. Between them, they tally four marriages and have lived on three different continents. Marsha sits poised, wearing one of the 300 or so hats that she’s collected over the course of her life. Today it’s a black beret. “My daddy always wore hats. And my mother wore hats when she was younger — big, beautiful ones,” Marsha says. “If I don’t have a hat on, I feel naked.” Tom has the deep voice that is earned in life. They gesture for the other one to start the interview, to get the ball rolling. They are trying to decide where to start. Marsha goes. She starts at the beginning. PHOTO BY MARTHA McHANEY

44 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

Tom and Marsha Skinner sit on an ornate garden bench in front of their home in the Harrods Hill neighborhood in Lexington, Ky., on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021.

SPRING 2021 | 45

WHEN

MARSHA MET

TOM

A LEXINGTON LOVE STORY

BY GAVIN COLTON

44 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

Tom and Marsha Skinner sit on an ornate garden bench in front of their home in the Harrods Hill neighborhood in Lexington, Ky., on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021.

SPRING 2021 | 45

PHOTO BY MARTHA McHANEY

“The first time we met, we just loved each other.” – MARSHA SKINNER

Marsha Skinner sits at her dining table while wearing one of her 300 hats on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

— 1969

Marsha met Tom when she was only 19. She was already married and living in Lexington with her husband Harry and their daughter Marla, who was three and learning to balance on one foot and walk up and down stairs on her own for the first time. “Well, I got pregnant, so we had to get married. We did it because it was the thing to do,” Marsha says. She’s matter of fact about things. And that’s how Marsha and Tom met: through Harry. Harry would come home talking about this friend “Skinner.” Skinner this, Skinner that. So, Marsha told Harry to bring him home for dinner one night. Harry and Tom were doctoral students at the University of Kentucky in January 1969. Tom was back in Kentucky after two years of active duty in Vietnam, dragging his duffle bag behind him. “I came to class still in a buzz cut and a uniform,” Tom says. “You can’t imagine what that was like with 46 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

the hippies all around.” “The first time we met, we just loved each other,” Marsha says. “Not sexually. Just friendly. Friends,” Marsha says. The rules of engagement were clear. Friends. It wasn’t until nearly 40 years from that first dinner that they had their first kiss. Tom describes himself as old school. He admits he was in trouble when he first met Marsha. “Here’s my buddy she’s married to,” Tom says. He holds his head in his hands then holds them heavenward. “What you gonna do?” Marsha, still beautiful, thinks back on herself then: “I really looked pretty then. And young. Tom was very sexy; he had long hair. Everybody loved him.” The three were fast friends. Tom and Harry ran around town, hanging out in taverns, the racetrack, poker games. “Poor Marsha was home with the baby,” Tom says. “I kinda hated that, but what could I do?” Tom became a fixture in Marsha’s life. Toward the end of Harry’s doctoral tenure at UK, Marsha and Marla flew to Thailand where Harry did research for his dissertation on the relocation and distribution of slaughterhouses in northeast Thailand. “Or he was in the damn CIA,” Tom says. When they came back around 1972, Harry decided he wanted to move the family to Colorado, where they had some friends living. “They were real hippies,” Marsha says. “No running water, living in the mountains.” It took three months for Tom to call with a business pitch for Harry. He was working as a teacher in a community college in western Kentucky. Originally from a farming family in Providence, Ky., Tom defines his father as an entrepreneur in the old-fashioned sense of the word. Tom figured that’s what he’d do himself. “I guess in the back of my mind, everything else

was just killing time until I went back and farmed, ran the farm. I’d been looking around for something to do. I do not know how it came to me to go into mobile home sales.” Tom wanted to make some money. He wanted to be closer to Marsha and Harry. Marsha had been working in a bank. So, Marsha and Harry moved back to western Kentucky after only six months in Colorado and joined Tom in the mobile home sales business. They stayed in it for about a year. Then change came quickly for the three of them. “I stayed in the business a little longer after they had a little marital problem,” Tom says. “We got a divorce,” Marsha says. “Harry just one day says he fell in love with my friend.” “I am still not in that part; nothing to do with me,” Tom says. He wants me to be sure about that part. Harry called Marsha up a few months later— she’d learned that Harry had been doing yoga naked in the mobile homes. He wanted to get back together again. “I always loved him, but I couldn’t be with him after that,” Marsha says. But they remained friends; Marsha has the gracious gift of forgiveness in her that she extends to people who’ve hurt her. Marsha was born in Henderson, Ky., 30 miles from Tom’s hometown of Providence. Her father was a doctor who paid his way through medical school playing the trumpet. Marsha says that he once beat the famous Harry James out for a gig. Her mother was an artist, which is where she gets her sense of fashion and home décor. Much of her mother’s artwork is in storage, she says while pointing to vacant wall space around the room. Marsha is a middle child to three brothers: two older, one younger. After the divorce, Harry went back to Colorado while Tom sold the leftover inventory from the mobile home business. They remained friends despite the failed partnership. To supplement his income, Tom found odd jobs as a mechanic, teaching a class here and there. During this time, Tom was voted the best teacher at the school where he was working. “He’s a great teacher,” Marsha says of Tom. PHOTO BY MARTHA McHANEY “I got to see him teach a couple of times at UK.” Tom Skinner looks over a page at his office desk on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, Tom remembers his teaching days fondly too. in Lexington, Ky. “I really liked it. And was liked. I did a good job. But I looked out the window more than the students. In economics, that’s a lot.” When Marsha came back to Lexington after SPRING 2021 | 47

PHOTO BY MARTHA McHANEY

“The first time we met, we just loved each other.” – MARSHA SKINNER

Marsha Skinner sits at her dining table while wearing one of her 300 hats on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

— 1969

the suspicion it roused in their partners at the time. “Hell, they were peering out the window at us,” Tom says. “They felt it!” “They knew that we loved each other. They watched us. We didn’t stay very long,” Marsha says. The visit grounded Tom but he realized something he couldn’t share with Marsha yet. “I’ve got to stay away from her for a long time after that, look the other way,” Tom says.

— 1990

PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS A statue of a young child sits outside a window of the Skinner home on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

the divorce, their lives began to move in opposite directions. Tom’s life moved fast. He followed his entrepreneurial inclinations while keeping things together on the farm in Providence, where they grew corn and soybeans. “1,500 acres,” Tom says. “Which is big in Kentucky; not this hill stuff.” Marsha worked full-time at the hospital on UK’s campus as a unit clerk. Marsha held high standards for her daughter and made sure she was involved in school activities. They grew up together, and they visited family in Henderson often. All the while, Marsha kept in touch with Tom. “Every year I would send him a Christmas card and a birthday card,” Marsha says. “He’d call once in a while to see how Marla and I were doing.”

— 1983

Marsha married Frank Bode in 1983 48 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

and left her job at the hospital to stay home with Marla. About 10 years into her marriage with Frank, Tom called her up and said he needed to visit. By then, Tom was married to Rhonda with whom he’d had a daughter named Katye. “I really didn’t think he’d ever get married,” Marsha says. “I was so happy when he had a child. I never thought he would, because he was really kind of a wild man.” Marsha notices Tom’s empty glass and drains a can of Yuengling into it and hands it to him. Tom and Rhonda visited Marsha and Frank at their Lexington home, which sat on about 10 acres. Tom admits he wasn’t initially fond of Marsha’s husband. “I never trusted anyone who worked for IBM. Big corp,” he says. They ate dinner and then Marsha and Tom took a walk out to the barn. They shared a friendship older than both of their marriages combined; they remember

Tom laid low for a while. He’d returned to teaching in the late ‘80s at a community college near Henderson. He’d quit corn and soybeans earlier because he didn’t trust the government would make good on subsidies. “I was wrong about that,” he says today. “You can get rich farming! The young man now doesn’t need to be an entrepreneur, he just needs to study government policy, which sounds like socialism, which is what we’re moving toward and that’s great. Farmers have known that for a long time. You don’t fuck with farmers.” Tom and Rhonda separated in the mid ‘90s, and Tom got into the chicken business. “I sort of had a deal with Tyson Foods,” Tom says. “They were in a hurry to get some chickens and build these houses. I jumped on it.” The farm produced 3 million chickens a year until the year 2000, when Tom swiftly exited the chicken business. Tom batted around with a little chicken money in his pocket and ended up going to Africa after a stint in Washington D.C. hanging around and meeting people, notably a Kenyan diplomat, who introduced him to the cashew business. His first trip to Kenya ended in Tanzania, where he worked in the import/export business of cashew production. Meanwhile, Marsha heard about Tom’s

adventures from Harry and other friends. “Harry would call and say, ‘Skinner’s got a chicken farm; now he’s in Africa,’” Marsha says. She was married to Frank, but she was still friendly with Harry, despite their divorce.

— 2005

Marsha’s husband Frank passed in 2005 after a battle with cancer. A couple of years later, Tom called and said he wanted to take her to lunch. “I was grieving, and he wanted to put the moves on me,” she says. “I wasn’t interested because I was still mourning. I still am. When something like that happens it never goes away totally.” In 2008, Marsha and Marla shared a booth at an antique mall in Versailles, Ky. where they sold things like Bybee pottery, stained glass, copper, old quilts and Fenton lamps. Tom phoned Marla out of the blue and said he was coming to Lexington to see his daughter, a talented pianist, compete in a Junior Miss (now the Distinguished Young Women program) Pageant. Marla was always fond of Tom; he was a part of her childhood. She saw him throughout the years, both with her mother and with her father Harry when she visited. Marla told her mother that Skinner was coming to town, and she called him. “What about me?” Marsha remembers saying. “Well, sure I wanna see you,” Tom said over the phone. “I expected to see you.” It might be the romance and reliving it all in the living room, it might be the half-empty bottle of Prosecco, but at this point in the story, Marsha begins to blush, with two neat ovals on her cheekbones. Tom got into Lexington on a Thursday night. But, Marsha had a birthday party in Frankfort. “You see where I stand in all this,” Tom

“I’ve got to stay away from her for a long time after that, look the other way.” – TOM SKINNER

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— 1990

PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS A statue of a young child sits outside a window of the Skinner home on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

— 1983

Marsha married Frank Bode in 1983 48 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

— 2005

“I’ve got to stay away from her for a long time after that, look the other way.” – TOM SKINNER

SPRING 2021 | 49

says, “…second.” So, they planned to meet at Marla’s house later that night. Marsha hadn’t been romantically interested in anyone since Frank’s passing. “I think tonight’s the night,” she told one of her friends in the days leading up to their reunion. But the birthday party ran late. It was almost midnight when she arrived. I speak to Marla over the phone later that evening. Marla remembers the moment her mother and Tom reunited. She and her husband Laith had witnessed it in their kitchen. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It was like electric lightning bolts. The energy in the room was so strong that our jaws dropped,” Marla says. “It was always a special relationship.” After a while, Marsha invited Tom back to her house across town, where they talked until Tom admitted that he was tired. “We went upstairs, and I said, ‘You can have this room, that room, or you can have this room which is my room,’” Marsha says. I don’t have to ask which room Tom picked. “He took his shirt off; he has the most beautiful hairy chest. And I knew I was in trouble then.” She smiles at Tom from her perch on the edge of the sofa. The next night, Tom asked Marsha to join him downtown at the Hyatt for the second night of Junior Miss. She went. But at this moment in their story, Marsha recalls a bump in their relationship. “I was sitting there, and Tom said, ‘Do you remember Mary Catherine?’” Marsha had known her from Tom and Harry’s time at UK. She was pursuing a doctorate degree in h istory and graduated around the same time as Tom and Harry. “Tom says she might be here in a few minutes. I couldn’t believe it. After all these years, he’s got this other woman coming,” Marsha says. “So, after about 10 minutes she walks in. I was glad to see her, but I had to leave.” When Tom invited Marsha back to Junior Miss again the next night, Marsha lied and claimed she had prior commitments. Tom called her again Sunday and asked to 50 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

come over. Marsha told him she didn’t care who he had sex with, but she was nobody’s fool. “I said, ‘Don’t lie to me, or we’ll never be friends again.’” Tom waited a few days before calling her. When he did, he’d made up his mind: it was Marsha. After that, Marsha and Tom saw each other as much as they could, splitting their time between Kentucky and Africa. She started spending months there with him. When they weren’t together, Tom called every day. She trusted him.

— 2019

Marsha and Tom married in 2019. “He never got down on one knee like I wanted him to,” Marsha says. They’d been talking about marriage for a long time. Marsha didn’t want to, and Tom didn’t see the need. They loved each other and they trusted that. But Marsha confesses that she always thought it was tacky for unmarried people to live together. “It was just the way he said it,” Marsha says. “I said, ‘OK, I’ll marry you.’” They describe the New Orleans house where they had the ceremony as “charmingly French” with floor to ceiling bookshelves. They only invited close family. Tom says he is off to Africa again soon. He and his investors wanted to do some good in the developing countries where they worked, not simply make a profit. That meant setting up infrastructure. “There’s quite a bit of processing before cashews can be shipped to the big markets: Brazil, India, Thailand, Vietnam. These guys all have more processing capacity than they grow,” Tom says. “When they get done processing their own product, they come over and prey on farmers in Africa.” Marsha asks Tom what locals call him in the African countries where he works. “They call me a lot of things,” Tom says. He assures me that he could go to several countries—South Africa, Ghana, Kenya

Tom and Marsha’s garden ouside the Skinner home in Lexington, Ky. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY TOM SKINNER

and Tanzania—and somebody would know who he is. “In a bar probably,” he adds. “One time he was almost killed in Casablanca for being someplace he wasn’t supposed to be,” Marsha says. “That was close!” he says. Tom suffers with rheumatoid arthritis these days, but it doesn’t stop him from doing the stuff he wants to do. It’s part of the job these days for Tom: dealing with the getting up and getting going in the morning. Marsha doesn’t mind getting old for the most part either, though some effects concern her more than others. “I hate to get wrinkles. I’m vain; most people are,” she says. “It’s not feeling like you did. Not having the energy. Your body hurts.” Later that evening, Marsha leans back into the corner of the velvet sofa. She recalls a safari trip when they witnessed the Great Migration of wildebeest and zebras as something special, a once in a lifetime kind of thing, she tells me. Marsha thinks the most beautiful sight is a zebra’s backside, the perfect proportion of their stripes. Tom pulls up a documentary video on YouTube. His army of toy soldiers in the garden have abandoned their posts by now. Herds of wildebeests and zebras rush across a river, past a bask of crocodiles. It’s a thrilling flurry of life and death. “It’s a miracle if you really get to see it,” Marsha says. We sit in their living room, which is devoid of their belongings, packed into cardboard boxes and stored throughout the house. Marsha hopes to find a house that’s closer to Marla and her grandkids. These days, while Tom continues his cashew production business in Tanzania, Marsha keeps the home fires burning. They agree that they have exciting years ahead. “When we look at each other it’s like we remember how we used to look,” Marsha says, looking at Tom, whose weather-beaten flat cap is pulled low down over his brow. The sun sets into a neat orange line in the frame of the window as we watch the end of the documentary. Marsha is resting a hand on Tom’s. The two of them might be a miracle themselves, sitting together in the last light of a Thursday afternoon in Lexington, Ky. Of patience, of persistence, of love. • SPRING 2021 | 51

— 2019

Tom and Marsha’s garden ouside the Skinner home in Lexington, Ky. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY TOM SKINNER

GRAND OLE OPRY KRNL SENIOR TOUR

DIXIELAND DELIGHT

Alabama

If you go to college in the South, you get it.

MAPLE & J GOLD STANDARD BRACELET | 125 YELLOW GOLD HALF ROUND | 85 RIESLING CHAIN | 215 ROLO CHAIN WITH DANGLE | 175

MAPLE & J BOLD CUFF-SILVER | 70 RAPPER THIK | 140

VINTAGE THERAPY HOT PINK SATIN DRESS | 22 POPS RESALE RED GINGHAM SET | 30 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL 52 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

Kendall

TAKE ME HOME, COUNTRY ROADS John Denver

Although I don’t consider myself a country gal, you can still find me belting out these lyrics with the friends I’ve made here. It comes full circle when I remember how much my grandma loves this song — although coming from Mississippi she has the excuse.

n e r u a L

POPS RESALE

TEAL PANTS AMC | 50

SP BUFFALO NICKEL VEST | 46 PHOTOS BY AMBER RITSCHEL

GRAND OLE OPRY KRNL SENIOR TOUR

DIXIELAND DELIGHT

Alabama

If you go to college in the South, you get it.

MAPLE & J GOLD STANDARD BRACELET | 125 YELLOW GOLD HALF ROUND | 85 RIESLING CHAIN | 215 ROLO CHAIN WITH DANGLE | 175

MAPLE & J BOLD CUFF-SILVER | 70 RAPPER THIK | 140

VINTAGE THERAPY HOT PINK SATIN DRESS | 22 POPS RESALE RED GINGHAM SET | 30 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL 52 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

Kendall

TAKE ME HOME, COUNTRY ROADS John Denver

n e r u a L

POPS RESALE

TEAL PANTS AMC | 50

SP BUFFALO NICKEL VEST | 46 PHOTOS BY AMBER RITSCHEL

MAPLE & J RIESLING CHAIN | 215 ROLO CHAIN WITH DANGLE | 175

POPS RESALE KY DERBY SCARF AMC | 50 CACHE GOLD PANT AMC | 40 VINTAGE THERAPY 50s LEATHER SUITCASE | 70 PHOTO BY CHRISTINA NYARKO

BY RACHEL PORTER As college is coming to end for many of the seniors on staff, we wanted to put the spotlight on them. What better way to do that than create outfits inspired by the infamous old school Grand Ole Opry singers in Nashville? Legendary artists like Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Hank Williams would take to the stage in outfits that were memorable and iconic. The clothing was and still is timeless, and so are the seniors on this publication. The best way to really recreate the pieces from back in time is to simply use pieces from back in time. Therefore, the styling team worked with two vintage stores that are seen throughout the magazine: POPS Resale and Vintage Therapy. Both stores provided westernlike clothing that helped portray country glam and twang through fringe, leather and of course boots. This type of style tells a story that is big and loud to help stars shine. Current country singers such as Kacey Musgraves and the band Midland

54 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

take inspiration from traditional “Nashville fashion” in hopes of going back to their roots and making a statement. To capture life before stepping on stage, the photographers wanted to utilize the space in a way that would appear like a backstage. Due to COVID-19, locations have been limited, and the staff has been pushed creatively on how to use the same space in different ways. Our creative safe haven has been McVey Hall, a place where we at KRNL used to gather for office hours and meetings. If you think about it, it’s always been the backstage for each issue. Just like how a singer gets ready to perform, our staff prepares to release a piece of art that everyone in the community can relate to like a song. For our seniors, it can be nerve-wracking to walk onto the world stage and sad to leave the smaller ones they’ve been on before, but there’s always a new and bigger crowd wanting to watch them succeed.

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MAPLE & J RIESLING CHAIN | 215 ROLO CHAIN WITH DANGLE | 175

POPS RESALE KY DERBY SCARF AMC | 50 CACHE GOLD PANT AMC | 40 VINTAGE THERAPY 50s LEATHER SUITCASE | 70 PHOTO BY CHRISTINA NYARKO

54 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

SPRING 2021 | 55

VINTAGE THERAPY 80s FRINGE LEATHER JACKET | 65 WHITE CORDUROY PANTS | 23 PHOTOS BY AMBER RITSCHEL

Rachel xoxo

MAN! I FEEL LIKE A WOMAN! Shania Twain

My Nana, who lived with us my whole life, watched CMT every Saturday morning. I vividly remember that song and its video. My Nana was one of the strongest, most caring woman I have ever known and what I wouldn’t give to feel like the kind of woman she was.

POPS RESALE TEAL SUEDE 2PC CHESTER WEINBERG | 80 VINTAGE THERAPY SILK GOLD SHIRT | 26 PHOTO BY MARTHA McHANEY

MAPLE & J ROSE GOLD HALF ROUND | 85 RIESLING CHAIN | 215 ROLO CHAIN WITH DANGLE | 175 POPS RES ALE GINGHAM PINK TOP |

MAPLE & J WOMEN’S SILVER MJ | 65 RIGGINS C HAIN BRACELET | 110 THE RIGG INS CHAIN NECKLAC E | 145 SHILOH C URB CHAIN | 1 30

BABY GIRL Sugarland

I grew up listening to this song with my mom. It tells the story of a young girl trying to make it in life until she succeeds, but to do so she needs her family’s loving support. When she does step out into the big world, she ends the song with “please don’t worry, love, your baby girl.” 56 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

e ll e Mir

SPRING 2021 | 57

VINTAGE THERAPY 80s FRINGE LEATHER JACKET | 65 WHITE CORDUROY PANTS | 23 PHOTOS BY AMBER RITSCHEL

Rachel xoxo

MAN! I FEEL LIKE A WOMAN! Shania Twain

POPS RESALE TEAL SUEDE 2PC CHESTER WEINBERG | 80 VINTAGE THERAPY SILK GOLD SHIRT | 26 PHOTO BY MARTHA McHANEY

MAPLE & J ROSE GOLD HALF ROUND | 85 RIESLING CHAIN | 215 ROLO CHAIN WITH DANGLE | 175 POPS RES ALE GINGHAM PINK TOP |

MAPLE & J WOMEN’S SILVER MJ | 65 RIGGINS C HAIN BRACELET | 110 THE RIGG INS CHAIN NECKLAC E | 145 SHILOH C URB CHAIN | 1 30

BABY GIRL Sugarland

e ll e Mir

SPRING 2021 | 57

SOUTH OF CINCINNATI

SEÑORITA

Dwight Yoakam

Jake Owen

Cincinnati was the first city I saw in America. I drove over the yellow bridge from northern Kentucky. It was like driving into a postcard, the skyline creeping around the bend on 417 like it did.

In the song, he sings about escaping to a beach and forgetting all of his worries. I would listen to this song when I was stressing about school, and similar to Owen’s beach getaway, I would escape to the scenic country road drives with my windows down.

a k i r E

VINTAGE THERAPY 50s LEATHER SUITCASE | 70 JACKET | 32 GOLD SHIRT | 26 PHOTOS BY CHRISTIANA NYARKO

SPRING 2021 | 59

SOUTH OF CINCINNATI

SEÑORITA

Dwight Yoakam

Jake Owen

Cincinnati was the first city I saw in America. I drove over the yellow bridge from northern Kentucky. It was like driving into a postcard, the skyline creeping around the bend on 417 like it did.

a k i r E

VINTAGE THERAPY 50s LEATHER SUITCASE | 70 JACKET | 32 GOLD SHIRT | 26 PHOTOS BY CHRISTIANA NYARKO

SPRING 2021 | 59

HOW DO YOU PROCEED,

ADVENTURERS? BY MIRELLE TAYLOR | PHOTOS BY KAYLE KYLE

ou don’t feel guilty for trying to stop the empire of samsarans from making the world a better place. After all, they want to destroy it first. You and your party are nearly there, but the samsarans are aware of your intervention and are doing everything in their power to stop you. Even attacking your mind. “Make a wisdom save,” the dungeon master (DM) tells you. You roll your 20-sided die, otherwise known as a d20, and feel uneasy with the number that appears. “Five,” you say. “You are afraid,” the DM responds. In this world, that means you’re not just scared, you’re more vulnerable against the enemy. You hope the other members of your party are better off. Ahead of you, you sense that something may be lurking in the darkness, waiting to attack. With a successful roll, the DM informs you that you have ripped through whatever was hiding with the acid in your sword. “It looks pretty bad right now,” he says. “You think you’ve done a deal of damage.” Once the party has secured the area, you all feel that you can take a breath, but it’s not over yet. At the hands of the samsarans, you’ve still got a planet hurling towards your own. “How do you proceed, adventurers?” Experiencing these perilous situations is common in one of the most iconic fantasy role-playing games there is: Dungeons & Dragons. Known for its expansive form of role-playing with stories ranging from the Tyranny of Dragons to the Curse of Strahd to home-brewed original worlds, D&D has a long history of transporting its players to fantastical new places with only the rolling of dice. It first saw publication in 1974 and is currently on its fifth edition with correlating guidebooks, novels, board

games and video games. The basis of the game is surprisingly simple. With seven varied-sided dice and an imagination, or what is called “theater of the mind,” a full game can technically be played. The complexity arises with the specifics of the gameplay, and these specifics require a dungeon master. The DM leads the entire game by telling the story and determining any consequences, acting as a sort of referee. Just about anything imaginable can happen at the hand of anyone playing. There are of course rules and guidelines in place, but they are all at the discretion of the DM and fully customizable. A full play-through, called a campaign, is completed in sessions. Sessions can be as long as the players and DM would like while campaigns last as long as the storyline, which can be one session or years of many sessions. Some players enjoy merging D&D with other beloved franchises. There are “Rick and Morty” themed games, “Stars Wars” and “Harry Potter.” The University of Kentucky’s TableTop and Roleplaying Games Club (TTRP), which inspired the situation above, just finished a year-long campaign inspired by the Fire Emblem video games. Former vice president of TTRP and UK broadcast journalism 2020 graduate Alex Brinkhorst attributed D&D’s timelessness to its ability to present players with real-world problems that they overcome as a hero. D&D is able to achieve this combination of reality and fantasy through its evolving yet consistent foundation; much of its strength lies in the way that the game is organized. UK Information Technology Services employee Michael Sheron finds that D&D is versatile at its heart. It is simple and easy to play as well as adjust, with

A dice tray supplies an array of specialty dice while a d4 is chosen for a roll on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

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HOW DO YOU PROCEED,

ADVENTURERS? BY MIRELLE TAYLOR | PHOTOS BY KAYLE KYLE

A dice tray supplies an array of specialty dice while a d4 is chosen for a roll on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

60 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

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every game and DM bringing something different, he said. Having started playing D&D in 1984, Sheron watched the game evolve from misunderstood “devil worship” to a worldwide, beloved adventure that becomes more diverse and complex with each generation that plays, allowing them to live out any life they can imagine. Characters tend to be incredibly detailed and mean a lot to the players who create them. Most players talk about their characters as individuals that actually exist. Some also use their characters to express deeper parts of themselves. Another member of TTRP’s Silver Banner campaign and current UK junior linguistics major, Percy Devereaux, created his emotionally guarded character, a changeling assassin named Cain, with parallels to feelings he has experienced. “It’s a very direct analogy for identity issues and social anxiety about being too ‘weird’ for anybody to love,” Devereaux said. “It’s definitely not that personal for everybody, but I get really invested in fiction.” The character customization and storytelling core of D&D have also been instrumental to its 47-year survival. As Sheron puts it, the earliest form of art was storytelling, and now, the art has evolved and more stories for people to want to live have existed. D&D is a perfect format to immerse players into a story where they get to be the hero and lead a life of adventure. Sit in on any D&D session with accents and narration and it will feel like listening to an audiobook. With its “underground” beginning, though, it took the game a while to see much diversity in its players. For the first 10 years he played, Sheron’s parties were entirely made up of white men and were much more difficult to find. Now, however, as generations pass on the game and it becomes more easily accessible, D&D has found its way into the lives of people from all backgrounds. As a woman who plays D&D, Christina Floyd, a senior graphic design major at Western Kentucky University, said she has never felt excluded or that her point of view was not important. She has been able to explore her way of roleplaying and learn that sword sage is her favorite class to play as. While recognizing that not all women may have this experience with the game, with some facing stereotypical tropes or awkward situations from some DMs, she feels that the D&D community as a whole is open and welcoming. “It’s not a community that would reject someone,” she said, referring to it as a “nerd sanctuary.” But despite the D&D community’s reputation, the stereotypical caricature of nerds in a basement is not 62 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

A set of dark blue sandstone dice sit along with other multicolored dice ready to be rolled on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

ILLUSTRATION BY SELMA ODOBASIC

accurate, Brinkhorst said. All kinds of people play the game, from college students to families to the professionals that Sheron plays with. This is partly in thanks to Hollywood’s depictions of the game and the idea it brought along that being a nerd is cool. Shows like “The Big Bang Theory,” “Community” and “Stranger Things” all have episodes that feature D&D, contributing to its rise in popularity. “Nerd culture moved to the forefront,” Sheron said. Celebrities such as actor Joe Manganiello, actress Drew Barrymore and “Game of Thrones” creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff play the game, as well as “Rick and Morty” creator Dan Harmon, who even has his own show where he plays D&D with guests called “HarmonQuest.” D&D-focused YouTube channels and podcasts including Critical Role and Dimension 20 have also lent a strong hand in the game’s surge, and the seasoned players love it. “It’s a magical thing to see the rest of the world find this way to spend time with friends,” Floyd said. And spending time with friends is another reason players keep coming back to the game. For Brinkhorst, D&D is a way to cultivate good friendships. Floyd’s goal when she plays is to have “a happy group that has a great time together.” The game is at its best when everyone comes to the table excited, she said.

While coming to the table hasn’t been much of an option with COVID-19, Roll20 and other similar sites like Foundry have launched a sort of renaissance for D&D, not only allowing games to continue throughout the pandemic but allowing campaigns to include players from all over the world. Sheron currently DMs a campaign with players from Europe and multiple states in the U.S. While playing in person tends to be better with oneon-one personal contact, playing online is convenient and has been a great source of social interaction during the pandemic, Brinkhorst said. Perhaps the best aspect of D&D, though, is its flexibility. It can be as serious or as funny as you want it to be, and as deep and philosophical; it’s all about getting together and playing, Sheron said. With that and the essence of role-playing games, you’re able to develop empathy by adopting other roles and seeing and thinking outside of yourself, he added. Brinkhorst has a similar idea, believing that D&D has more than just its roots. “At its core it’s playing pretend, but there is a life to what you do,” Brinkhorst said. Despite the seeming complexity of D&D and the vast gameplay that surrounds it, it really is a game for anyone. Find any dungeon master, ask to play, and they will undoubtedly say, “you can certainly try.” • SPRING 2021 | 63

A set of dark blue sandstone dice sit along with other multicolored dice ready to be rolled on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

ILLUSTRATION BY SELMA ODOBASIC

COMFORT FOOD

URBAN EDUCATION AND AQUAPONICS IN SMITHTOWN

BY AMBER HARRIS | PHOTOS BY SYDNEY TURNER

here are 2,000 square feet of live leafy greens and 1,115 pounds of tilapia fish inhabiting 7,000 gallons of freshwater inside the walls of FoodChain, a non-profit indoor aquaponics farm in downtown Lexington, Ky. In addition to producing tilapia and aquaponic crops like lettuce, herbs, micro-greens and shoots, the organization works inside of the heart of Lexington to inspire and educate locals who want to learn more about the preparation of fresh food, the methods of agriculture and the work that goes into creating a sustainable food system. The enclosed nature of the farm makes year-round yielding possible. FoodChain was officially incorporated in 2011 by founder, Executive Director and Lexingtonian Rebecca Self to serve low-income families and those who may not have access to healthy fresh foods in their neighborhood or other surrounding areas. The organization does not place parameters around who can get a meal or participate in FoodChain programs; young and old are welcome. Through meal pass outs, cooking classes and educational programs, FoodChain aims to promote food sustainability and inspire healthy eating and lifestyle choices for Lexington locals. The history and legacy of FoodChain’s Smithtown location reflects and connects with the purpose FoodChain serves today. After the Civil War, developers bought land on 64 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

the fringes of downtown Lexington and subdivided it into smaller lots, selling them to newly freed African Americans. In 1974, Congress authorized the Section Eight program, which resulted in a community settling long term in Lexington. Over 100 low-income individuals and families moved into the Coolavin Apartments, located west of FoodChain’s downtown location. Many members of those families found work in the Lexington Wholesale Bakery Company. Then in 1995, a records storage company bought the factory, which resulted in the loss of jobs for those employees. In 2011, after the building had been left vacant for three years, the space was purchased, aptly named “The Bread Box” in memory of its former usage, and reinvented into a mix-use development space for an assortment of local businesses. FoodChain is one of many local organizations and businesses that reside in the downtown location. “The neighborhood itself presented an opportunity,” Self said. “It’s a really historically significant neighborhood.” Self was raised in Lexington. She is a graduate of the Math Science Technology Center program at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in science from MIT, after which she became a classroom science teacher for seven years. She worked as

Leafy greens grow under UV light at FoodChain’s aquaponics farm on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

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COMFORT FOOD

URBAN EDUCATION AND AQUAPONICS IN SMITHTOWN

BY AMBER HARRIS | PHOTOS BY SYDNEY TURNER

Leafy greens grow under UV light at FoodChain’s aquaponics farm on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

SPRING 2021 | 65

the Education Director at Seedleaf, a community gardening organization in Lexington, before she founded FoodChain. Along the way, she married her high school sweetheart and is now the mother of twins. In urban areas of Lexington, communities outside of a one-mile radius of supermarkets are considered food deserts by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDAS). “There was both limited access in that neighborhood in terms of close proximity to fresh food,” Self said. “But there was also great potential in showing new ways in which food can be grown as well as how people could connect to fresh food and either obtain employment around food systems or improve their diet or improve community connections.” FoodChain’s mission statement is, “Forging links between community and fresh food through education and demonstration of sustainable food systems.” At the heart of FoodChain’s sustainable system is its aquaponics farm, which was installed in 2013. The freshwater farm blends aquaculture (farming fish) and hydroponics (growing plants without soil) to make one resourceful and efficient system. “You are growing both aquatic animals as well as plants,” Self said. “The waste from the fish in our system is serving as a nutrient supply for our plants and in return our plants clean the water, which can go back to the fish.” Aquaponics farms are viable approaches to sustainable urban agriculture. Residents can obtain healthy and fresh food inside of their communities while living in an area that is considered a food desert by the USDA. Self and other FoodChain employees and volunteers are keen to start conversations about sustainable agriculture and what that can look like for people inside the city of Lexington. Education at FoodChain does not stop at their innovative aquaponics. Learning happens in FoodChain kitchens through the several programs offered that connect to ideas of cooking and nutrition. “Cook. Eat. Grow.” is a cooking program offered to neighborhood youth. “The Stir It Up!” program is for people of varying ages who want to gain kitchen confidence and make food choices that are good for both their bodies and the food system supporting them. “Vamos a Cocinar” classes are classes led in Spanish and focus on 66 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

incorporating seasonal, local ingredients into culturally authentic recipes from Spanish speaking countries. They also host community meals like “Chat ‘n Chow,” which began back in January 2016 and are an opportunity for neighbors and volunteers to join in freshly prepared meals while getting to know one another over shared, nutritious food. Typically, these meals are on the fourth Thursday of the month, and the menu is based upon what is seasonally available. FoodChain welcomes many hands and many mouths into their kitchens. According to their 2019 Annual Report, under the 2019 Educational Outreach section, FoodChain hosted over 6,285 educational stove top hours, had 949 youth

An aerial of FoodChain shows what space the non-profit has to work with on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, on West 6th Street in Lexington, Ky.

engaged with local food, and used 973 pounds of local produce in education. FoodChain also participates in “Farm to School,” a program that ensures fresh healthy foods from local food producers go back into their community through school systems. “We try and work where there is need and where we can get attraction, whether that be near schools or other existing programs,” Self said. During COVID-19, FoodChain participates in meal handouts for children and adults inside of the Lexington, Fayette County area that are

looking for meals. FoodChain is involved with Nourish Lexington, a collective alliance between FoodChain, VisitLex, Keeneland and the Murry Family Foundation established to prepare and provide fresh, nutritious meals to anyone in need in Lexington. Over 130,000 meals were provided between April and August of last year. FoodChain also works with the Community Action Council, another nonprofit that focuses on meeting economic needs and offering a “pathway out of poverty,” as their website says. They host meal handouts and Community SPRING 2021 | 67

An aerial of FoodChain shows what space the non-profit has to work with on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, on West 6th Street in Lexington, Ky.

“I really don’t think people see how impactful the population that we serve appropriates it and sees it.” – KA’SONDRA BROWN

press play 2021 a spring KRNL playlist ---------------------------------------------------------------QTY ITEM ARTIST AMT ----------------------------------------------------------------

PLYLST 01

BUTTERFLIES

ASTN

2:56

ROCKY

STILL WOOZY

2:48

MARC E. BASSY

3:50

02 04 05 06 07 08 09

Sprouting greens grow at FoodChain’s aquaponics farm on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

Nutrition workshops in which participants gain the knowledge needed to help develop healthy eating habits that promote wellness. These workshops typically cover a range of regularly requested health matters including “eating for a healthy heart, nutrition for diabetes management, and healthy eating on a budget,” according to the organization’s website. Ka’Sondra Brown is the Volunteer Coordinator for Community Action Council in Lexington at the Cambridge Location. She appreciates the collaborative efforts of FoodChain. “These are amazing meals. The quality of food they provide us is amazing. It is food that will open up your palate to new and exciting, healthy nutritional meals,” Brown said. “I really don’t think people see how impactful the population that we serve

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appropriates it and sees it, and just to see how the community has acknowledged. They know when they see a FoodChain van, comfort is here.” Inside of the kitchen at FoodChain, there is a quote by Kimbal Musk, a South Africanborn restaurateur, chef and the co-founder of Big Green, a nonprofit that has built hundreds of outdoor classrooms in schoolyards across the U.S. It reads, “It isn’t just about feeding people but about nourishing the body, the community, and the planet.” Self explained that quote in the context of FoodChain. “The kernel in that quote is while obviously feeding people is important, there is so much more that it is really critical to sustain that work,” she said. “I find it to be a hopeful one, but it is not as easy as a message, we’ve got to keep perfecting, we’ve got to keep iterating and improving in order to involve as many people, which is messy, sticky and complicated but often results in a more resilient and sustainable system.” •

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

DYNASTY

RINA SAWAYAMA

THEREFORE I AM

BILLIE EILISH

YOU & ME FT. G-EAZY PINEAPPLE SKIES

MIGUEL

PLUTO PROJECTOR

ALRIGHTY APHRODITE

BRENT FAIYAZ

C.R.E.A.M.

PEACH PIT

WHY DON’T WE FALL IN LOVE AMERIE GO GO CHAOS

BONJAH

GOOD DAYS

SZA

OH HAPPY DAY

GYPSY

IMPATIENT BETTER TOGETHER CRY

4:59

REX ORANGE COUNTY

GRAVITY WHITE ROOM

3:09

EDWIN HAWKINS

FLEETWOOD MAC

SEBASTIAN PAUL JACK JOHNSON

JULIA JACKLIN

4:43 4:28 3:41

4:59

3:38

3:04

4:12 5:08 4:41 5:11 3:13 4:21 3:53

---------------------------------------------------------------ITEM COUNT 18

TOTAL

72:54

----------------------------------------------------------------

ACCESS PRESS PLAY 2021 ON SPOTIFY KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

SPRING 2021 | 69

“I really don’t think people see how impactful the population that we serve appropriates it and sees it.” – KA’SONDRA BROWN

press play 2021 a spring KRNL playlist ---------------------------------------------------------------QTY ITEM ARTIST AMT ----------------------------------------------------------------

PLYLST 01

BUTTERFLIES

ASTN

2:56

ROCKY

STILL WOOZY

2:48

MARC E. BASSY

3:50

02 04 05 06 07 08 09

Sprouting greens grow at FoodChain’s aquaponics farm on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

68 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

DYNASTY

RINA SAWAYAMA

THEREFORE I AM

BILLIE EILISH

YOU & ME FT. G-EAZY PINEAPPLE SKIES

MIGUEL

PLUTO PROJECTOR

ALRIGHTY APHRODITE

BRENT FAIYAZ

C.R.E.A.M.

PEACH PIT

WHY DON’T WE FALL IN LOVE AMERIE GO GO CHAOS

BONJAH

GOOD DAYS

SZA

OH HAPPY DAY

GYPSY

IMPATIENT BETTER TOGETHER CRY

4:59

REX ORANGE COUNTY

GRAVITY WHITE ROOM

3:09

EDWIN HAWKINS

FLEETWOOD MAC

SEBASTIAN PAUL JACK JOHNSON

JULIA JACKLIN

4:43 4:28 3:41

4:59

3:38

3:04

4:12 5:08 4:41 5:11 3:13 4:21 3:53

---------------------------------------------------------------ITEM COUNT 18

TOTAL

72:54

----------------------------------------------------------------

ACCESS PRESS PLAY 2021 ON SPOTIFY KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

SPRING 2021 | 69

BEHIND STABLES

A snowy stable at Candy Meadows Farm on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

THE

A SEASON OF BREEDING AT CANDY MEADOWS BY ALLIE DIGGS | PHOTOS BY AMBER RITSCHEL

n a quiet winter morning in Lexington, Ky., snow carpets the bluegrass hills inside the gates of Candy Meadows Farm. At the sound of someone coming up the drive, pregnant mares saunter to the fence to inspect the disruption to their tranquil scene. Candy Meadows is a thoroughbred farm, owned by Everett Dobson since 2006. Its 218 acres and 48 stalls are home to about 30 mares. The farm has produced horses like Opry, Madefromlucky, Mastery, Clothes Fall Off and more. Matthew Lyons, Senior Vice President

70 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

and Chief Operating Officer of the farm, has an annual goal: to breed the next racehorse that will hold the famous blanket of 554 roses on its back. “That’s the hope of every farm; to be able to raise a horse that is going to be able to win the Kentucky Derby,” Lyons said. And success breeds more business. “If you get a successful horse, your mares work a lot more in the future, and siblings to that baby work a lot more.” Lyons oversees the farm’s daily operations and considers the farm

SPRING 2021 | 71

BEHIND STABLES

A snowy stable at Candy Meadows Farm on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

THE

A SEASON OF BREEDING AT CANDY MEADOWS BY ALLIE DIGGS | PHOTOS BY AMBER RITSCHEL

70 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

SPRING 2021 | 71

a nursery for young horses. Cheyenne Stables is a significant arm of the business. Currently, they have ownership in about 10 stallions. Candy Meadows also functions as a sanctuary for horses that need a bit of a respite. It takes in youthful horses exhausted after the demanding racing season. “Sometimes they come home with injuries, and sometimes they just need time off,” Lyons said. “There’s a saying in the thoroughbred industry: Sometimes the best doctor they need is Dr. Green, which is green grass.” He compares the horses’ needs to those of human athletes, who require both physical and mental breaks from their sport. “Like any athlete, they’re doing the same thing every day, sometimes they just need a break to freshen up and come back,” Lyons said. It is an expensive business. With vet bills, stud fees, employees’ pay and the horses’ daily care, running a farm of this size is daunting, and the pandemic has complicated the thoroughbred industry. While other sports came to a halt during COVID-19, horseracing continued with an altered schedule. The Kentucky Derby ran its 146th “Run for the Roses” on a rescheduled date of Sept. 5, 2020, instead of running on the traditional first Saturday in May. Lyons counts his blessings for that. “We’ve been lucky with these COVID times, a lot of staff are family and live onsite,” Lyons said. “For a while, it was the only game in town. Betting was up a lot because there was nothing left to do.” Lyons graduated from the Equine

Science and Business program at the University of Limerick in Ireland. Growing up on a farm in Galway, he discovered his love of raising young stock and started his journey in the thoroughbred industry. He came to Kentucky over 20 years ago, where he gained early experience at top Kentucky farms like Glennwood Farm (breeder of Triple Crown winner, Justify), Dromoland Farm and Taylor Made Farm. When Lyons was young, his family farm only had sheep and cattle. Later, his family invested in ponies. Lyons remembers how his early introduction to livestock helped narrow down his career pursuit. “When I was in secondary school, I started looking at my options, I said I would like to be in the thoroughbred industry,” he said. The breeding process has typically been a very hands-on experience for all involved. COVID-19 forced changes in it, too. “The way it used to be, you would take your mare over there, lead the reign. You would hold her while she was getting teased,” Lyons said.

“They would clean her up and get her ready to breed, but now you drive your mare over, and they take your mare and handle her and take her back.” Springtime on the farm is the turn of the new year. And hope springs eternal. While in the wild, mares are long-day breeders. To prepare them to breed at the farm, they are brought inside and placed in light conditions that trick them into thinking the days are longer than they are at this time of year. It is a falsification of nature. This process ensures the mares give birth in late winter before the racing season. “Mares get bred back within 25 days of having their foal,” Lyons said. “But actually, in the wild, these mares will be back in heat within nine days of foaling.” During foaling season, mares are monitored closely by staff who take night and day shifts to ensure mares’ safety. Refreshing, a bulging-bellied 10-year old, ambles in the watch paddock closest to the stables; she is the next mare expected to give birth, showing signs of “waxing,” which is when a pregnant mare’s teats produce a wax-like

Mystical Star stands behind her foal on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, at Candy Meadows Farm in Lexington, Ky.

“Like any athlete, they’re doing the same thing every day, sometimes they just need a break to freshen up and come back.”

– MATTHEW LYONS

72 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

Pregnant Refreshing ambles in the watch paddock at Candy Meadows Farm on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

SPRING 2021 | 73

the restaurant and returned to the farm. The birth of the foal went smoothly and fast enough for Lyons to get back to his wife at the restaurant. “Time is of the essence. You’ve got to get them out,” Lyons said. The goal is to get the baby out within 30 minutes of the mare’s water breaking. Once the foal is born, the team promptly examines and weighs the placenta to see any indications of infection. If there are signs of infection, it might mean the health of the foal is compromised. Once the foal is out of the mare, they pull it up to the face of the mare before she stands. It is an important step. “She’ll start licking the foal and bonding

with the foal,” Lyons said. “We like them to be standing within two hours of being born and nursing within another two hours.” For several weeks, the foal and the mare share a stall with padded walls to keep the wobbly babies from hurting themselves when they try to stand. Cameras are installed in each stall. It is not until the foal is on its feet and moving that Lyons and his team get an idea of the caliber of the horse, the potential. Foals with long, easy strides are promising. “You’re looking at this horse thinking, is this the next Kentucky Derby winner? Is this the next Oaks winner? Is this a Breeders’ Cup horse?” Lyons said. “It doesn’t get old. It’s a special thing.” •

Harnesses hanging in the stables on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, at Candy Meadows Farm in Lexington, Ky.

substance indicating she is due any day. During foaling season, Lyons and his team prepare by stocking unusual equipment used for birthing. A whole chest of drawers sits stocked in the stable. One drawer is dedicated solely to enemas, which are used to help foals pass meconium, their first stool. “You get a funny look when you go into a store and buy 20 at a time,” Lyons said. Other drawers house a timer, lubricant, weighing scales, gloves, towels, paper cups and glass bottles topped with silicone nipples used to feed the newborns with a neonate paste filled with vitamins, which is stored in a separate refrigerator. An oxygen tank is on-hand to give a foal a burst of breath in the event of a problem during the birth. It is an odd collection, but it is a crucial kit. And while the death of a foal weighs heavily on the emotions of those at Candy Meadows, the financial impact is also substantial. “We have livestock or deadstock. It’s not for the faint of heart,” Lyons said. During foaling season, Lyons is on call. On route to a recent dinner date in Georgetown with his wife, he received a call: his presence was required at a delivery. He dropped his wife off at 74 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

Matthew Lyons stands with Mystical Star on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, at Candy Meadows Farm in Lexington, Ky.

Harper’s In Charge stands at one of the snow-covered fences that span Candy Meadows Farm on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

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Mystical Star stands behind her foal on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, at Candy Meadows Farm in Lexington, Ky.

“Like any athlete, they’re doing the same thing every day, sometimes they just need a break to freshen up and come back.”

– MATTHEW LYONS

72 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

Pregnant Refreshing ambles in the watch paddock at Candy Meadows Farm on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

SPRING 2021 | 73

Harnesses hanging in the stables on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, at Candy Meadows Farm in Lexington, Ky.

Matthew Lyons stands with Mystical Star on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, at Candy Meadows Farm in Lexington, Ky.

Harper’s In Charge stands at one of the snow-covered fences that span Candy Meadows Farm on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

SPRING 2021 | 75

IN PURSUIT OF

TIMELESSNESS A CONVERSATION WITH ARMANDO DIAZ BY RAYLEIGH DEATON

ost digital designers do not base their company’s business practices on their clothing tastes, but Armando Diaz is not like most digital designers. I had the opportunity to meet virtually with Diaz back in October 2020 and hear about what he has done since graduating from the University of Kentucky in 2019. He sat in his room, a cello propped against the wall, a stack of design books and magazines on his desk. The vintage sweater Diaz was wearing was accentuated by an assortment of gold chain necklaces, matching his wire-framed glasses. He was enthusiastic, in words and gestures. The meeting became less of an interview and more of a conversation, the topics ranging from fast fashion to life advice. Although separated by screens, I was struck by his passion and energy. The 24-year-old has built a freelance business from the ground up, collaborated with clients to build their branding and continued to work full-time – all in the middle of a pandemic. His freelance brainchild, a Lexington-based creative agency called WORKINGWITHSAINT (WWS), helps design branding campaigns for clients, mostly independent musicians and young technology startups. Diaz wasted no time in diving into what he does and why he does it. Born into an immigrant family, Diaz was raised in Lexington and went to UK as a digital media and design major. While in college, he helped friends build branding for their startup companies and bands, and WORKINGWITHSAINT was created. Explaining his agency’s unique name, Diaz said, “The place where the ‘working with’ comes from is a lot of the people we work with actually end up becoming

76 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

ORIGINAL ART PROVIDED BY ARMANDO DIAZ

our friends. ‘Saint’ comes from wanting to be a perfectionist and wanting to create work that’s very holy.” Although bands and tech companies seem like irreconcilably different clientele, Diaz sees them as surprisingly similar. “I think it’s cool because [working with] tech startups and young musicians, young bands and young artists, it’s almost the same thing – low budgets, very tight deadlines and greater rewards when you do things right,” Diaz said. “I think musicians and young entrepreneurs and young startups have the same drive and the same challenges.” The agency’s Instagram page, @workingwithsaint, echoes this sentiment in its profile description: “Young founders and musicians face the same problem. Ask us how.” WWS works alongside these clients and builds a public brand around their aesthetics and marketing needs. “Focus on who you’re trying to serve and what you’re trying to do, and more importantly, create timeless work … helping people figure out who they are, what they do and why they do it, and then translating that into a design,” Diaz said, summarizing his vision for WWS. Diaz’s business philosophy closely mirrors his opinions about the clothing industry. As with WWS, he values timelessness and functionality in fashion above trendiness. Citing brands like Carhartt, Allbirds and Pyer Moss, Diaz spoke to the difference between inexpensive fast fashion and more costly but better-quality pieces. He laughed, saying that he used to be a “hypebeast,” concerned more with a brand name than the quality of clothes. His view of clothes and fashion has changed since then. “I’ll spend 80 bucks on a Carhartt jacket or some coveralls,” he said. “It’s going to last me. I could probably give it to my grandkids.” Diaz pointed to the sweater he was wearing. “I’m just wearing this ‘cause I got it at Goodwill,” he said.

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IN PURSUIT OF

TIMELESSNESS A CONVERSATION WITH ARMANDO DIAZ BY RAYLEIGH DEATON

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ORIGINAL ART PROVIDED BY ARMANDO DIAZ

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PHOTO BY TYRIQ DUCKWYLER

TOP: Armando Diaz sits for a photo on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, in Lexington, Ky. BOTTOM: One of the designs WORKINGWITHSAINT created for the Sunmates rebrand. Original art by Armando Diaz.

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Diaz firmly believes that fashion is an art form, a way for individuals and designers to express their creativity and imagination. To him, fast fashion rips off artists; while more accessible and usually more affordable, those trendy, cheap clothes are mere imitations of the real things. “[Avoiding fast fashion] puts more pressure and more responsibility on these vendors, on these artists, on these designers to think about their apparel,” Diaz said. “I’m hoping that consumer habits change in favor of that … I’m not saying I want everyone to be like me, but I feel like that’s the only way you get the attention of these execs at Forever 21 or H&M.” This pursuit of responsible, timeless functionality permeates Diaz’s vision for WWS. From the clients the agency takes on, to the work he produces, Diaz strives to build branding that will stand the test of time. “If you were a client, and we’re working on a brand guidebook, I wouldn’t want to put you in a lane that’s super trendy today,” he said. “I’d want to create something that will last you for quite a while.” WWS is able to produce this curated branding by building relationships with its clientele, relationships that often develop into long-term friendships. However, due to the extended time the company devotes to each client, and because he and the other five WWS employees all have other full-time jobs, Diaz and his team have to be selective with whom they work with. “It’s not because we’re snobs or anything, but it’s a two-way street, and a lot of these projects are long term. You’re talking about at least a month of working together,” Diaz said. The company originally started out working primarily with independent bands and music artists. “A lot of it came down to working with musicians and experimenting with what musicians need and how we can help them,” Diaz said. “We’ve transitioned from being a creative agency to now an art house where we focus on working with more musicians at any caliber, at any level, at any stage in their career, just for the sake of doing creative work with people who are responsible.” One of the agency’s first clients was singer Soma, KRNL’s cover model last spring. WWS worked with Soma to build her branding and helped her land the opportunity to work with indie band Empress Of. The WORKINGWITHSAINT Instagram includes several posts featuring Soma from the branding campaign.

A design WORKINGWITHSAINT made for the AGIFT rebrand. Original art by Armando Diaz.

WWS has also collaborated with Korean clothing designer Doin’mathang, whose avant garde styles are taking Seoul street fashion by storm, according to Diaz, as well as rapper AGIFT. Since I spoke with Diaz in October, WWS has collaborated with indie band Sunmates, helping them with an entire rebrand and new website design in conjunction with the release of their newest EP. Diaz said he relates to these young bands, referring to the struggles that come with starting any venture, be it forming a band or building a business. WWS is also branching out to work with other businesses, such as technology companies. For example, the agency worked with Vividcharts, a tech company specializing in creating accessible, curated data reports for businesses. Work for the agency has not slowed, despite COVID-19; in fact, Diaz said the pandemic brought some positives for his business and its clients, particularly the musicians. Bands have not been able to have in-person concerts in the usual venues, but Diaz sees this as a blessing in disguise. “I’m not a huge fan of venues,” he said. “They sort of rip off musicians,

so everything’s changing now to be more digital and changing to creating and connecting with people via your phone.” He also sees this shift toward more virtual methods of hosting concerts as giving bands more leverage and cutting out any overhead costs with the venue rental. As a result, more of the earnings from admission and merchandise sales go directly to the band. “I think we’re going to see a shift where musicians will have that leverage, where they can just do this on their own even more,” Diaz said. “Would you rather host your EP at your friend’s backyard or do it at a venue where you have to make your audience pay and you only get a certain amount?” Diaz believes it is important for people to not only know what they are doing with their lives but why they are doing it. “Don’t ask yourself ‘What do you want to do?’ but ‘What do you want to solve, and what do you want to contribute to any field or focus that you’re interested in?’” he said. He also had advice for anyone trying to figure out what they want to do in life. To him, responsible work stems from building or creating something that will benefit and is accessible to others. • SPRING 2021 | 79

PHOTO BY TYRIQ DUCKWYLER

TOP: Armando Diaz sits for a photo on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, in Lexington, Ky. BOTTOM: One of the designs WORKINGWITHSAINT created for the Sunmates rebrand. Original art by Armando Diaz.

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A design WORKINGWITHSAINT made for the AGIFT rebrand. Original art by Armando Diaz.

REWIND TO NOSTALGIA

VINTAGE THERAPY CARHART BIBS THRASHED | 65 BETTY BOOP HOP T-SHIRT | 105 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL

BY CATIE ARCHAMBEAU There’s a lingering feeling of nostalgia surrounding the times in which we live. It’s not uncommon to hear, “I can’t wait to tell my grandchildren about this,” or “My kids’ history textbook is going to be lengthy when they get to 2020.” The act of contemplating the pre/ during/post-pandemic lifestyle forces us to reflect on what changes we adapt to daily and think back on what our individual lives looked like pre-COVID-19. This nostalgic shoot, inspired by ‘90s magazines and styles, is an ode to our inner child, a place we treasure for being so different and simple in comparison to current everyday life. The styling team utilized two vendors, Vintage Therapy and Macy’s, to teleport you back to your early youth in this retroinspired photoshoot. Vintage Therapy supplied KRNL L+F with authentic clothing articles from the late ‘80s and ‘90s to bring this shoot to life. Our team took advantage of childlike props, such as bubbles, Double Bubble gum and family games, to enhance the simple, fun-loving nature of the shoot. Fittingly, the ‘90s fashion trends that inspired this photoshoot are all the rage right now, as fashion is known to repeat itself over time. Looking through these photos, we hope you are reminded of the simplicity of those days you binged “Clueless” or the hours you spent trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube. We also hope you think about how much you have grown and changed, even if you are rocking the same style that you grew up wearing. •

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VINTAGE THERAPY JERSEY | 40 PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS

VINTAGE THERAPY MADONNA LIKE A VIRGIN TOUR TEE | 450 BUGLE BOY DENIM JACKET | 20 PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS

SPRING 2021 | 81

REWIND TO NOSTALGIA

VINTAGE THERAPY CARHART BIBS THRASHED | 65 BETTY BOOP HOP T-SHIRT | 105 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL

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VINTAGE THERAPY JERSEY | 40 PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS

VINTAGE THERAPY MADONNA LIKE A VIRGIN TOUR TEE | 450 BUGLE BOY DENIM JACKET | 20 PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS

SPRING 2021 | 81

MACY’S UNDER ARMOUR SPORTS BRA | 35 GREEN ADIDAS PANTS | 70

VINTAGE THERAPY CARHART BIBS THRASHED | 65 BETTY BOOP HOP T-SHIRT | 105 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL

PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS 82 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

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MACY’S UNDER ARMOUR SPORTS BRA | 35 GREEN ADIDAS PANTS | 70

VINTAGE THERAPY CARHART BIBS THRASHED | 65 BETTY BOOP HOP T-SHIRT | 105 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL

PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS 82 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

SPRING 2021 | 83

2002

VINTAGE THERAPY BLACK PURSE | 20 PHOTOS BY AMBER RITSCHEL SPRING 2021 | 85

2002

VINTAGE THERAPY BLACK PURSE | 20 PHOTOS BY AMBER RITSCHEL SPRING 2021 | 85

VINTAGE THERAPY KENTUCKY PUFFER JACKET | 75 UK SWEATER | 60 MACY’S WESTERN FIT LEVI JEANS | 60 PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS VINTAGE THERAPY 80s BUGLE BOY WINDSUIT | 55 PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS

SPRING 2021 | 87

VINTAGE THERAPY KENTUCKY PUFFER JACKET | 75 UK SWEATER | 60 MACY’S WESTERN FIT LEVI JEANS | 60 PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS VINTAGE THERAPY 80s BUGLE BOY WINDSUIT | 55 PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS

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VINTAGE THERAPY WHITE SWEATER | 18 LIZ CLAIBORNE PURSE | 5 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL 88 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS SPRING 2021 | 89

VINTAGE THERAPY WHITE SWEATER | 18 LIZ CLAIBORNE PURSE | 5 PHOTO BY AMBER RITSCHEL 88 | KRNL LIFESTYLE + FASHION

PHOTO BY KAITLYN SKAGGS SPRING 2021 | 89

HEA RT & SOL E BY OLIVIA SANDERSON | PHOTOS BY TYRIQ DUCKWYLER

ocal businessman and artist Billy Hobbs lights up at the mention of those he has made shoes for. And with a clientele for his sneaker customizing business that includes a lot of big names, Hobbs keeps on shining. Hobbs, who grew up in Lexington and has raised his family there, with a son currently attending the University of Kentucky, is the founder and sole operator of True Blue Customs. True Blue Customs is a small business that personalizes shoes to the client’s wants. Designs are hand-drawn and painted by Hobbs, who has been doing it since 2002. Hobbs paints all types of shoes, ranging from sneakers to cleats to boots. He worked for Pepsi-Cola for 12 years as a truck driver before taking his business full-time. Thanks to encouragement from a friend for whom he restored a pair of Nike Air Jordan 1s back in 2002, Hobbs now gets to revamp sneakers and cleats as his job. Having been full-time with True Blue Customs since 2012, Hobbs has since created a Dunkin’ Donuts design for UK Basketball Coach John Calipari, painted a pair for UK Basketball special assistant to the head coach John Robic and designed a Kobe and Gigi Bryant tribute pair for former UK basketball player and current Dallas Mavericks power forward Willie Cauley-Stein. Customizing sneakers was not Hobbs’ first art form, though; he started drawing sneakers in middle school. “I was obsessed with drawing shoes, believe it or

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One of Hobbs’ many shoe customizations meant to honor the late Kobe Bryant on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

Hobbs hand paints Mickey Mouse on one of his latest projects on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

not,” Hobbs said. “I would design my own Nikes back when I was in middle school … I had to have every sneaker that came out; every new release, I had to have those growing up.” Customizing sneakers lets him combine his inner sneakerhead with his artistic and creative abilities to make something incredible. Aside from the imaginative aspect, Hobbs is also incredibly motivated. “You’re responsible for your own hustle,” he said. Hobbs said he could do from 20 to 70 pairs in a month depending on the design for the clients. “I’m always thinking about my next pair,” he said. One of his side projects shows off some more of his artistic roots. Hobbs would draw old cars and bonded with his father over a shared love of them. “I try to take Saturdays off,” he said. “I’m currently building an old hot rod with my dad.” His family’s creative side also shines through as Hobbs said that both of his children are artistic and that he loves to support them in their endeavors. Hobbs said his daughter enjoys makeup, and his son has a clothing brand. “It’s still art, just a different brand,” Hobbs said. Hobbs’ son Bryson raved about his father’s determination and creativity, saying that seeing

his dad take his art seriously inspired him to make his own brand and pursue art. Bryson said one of his favorite qualities about his dad is “he just likes making things.” Bryson shared a story of getting an unexpected text from his dad one day. “One time I was just sitting there, and I get a text from him, and turns out this man was just hanging out with Willie Cauley-Stein ... and just sent me a picture of his chain,” Bryson said. That is not the only wild story Hobbs has either. He even customized a pair for Coach Calipari to gift to rapper Drake for his birthday. Hobbs said he never expected to have his side hobby become his full-time profession. He still loves it, though. He said the most enjoyable part of his job is building and refining his art. Hobbs knew as a child that he had a passion for art and shoes and that child would be proud of what he became: a family man with children involved in different artistic pursuits; a son who gets to build cars with his father on his days off; and a thriving businessman whose product is based on his art. As someone who knows Hobbs best, Bryson describes his father as someone who “likes to shock people, innovate, do something someone’s never done before.” • SPRING 2021 | 91

HEA RT & SOL E BY OLIVIA SANDERSON | PHOTOS BY TYRIQ DUCKWYLER

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One of Hobbs’ many shoe customizations meant to honor the late Kobe Bryant on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

Hobbs hand paints Mickey Mouse on one of his latest projects on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

hat makes a successful artist? A strong support system? Raw talent? Hard work? Artists can face so many obstacles like creative blocks, injuries and perfectionism. But it isn’t about the challenges artists face; it is about how they overcome them. There are few milestones in life more overwhelming than entering your freshman year of college; the excitement of meeting new people and getting a real start on your future can be extremely scary. When you factor in a pandemic, the stress of finding where you belong on campus is compounded. Four freshmen learned to work through the crazy challenge of entering college mid-pandemic and thrived. These students pushed through and made a name for themselves on campus as artists. Jasper Howell, Sarah Baird, Maxwell Schroeder and Ben Humphries prove that there is not one way to be an artist, as each of these Wildcats focus on different artistic ventures. A visual artist, dancer, photographer and musician have been able to thrive in their own ways on campus. “I feel like as a creative, I have a lot of ideas, but it’s a matter of actually making them happen,” Howell said. Howell, a digital artist from Michigan, turns to his artistic inspirations, like Tyler the Creator, to help him out of his “artist’s block.” Another huge motivation for Howell is the people in his life. Despite not truly getting into art until his sophomore year of high school, Howell has been surrounded by creative people his entire life. His grandmother was an artist, and she heavily inspired him, teaching him more about his craft. “My favorite piece I have created so far is ‘Butterfly,’ because I made it for someone I really care about,” he said. The digital art piece features a skeleton with blue and green butterflies escaping its chest, accompanied by the statement “I’ll never forget the first time we met.” “I think one of the biggest reasons that I am successful, not just as an artist but a student, a lacrosse player, all of it, is the people that I surround myself with,” Howell said. “A strong support system is such a major part of success to me.” As an artist, Howell is not confined to one medium. “I have been really getting into photography lately,” he said. “It’s definitely my new favorite, although I will always love creating digital art.”

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THE ART OF BEING A WILDCAT BY SOPHIA SHOEMAKER PHOTOS BY MARTHA McHANEY “Butterflies” by Jasper Howell.

After college, Howell plans to pursue a career in sports media. Because he is well-versed in a few art forms, he hopes to do something in graphic design, film or photography in the future. “It is always overwhelming to think about what comes after college, but my experience as a digital artist, as well as the experience I’m gaining at the University of Kentucky, is definitely boosting my confidence and preparing me for my professional future,” Howell said. Dancer Sarah Baird comes from a studio in Greenup County, Ky. She has studied almost every style of dance, including hip-hop, tap, ballet and jazz. Baird is a versatile artist who knows all about jumping through hoops and overcoming obstacles. “I’m not going to lie, joining a D1 university dance team in the middle of a pandemic was very overwhelming,” Baird said. “Due to restrictions, we were unable to meet during summer break, which resulted in us being launched into full practice mode. Moving in, adjusting to campus and class, all while having the difficulty of bonding with teammates through masks and socially

Digital artist Jasper Howell poses on the University of Kentucky’s campus on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

distanced. However, the dance team has also been a huge support system among everything, and it has been truly much better going through all the stress of COVID19 with my team rather than alone.” The dancer tore her labrum as a sophomore in high school, causing her to miss an entire competition season. Being away from what you love can discourage a person or cause them to lose their motivation. “Growing up as a dancer my whole life, basically living life at the studio more than my own home, it was heartbreaking and left me feeling quite displaced to not be able to do the thing I loved most for so many months of recovery,” Baird said. Despite the setback, she was able to push through and overcome this injury, going on to win a “Contest of Champions” national title. Baird plans to remain a member of UKDT throughout college but is following a different career path by majoring in mechanical engineering. Baird shows that working hard pays off, as she balances being a D1 athlete, artist and engineering student. SPRING 2021 | 93

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THE ART OF BEING A WILDCAT BY SOPHIA SHOEMAKER PHOTOS BY MARTHA McHANEY “Butterflies” by Jasper Howell.

Digital artist Jasper Howell poses on the University of Kentucky’s campus on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

PHOTO PROVIDED Sarah Baird poses with her dance team poms on Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

French hornist Ben Humphries smiles for a photo at the bottom of the Social Staircase in the University of Kentucky Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021.

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Dancer Sarah Baird performs on stage with fellow dancers in May 2019, in Richmond, Ky.

Maxwell Schroeder, freshman photographer, likes to capture human emotion and activity while shooting and filming sports. Schroeder got his start as a photographer nearly seven years ago when he discovered it was the perfect way to combine his love for sports and his natural creativity. After building his portfolio filming and photographing high school sports, he landed a spot working with UK Athletics as a freshman. “I am involved in a lot of stuff on campus,” Schroeder said. “Between photography and film, classwork and playing lacrosse, balancing everything is not easy.” However, he does not let pressure or stress have a negative effect on his skill. “The most important thing to me as a photographer is definitely quality over quantity,” he said. “I want whoever is looking at my photos to feel something. When I am able to photograph someone making a game-winning catch or a team facing the devastating loss of a tied game, I want everyone else to feel what they’re feeling when they look at my pictures.” Schroeder’s art can be found on his Instagram page @max.videos.

After graduating from UK, Schroeder has big plans. Like Howell, he is planning to pursue a career in sports media. Schroeder hopes to be a creative director for a major sports association such as the NBA or NFL one day. Many artists struggle with perfectionism. Ben Humphries, a French horn player from Versailles, Ky., knows exactly what it means to be a perfectionist. “Being a perfectionist creates a lot of unrealistic expectations for me as an artist, which causes a lot of stress and anxiety,” Humphries said. He got into music after starting to play the violin in the third grade. The years of experience that he has as a musician had many colleges wanting Ben to consider joining their music program, he said. After graduation, Humphries plans to continue pursuing his degree at UK, then hopes to find work as a musician and join a major orchestra as a hornist. Because of the hardships they have faced and the people they have supporting them, these Wildcats are ready to take on what comes next, and thrive as artists. •

“The most important thing to me as a photographer is definitely quality over quantity.” – MAXWELL SCHROEDER

PHOTO PROVIDED Photographer Maxwell Schroeder on the job at a University of Kentucky soccer game in September 2020, in Lexington, Ky.

Maxwell Schroeder sits at the University of Kentucky Gatton Student Center on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, in Lexington,Ky.

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PHOTO PROVIDED Sarah Baird poses with her dance team poms on Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, in Lexington, Ky.

French hornist Ben Humphries smiles for a photo at the bottom of the Social Staircase in the University of Kentucky Gatton Student Center in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021.

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Dancer Sarah Baird performs on stage with fellow dancers in May 2019, in Richmond, Ky.

“The most important thing to me as a photographer is definitely quality over quantity.” – MAXWELL SCHROEDER

PHOTO PROVIDED Photographer Maxwell Schroeder on the job at a University of Kentucky soccer game in September 2020, in Lexington, Ky.

Maxwell Schroeder sits at the University of Kentucky Gatton Student Center on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, in Lexington,Ky.

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