Contributor’s Corner
KAYLA BRANSTETTER: Her Art, Her piece, Our Voices by Sarah Ann Eroy Silence is a practical tool in survival as youngins. But as we grow old, we make it our mission to get our ideas, opinions, and voices out there for others to hear. We don’t have to yell at the top of our lungs as a way to get our thoughts across, but we can do it in ways we do best. It may have started as an escape, but as time went on, Kayla Branstetter worked hard to develop her voice and creativity over the years. “In 6th grade, my poem, ‘Mother’ was published in a national anthology. During this time, my mom was married to an emotionally and physically abusive man, and my form of survival was silence. I desired to be invisible and remain out of his sight,” Kayla shares with NRM. “I endured a toxic home environment, and suffered being bullied at school. My imagination, writing, and art served as my escape. People, music, books, and my surroundings are my greatest inspirations,” Kayla adds. As Madeleine Albright said, “It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent” And just like the former secretary of state, Kayla then begins her journey to get her voice heard, with no plans on stopping. Who is Kyla Branstetter? “I actually love this question because finding my voice and being proud of who I am was a struggle,” Kayla answers. I decided to use the pain and experience for art and writing to raise awareness to not only domestic and child abuse, but to offer support for victims and survivors.” Kayla Branstetter is an artist, writer, professor, and mother to two beautiful daughters. She possesses a passion for the arts, and as much as she enjoys creating them, her true love involves introducing art to her daughters and students. “My daughters’ favorite pastime is painting on a blank canvas. They mix colors and allow their imaginations to come to life. I teach writing and most students are intimidated with this craft, but when my students realize the power in finding their voices, it is like magic.” Kayla says.
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“My favorite writers and role models are strong women such as my mom, my stepmoms (I had a few), my sisters, Margaret Atwood, Alice Walker, Maya Angelou, Anita Diamant, Michelle Obama, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Gloria Steinem.” Kayla shares. For art, Kayla fell in love with the Abstract Expressionism Movement during graduate school. “Because I related to the themes and ideas associated with this movement. Life does not make sense sometimes. My favorite artists are Jackson Pollock, William de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Pablo Picasso, Jacob Lawrence, and more contemporary artists like Judy Chicago and Jacob Burmood.” Outside of engaging and advocating for the arts, Kayla talks about her love of travel: “I’ve visited several countries, tried a plethora of food, and met beautiful people, and these experiences serve as inspiration to my art and writing.” Whether in creating art or writing, most of Kayla’s works revolve around nonfiction, touching true-to-life experiences and issues. “I struggle with writing fiction, so the majority of my writing is nonfiction and I have an array of topics that have been published: my experience with surviving abuse, my miscarriage, witnessing a Jewish wedding during my trip to Israel, raising awareness to Native American history, my travels, my childhood, my daughters, and women’s rights.” She deduces. “I am currently writing a nonfiction book and the only information I can give is the content centers on women. Most of my artwork is activism—immigration, women, and human rights as a [a] whole; however, my artwork is also inspired by nature and happiness. Art is whatever we want it to be, and the practice does not always require a serious, threatening, and sad connotation, but a joyful, auspicious, and fun tone.” Kayla shares. CASTE In this issue of NRM, Kayla brings us one of her works, Caste, an art piece she created after witnessing the riots over the summer of 2020. “I decided to read about the movement, and this led me to two influential books: Just Mercy and Caste. These books opened my eyes to the injustices minorities have and continue to face.”
