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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Welcome to KQED Arts’ \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/bay-brilliant\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bay Brilliant\u003c/a>, a series celebrating 10 local artists, creatives and makers who are pushing boundaries in 2018. Driven by passion for their own disciplines—music, dance, theater, visual art, performance, writing, illustration and more—these artists are true vanguards paving the way in their respective communities.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether directing theater productions, mesmerizing audiences with her acrobatics-based performance art or teaching pole dancing to queer and trans people of color, \u003ca href=\"https://indiaskydavis.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">India Sky Davis\u003c/a> redefines what people think when they think of “the circus.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Davis is the artistic director and co-founder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/topsyturvycircus/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Topsy Turvy Queer Circus\u003c/a>, the popular show that lights up San Francisco’s Brava Theater every year in the weeks leading up to Pride. Davis and co-founder Indi McCasey have devoted the past three years of Topsy Turvy to a trilogy called \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em>, a three-part Afrosurrealist play about a fallen angel (played by Davis) who must navigate her way through mystical worlds to fix the order of the universe. An impressive feat of acrobatics and choreography, \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em> offers a moving story arc about reclaiming one’s personal power.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since its inception in 2012, Topsy Turvy has grown to become the foremost platform for queer circus arts in the Bay Area. Its cast is composed entirely of queer and trans people of color, and several of the cast members are also skilled sign language interpreters who sign while reciting lines and doing backflips. (No biggie.) And, of course, Topsy Turvy’s acting and acrobatics are dazzling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No matter her artistic medium, Davis’ goal is to uplift her community, and the ultra-inclusive spirit of Topsy Turvy has attracted a huge, loyal and super-queer cult following—and sparked valuable conversations about access in performing arts spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/6He5W_LclZg\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I’ve been to Topsy Turvy Queer Circus three times, and it’s so incredibly inclusive. I love that you have sign language as an active part of the show. Has the popularity of Topsy Turvy shifted the conversation in other queer spaces, especially about access for people with disabilities?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I feel like in the queer community—at least my queer, black, brown community in the Bay Area—there’s discussion and effort around making spaces accessible. Because there are people who have different access needs, I see more effort around having places that are physically accessible and also scent sensitive. But I don’t see as many spaces that have American Sign Language interpretation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sign language is such a huge, ingrained part of the show because of \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/bkazenmaddox?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brandon Kazen-Maddox\u003c/a>, who’s an interpreter. He’s one of the main performers in the \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em> series, and I’ve worked with him for over four years. He’s a huge advocate for accessibility to the deaf community. He’s black and queer, and he’s the child of deaf grandparents, so he grew up using sign language. He definitely did a lot of work to make sure that the show was accessible for deaf folks. And not even just accessible, but actually taking sign language to the next level and being really creative in its use and integrating it fully into the show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also there’s another person, Kevin Abrams, who came in during the second year of \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em>. He is deaf, so he was brought in as another interpreter and also as another character in the show. The interpreters are characters, and the characters are interpreters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13839051\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13839051\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-800x571.jpg\" alt=\"India Sky Davis.\" width=\"800\" height=\"571\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-800x571.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-768x549.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-1020x729.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-1200x857.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-1180x843.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-960x686.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-240x171.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-375x268.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-520x371.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3.jpg 1512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">India Sky Davis. \u003ccite>(Jean Melesaine)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You have so many different kinds of media that are part of \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em>: there’s dance, acting and acrobatics, and then the video elements and original music. What’s your process of bringing the whole vision together? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s always really collaborative because it’s a huge project. When I got the idea to do \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em>, I wanted to also create a platform for brilliant artists. Even creating the story, I created the characters based off of some of the performers that had been in Topsy Turvy who are friends of mine that I’ve worked with for a long time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And so I definitely talked with everyone who’s in the show. I’m like, “This is what the character is,” and then they collaborated with me to bring that character to life. The first year, while I was creating the story, Indira Allegra was writing and I was helping with some edits. We were both writing the second year. And then this year has been the first year that I basically created and wrote the story all by myself. It was a lot of work, but it was also a great experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s people in the cast who are choreographing. I’m not doing everything: I’m giving direction. I’ll do a lot of curation, I’ll select music or even select musicians. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13783251/spellling-a-highlight-at-three-day-black-brown-punk-festival\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spellling\u003c/a> did a lot of composing the past two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here in the Bay Area, there’s a lot of really amazing and talented artists. My joy—and also, I guess, my practice—is to find people I think are really talented and ask them to lend their talents towards bringing this vision to life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>That’s a beautiful thing. So what compels you about circus arts as a storytelling medium?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think what I like about acrobatic art and aerial dancing and pole dancing is that it’s larger than life. For me, having a super wild imagination—and, I think, wanting to communicate things that are maybe ethereal or hyper-imaginative or fantasy or very surreal—these movement practices where you can transform into anything is really appealing and interesting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think that I personally have a lot of challenge around the history of American circus. But for me, it’s a tool that I use to communicate these ideas and to bring fantasy and imagination to life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ftopsyturvycircus%2Fvideos%2F1527865423892209%2F&show_text=0&width=560\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You’ve worked in other mediums. Before Topsy Turvy, you were known as a dancer with your group Body Waves, and you’ve done photography and solo performance art pieces. Could you tell me about a couple of those?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah. When I was in undergrad at Antioch College in Ohio, I did theater and film and dance. I did a lot of video work, so that’s one of the reasons why every \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em> has had video in it and it’s always a part of the story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then in terms of my solo work, I’m definitely pretty multidisciplinary. I just actually played [the underground music festival] \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13838574/the-multivers-is-illuminated-festival-spotlights-black-and-brown-punks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Multivrs is Illuminated\u003c/a> last Thursday. For that set, I was using a vocal loop pedal and pole dancing in that soundscape. I had a duet with a friend; I was dancing in this light projection that reacts when you move, which a friend of mine who’s a coder made.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I like to sing. I really like immersive environments, and I really love imagery. The projects now where I’m creating live soundscapes and dancing within them and working with interactive light is something that I’ve been doing for about a year now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before that, I performed in bars and nightlife and sometimes toured around solo. I had a solo show called \u003cem>An Angel’s Manifesto\u003c/em> right before the first \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em> opened [in 2015]. That was a dance show. I had an outdoor pole performance at Frank Ogawa Plaza at night in February that was just addressing violence towards femmes in the street and street harassment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then there was a photo component, which was a series embodying the different archetypes: one was The World from tarot, another one was like a water spirit in the desert. And that was a collaboration with a friend of mine who’s a photographer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13839048\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13839048\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-800x571.jpg\" alt=\"India Sky Davis.\" width=\"800\" height=\"571\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-800x571.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-768x549.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-1020x729.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-1200x857.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-1180x843.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-960x686.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-240x171.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-375x268.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-520x371.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1.jpg 1512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">India Sky Davis. \u003ccite>(Jean Melesaine)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I’m struck by how you use pole in this really beautiful and sensual way. How did you get into that practice, and how did it became such a key part of your artistry?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I started pole a long time ago, like maybe 2007, and that was with a friend who was a stripper who had a pole at home. This is before there was this pole studio craze. Maybe you could take a pole class at a sex shop, but it was not popular like it is now. Really, we were just kicking it and playing and teaching ourselves stuff. And we would just take out the pole when we were just having fun or having a party or whatever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So that’s when I first started. I danced very, very briefly right after I graduated from college at a strip club. Then when I moved to Oakland, I brought a pole with me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had just moved here, I was super broke. I was trying to figure out how I was going to make money during the day. And then I decided I wanted to teach a pole class for queer and trans people of color because that’s just who I wanted to be in class with. It became super popular. I think it was as this popularity of pole dancing was coming, and also the specificity of the space was appealing. I had a lot of fun doing it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve pretty much taught that class consistently for the past six years. It has helped me a lot and has kept me in the pole world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>In the six years that you’ve been in the Bay Area, things have definitely shifted a lot. Are you feeling some of those effects as an artist?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, there’s been a lot of changes over the six years that I’ve been here. I think the biggest change that I feel is just the cost of living, specifically housing. Ideally, I would have a different kind of studio space and living situation. That just isn’t possible for me here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I feel it just by so many people that have been displaced out of their homes and the rise of people that are homeless, living on the street. It’s really intense, and is a huge problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What would be your ideal future for artists in the Bay Area?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s a big question, wow. What I would like to see is for artists—black and brown and queer artists—to get more funding for their work. I would like to see affordable housing for artists, but I would also like to see affordable housing for everyone. I would like to see more equitable pay, like the disparity between how much people are getting paid is so astronomical because we live in this really intense tech industry bubble here where there’s people that are making a ridiculous amount of money and then people that just can’t afford to pay the prices that are out here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I would like to see more planning and justice around racial equity and housing and access, and just a safer place, a safer community. Where people are prioritized and the land is prioritized and health is prioritized. Yeah, that’s a big question.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "India Sky Davis, the co-founder of Topsy Turvy Queer Circus, uses dazzling acrobatics to tell empowering stories that center queer and trans people of color. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Welcome to KQED Arts’ \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/bay-brilliant\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bay Brilliant\u003c/a>, a series celebrating 10 local artists, creatives and makers who are pushing boundaries in 2018. Driven by passion for their own disciplines—music, dance, theater, visual art, performance, writing, illustration and more—these artists are true vanguards paving the way in their respective communities.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whether directing theater productions, mesmerizing audiences with her acrobatics-based performance art or teaching pole dancing to queer and trans people of color, \u003ca href=\"https://indiaskydavis.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">India Sky Davis\u003c/a> redefines what people think when they think of “the circus.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Davis is the artistic director and co-founder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/topsyturvycircus/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Topsy Turvy Queer Circus\u003c/a>, the popular show that lights up San Francisco’s Brava Theater every year in the weeks leading up to Pride. Davis and co-founder Indi McCasey have devoted the past three years of Topsy Turvy to a trilogy called \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em>, a three-part Afrosurrealist play about a fallen angel (played by Davis) who must navigate her way through mystical worlds to fix the order of the universe. An impressive feat of acrobatics and choreography, \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em> offers a moving story arc about reclaiming one’s personal power.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since its inception in 2012, Topsy Turvy has grown to become the foremost platform for queer circus arts in the Bay Area. Its cast is composed entirely of queer and trans people of color, and several of the cast members are also skilled sign language interpreters who sign while reciting lines and doing backflips. (No biggie.) And, of course, Topsy Turvy’s acting and acrobatics are dazzling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No matter her artistic medium, Davis’ goal is to uplift her community, and the ultra-inclusive spirit of Topsy Turvy has attracted a huge, loyal and super-queer cult following—and sparked valuable conversations about access in performing arts spaces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/6He5W_LclZg'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/6He5W_LclZg'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I’ve been to Topsy Turvy Queer Circus three times, and it’s so incredibly inclusive. I love that you have sign language as an active part of the show. Has the popularity of Topsy Turvy shifted the conversation in other queer spaces, especially about access for people with disabilities?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I feel like in the queer community—at least my queer, black, brown community in the Bay Area—there’s discussion and effort around making spaces accessible. Because there are people who have different access needs, I see more effort around having places that are physically accessible and also scent sensitive. But I don’t see as many spaces that have American Sign Language interpretation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sign language is such a huge, ingrained part of the show because of \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/bkazenmaddox?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brandon Kazen-Maddox\u003c/a>, who’s an interpreter. He’s one of the main performers in the \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em> series, and I’ve worked with him for over four years. He’s a huge advocate for accessibility to the deaf community. He’s black and queer, and he’s the child of deaf grandparents, so he grew up using sign language. He definitely did a lot of work to make sure that the show was accessible for deaf folks. And not even just accessible, but actually taking sign language to the next level and being really creative in its use and integrating it fully into the show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also there’s another person, Kevin Abrams, who came in during the second year of \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em>. He is deaf, so he was brought in as another interpreter and also as another character in the show. The interpreters are characters, and the characters are interpreters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13839051\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13839051\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-800x571.jpg\" alt=\"India Sky Davis.\" width=\"800\" height=\"571\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-800x571.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-768x549.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-1020x729.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-1200x857.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-1180x843.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-960x686.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-240x171.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-375x268.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3-520x371.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz3.jpg 1512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">India Sky Davis. \u003ccite>(Jean Melesaine)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You have so many different kinds of media that are part of \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em>: there’s dance, acting and acrobatics, and then the video elements and original music. What’s your process of bringing the whole vision together? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s always really collaborative because it’s a huge project. When I got the idea to do \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em>, I wanted to also create a platform for brilliant artists. Even creating the story, I created the characters based off of some of the performers that had been in Topsy Turvy who are friends of mine that I’ve worked with for a long time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And so I definitely talked with everyone who’s in the show. I’m like, “This is what the character is,” and then they collaborated with me to bring that character to life. The first year, while I was creating the story, Indira Allegra was writing and I was helping with some edits. We were both writing the second year. And then this year has been the first year that I basically created and wrote the story all by myself. It was a lot of work, but it was also a great experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s people in the cast who are choreographing. I’m not doing everything: I’m giving direction. I’ll do a lot of curation, I’ll select music or even select musicians. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13783251/spellling-a-highlight-at-three-day-black-brown-punk-festival\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spellling\u003c/a> did a lot of composing the past two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here in the Bay Area, there’s a lot of really amazing and talented artists. My joy—and also, I guess, my practice—is to find people I think are really talented and ask them to lend their talents towards bringing this vision to life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>That’s a beautiful thing. So what compels you about circus arts as a storytelling medium?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think what I like about acrobatic art and aerial dancing and pole dancing is that it’s larger than life. For me, having a super wild imagination—and, I think, wanting to communicate things that are maybe ethereal or hyper-imaginative or fantasy or very surreal—these movement practices where you can transform into anything is really appealing and interesting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think that I personally have a lot of challenge around the history of American circus. But for me, it’s a tool that I use to communicate these ideas and to bring fantasy and imagination to life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ftopsyturvycircus%2Fvideos%2F1527865423892209%2F&show_text=0&width=560\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You’ve worked in other mediums. Before Topsy Turvy, you were known as a dancer with your group Body Waves, and you’ve done photography and solo performance art pieces. Could you tell me about a couple of those?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah. When I was in undergrad at Antioch College in Ohio, I did theater and film and dance. I did a lot of video work, so that’s one of the reasons why every \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em> has had video in it and it’s always a part of the story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then in terms of my solo work, I’m definitely pretty multidisciplinary. I just actually played [the underground music festival] \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13838574/the-multivers-is-illuminated-festival-spotlights-black-and-brown-punks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Multivrs is Illuminated\u003c/a> last Thursday. For that set, I was using a vocal loop pedal and pole dancing in that soundscape. I had a duet with a friend; I was dancing in this light projection that reacts when you move, which a friend of mine who’s a coder made.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I like to sing. I really like immersive environments, and I really love imagery. The projects now where I’m creating live soundscapes and dancing within them and working with interactive light is something that I’ve been doing for about a year now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before that, I performed in bars and nightlife and sometimes toured around solo. I had a solo show called \u003cem>An Angel’s Manifesto\u003c/em> right before the first \u003cem>Paradise\u003c/em> opened [in 2015]. That was a dance show. I had an outdoor pole performance at Frank Ogawa Plaza at night in February that was just addressing violence towards femmes in the street and street harassment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then there was a photo component, which was a series embodying the different archetypes: one was The World from tarot, another one was like a water spirit in the desert. And that was a collaboration with a friend of mine who’s a photographer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13839048\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13839048\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-800x571.jpg\" alt=\"India Sky Davis.\" width=\"800\" height=\"571\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-800x571.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-768x549.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-1020x729.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-1200x857.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-1180x843.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-960x686.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-240x171.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-375x268.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1-520x371.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/ISDavisHoriz1.jpg 1512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">India Sky Davis. \u003ccite>(Jean Melesaine)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I’m struck by how you use pole in this really beautiful and sensual way. How did you get into that practice, and how did it became such a key part of your artistry?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I started pole a long time ago, like maybe 2007, and that was with a friend who was a stripper who had a pole at home. This is before there was this pole studio craze. Maybe you could take a pole class at a sex shop, but it was not popular like it is now. Really, we were just kicking it and playing and teaching ourselves stuff. And we would just take out the pole when we were just having fun or having a party or whatever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So that’s when I first started. I danced very, very briefly right after I graduated from college at a strip club. Then when I moved to Oakland, I brought a pole with me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I had just moved here, I was super broke. I was trying to figure out how I was going to make money during the day. And then I decided I wanted to teach a pole class for queer and trans people of color because that’s just who I wanted to be in class with. It became super popular. I think it was as this popularity of pole dancing was coming, and also the specificity of the space was appealing. I had a lot of fun doing it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve pretty much taught that class consistently for the past six years. It has helped me a lot and has kept me in the pole world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>In the six years that you’ve been in the Bay Area, things have definitely shifted a lot. Are you feeling some of those effects as an artist?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, there’s been a lot of changes over the six years that I’ve been here. I think the biggest change that I feel is just the cost of living, specifically housing. Ideally, I would have a different kind of studio space and living situation. That just isn’t possible for me here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I feel it just by so many people that have been displaced out of their homes and the rise of people that are homeless, living on the street. It’s really intense, and is a huge problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What would be your ideal future for artists in the Bay Area?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s a big question, wow. What I would like to see is for artists—black and brown and queer artists—to get more funding for their work. I would like to see affordable housing for artists, but I would also like to see affordable housing for everyone. I would like to see more equitable pay, like the disparity between how much people are getting paid is so astronomical because we live in this really intense tech industry bubble here where there’s people that are making a ridiculous amount of money and then people that just can’t afford to pay the prices that are out here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I would like to see more planning and justice around racial equity and housing and access, and just a safer place, a safer community. Where people are prioritized and the land is prioritized and health is prioritized. Yeah, that’s a big question.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ci>Welcome to KQED Arts’ \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/bay-brilliant\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bay Brilliant\u003c/a>, a series celebrating 10 local artists, creatives and makers who are pushing boundaries in 2018. Driven by passion for their own disciplines—music, dance, theater, visual art, performance, writing, illustration and more—these artists are true vanguards paving the way in their respective communities.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joey Alison Sayers has been drawing comics as long as she’s been reading them. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the first comics she remembers working on was a short-lived strip made in collaboration with her father; they called it “Play on Words” (or “P.O.W.” for those in the know). “They were just really terrible puns, essentially,” she says. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, Joey’s comics are far more than one-liners. She addresses issues of anxiety and depression, the current political climate, gentrification, technology and her own life as a transgender woman with flawless comedic timing and an empathetic, kind-hearted humor that leaves readers smiling broadly and hungry for more. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sayers posts new work three times a week on \u003ca href=\"https://www.gocomics.com/joey-alison-sayers-comics/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">GoComics\u003c/a>, draws a political strip every other week for the \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://thenib.com/joey-alison-sayers\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Nib\u003c/a>\u003c/i> (an online comics publication that just wrapped their second season of \u003ca href=\"https://www.topic.com/the-nib\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">animated shorts\u003c/a>, which Sayers also contributed to), takes on occasional freelance projects and authors nonstop \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/joeyalison\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">hilarious observations\u003c/a> on Twitter. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Add to that list being a mother, with her wife, to a three-year-old \u003ci>and\u003c/i> a six-year-old, and a day job at the Oakland Public Library, a place she describes as “boisterous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the fact that she draws on troubling aspects of contemporary society to inform her comics (transphobia, the tech bubble, bonkers conspiracy theories, white privilege, sexism, the list goes on), Sayers is optimistic about the future. “I think we as a society are becoming more empathetic,” she says. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s a bold outlook, considering life in America, 2018. But with Sayers’ keen observations, and her ability to turn those observations into much-needed comedy, how could you not believe her completely?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13838986\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200.jpg\" alt='Joey Alison Sayers, \"Doubt.\"' width=\"1200\" height=\"810\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13838986\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-800x540.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-768x518.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-1020x689.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-1180x797.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-960x648.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-240x162.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-375x253.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-520x351.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joey Alison Sayers, “Doubt.” \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the artist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What does the process of making one of your comics look like?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, the idea stage is really spontaneous. Often I’ll come up with an idea right as I’m going to sleep, in the middle of the night, or in the shower. As I’m saying this, I realize the one thing they all have in common is that it’s quiet time, which I don’t have a lot of in my life. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Depending on the length of it, I’ll script it out. And then from there, I’ll draw it up in pencil. I’m pretty low-tech for many of the steps. I ink it by hand, and then I scan it into the computer and color it on the computer. I do a lot of my drawing here at the library when I’m on breaks. I’ve learned to find time where I can make it. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Do you think you can describe your style of comics in three words?\u003c/strong> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maybe if I had an extra word I could do so much more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Do more!\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Cartoony, but not stupid.” I feel like my art sensibility is really similar to old-school newspaper strips, but I try and add a little something more, because I’m not as beholden to having such a broad audience that a syndicated strip does. I like to sort of push the limits. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Who is the audience you picture as you’re working on a comic?\u003c/strong> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My wife. She’s the person I think of when I’m writing. But other than that, I guess adults. Ages 20 to 106, and after that, you’re on your own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13838985\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200.jpg\" alt='Joey Alison Sayers, \"Joanie Appleseed.\"' width=\"1200\" height=\"578\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13838985\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-160x77.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-800x385.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-768x370.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-1020x491.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-1180x568.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-960x462.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-240x116.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-375x181.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-520x250.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joey Alison Sayers, “Joanie Appleseed.” \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the artist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Does the Bay Area influence your work? I noticed you have one strip titled “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/BjloxJ1gw8s/?taken-by=thejoeyalison\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">How to heal yourself with crystals\u003c/a>” and in another you depict \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/BiQvcjMg_eq/?taken-by=thejoeyalison\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">property owners looking down on renters\u003c/a>. These seem very Bay Area specific.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, a lot of the stuff I do, especially for \u003ci>The Nib\u003c/i>, I think is influenced by that. I often take shots at technology or tech companies and that massive wealth that we’re all surrounded by. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But just being here—I’ve lived here for 22 years or so now—there’s just something almost tangible about the energy and the creativity and the diversity of people here. It’s just easy to draw from that, because there’s just so much going on. I love it here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Your \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"http://www.jsayers.com/books.html\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Just So You Know\u003c/a>\u003c/i> comics (two books about coming out as transsexual, transitioning to living as a woman and simply being trans) are so poignant and funny. What was it like to turn a comedic eye to the experience of coming out as transgender? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, that was probably the only way I knew how to explore it and how to express it. There wasn’t that much back then—it’s been almost 10 years since I did the first one and the whole genre’s exploded in that time, much to the benefit of everybody, I think, trans or not. But a lot of it was really … I want to say negative. Or not negative, but it reflected the reality, which is a lot of pain, a lot of sadness and hurt and isolation. Those are all real things that unfortunately most of us face to one degree or another, but it’s not the whole picture, so I wanted to bring in the humorous side of it. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I wanted to show people that it’s not a terrible thing. Being trans isn’t something that I would necessarily sign up for if one were given that choice, but it doesn’t mean that there aren’t parts of it that are interesting or funny or weird.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13838984\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200.jpg\" alt=\"A page from 'Just So You Know #2,' published in 2010.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1855\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13838984\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-160x247.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-800x1237.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-768x1187.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-1020x1577.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-776x1200.jpg 776w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-1180x1824.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-960x1484.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-240x371.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-375x580.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-520x804.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A page from ‘Just So You Know #2,’ published in 2010. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the artist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Has your style of comedy changed over the years?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think it has changed a lot. I don’t know how much of that is just getting older and how much of that is striving for more empathy, or how much of that is transition-related. I feel like I give a lot more thought to what I’m saying. I used to just be a little bit more off-the-cuff and say things that maybe are less sensitive to the way other people feel, in the name of comedy. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I like to think I’m a better writer. Comics is 90 percent writing. They look short and they look easy, but sometimes I labor over the phrasing of a sentence because I want it to sound a certain way. I want the rhythm to be a certain way. I want it to lead into the next thing in a certain way. I definitely put a lot more thought into that. And I think it pays off. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What does your ideal future look like for artists in the Bay Area? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’re really lucky that we live in such an arts-focused environment, but I think there’s always room for more. It feels like we’re living in a time when the artistic and creative freedom that we’ve built over the last several decades could be something that is not always available to us. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think it’s also just a continued cultural shift towards appreciating art of all different types. TV is suddenly a respected art form and comics is a respected art form in ways that they weren’t always. I want to see more marginalized art forms get voices. I want everyone who has something to say in their own way to find a place in the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12127869\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "With flawless comedic timing and empathetic humor, the Oakland-based cartoonist leaves readers smiling and eager for more.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ci>Welcome to KQED Arts’ \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/bay-brilliant\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bay Brilliant\u003c/a>, a series celebrating 10 local artists, creatives and makers who are pushing boundaries in 2018. Driven by passion for their own disciplines—music, dance, theater, visual art, performance, writing, illustration and more—these artists are true vanguards paving the way in their respective communities.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joey Alison Sayers has been drawing comics as long as she’s been reading them. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the first comics she remembers working on was a short-lived strip made in collaboration with her father; they called it “Play on Words” (or “P.O.W.” for those in the know). “They were just really terrible puns, essentially,” she says. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, Joey’s comics are far more than one-liners. She addresses issues of anxiety and depression, the current political climate, gentrification, technology and her own life as a transgender woman with flawless comedic timing and an empathetic, kind-hearted humor that leaves readers smiling broadly and hungry for more. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sayers posts new work three times a week on \u003ca href=\"https://www.gocomics.com/joey-alison-sayers-comics/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">GoComics\u003c/a>, draws a political strip every other week for the \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://thenib.com/joey-alison-sayers\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Nib\u003c/a>\u003c/i> (an online comics publication that just wrapped their second season of \u003ca href=\"https://www.topic.com/the-nib\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">animated shorts\u003c/a>, which Sayers also contributed to), takes on occasional freelance projects and authors nonstop \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/joeyalison\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">hilarious observations\u003c/a> on Twitter. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Add to that list being a mother, with her wife, to a three-year-old \u003ci>and\u003c/i> a six-year-old, and a day job at the Oakland Public Library, a place she describes as “boisterous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the fact that she draws on troubling aspects of contemporary society to inform her comics (transphobia, the tech bubble, bonkers conspiracy theories, white privilege, sexism, the list goes on), Sayers is optimistic about the future. “I think we as a society are becoming more empathetic,” she says. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s a bold outlook, considering life in America, 2018. But with Sayers’ keen observations, and her ability to turn those observations into much-needed comedy, how could you not believe her completely?\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13838986\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200.jpg\" alt='Joey Alison Sayers, \"Doubt.\"' width=\"1200\" height=\"810\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13838986\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-800x540.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-768x518.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-1020x689.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-1180x797.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-960x648.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-240x162.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-375x253.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/doubt-color_1200-520x351.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joey Alison Sayers, “Doubt.” \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the artist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What does the process of making one of your comics look like?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, the idea stage is really spontaneous. Often I’ll come up with an idea right as I’m going to sleep, in the middle of the night, or in the shower. As I’m saying this, I realize the one thing they all have in common is that it’s quiet time, which I don’t have a lot of in my life. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Depending on the length of it, I’ll script it out. And then from there, I’ll draw it up in pencil. I’m pretty low-tech for many of the steps. I ink it by hand, and then I scan it into the computer and color it on the computer. I do a lot of my drawing here at the library when I’m on breaks. I’ve learned to find time where I can make it. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Do you think you can describe your style of comics in three words?\u003c/strong> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maybe if I had an extra word I could do so much more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Do more!\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Cartoony, but not stupid.” I feel like my art sensibility is really similar to old-school newspaper strips, but I try and add a little something more, because I’m not as beholden to having such a broad audience that a syndicated strip does. I like to sort of push the limits. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Who is the audience you picture as you’re working on a comic?\u003c/strong> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My wife. She’s the person I think of when I’m writing. But other than that, I guess adults. Ages 20 to 106, and after that, you’re on your own.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13838985\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200.jpg\" alt='Joey Alison Sayers, \"Joanie Appleseed.\"' width=\"1200\" height=\"578\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13838985\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-160x77.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-800x385.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-768x370.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-1020x491.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-1180x568.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-960x462.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-240x116.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-375x181.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/joanie-appleseed-color_1200-520x250.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Joey Alison Sayers, “Joanie Appleseed.” \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the artist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Does the Bay Area influence your work? I noticed you have one strip titled “\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/BjloxJ1gw8s/?taken-by=thejoeyalison\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">How to heal yourself with crystals\u003c/a>” and in another you depict \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/BiQvcjMg_eq/?taken-by=thejoeyalison\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">property owners looking down on renters\u003c/a>. These seem very Bay Area specific.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, a lot of the stuff I do, especially for \u003ci>The Nib\u003c/i>, I think is influenced by that. I often take shots at technology or tech companies and that massive wealth that we’re all surrounded by. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But just being here—I’ve lived here for 22 years or so now—there’s just something almost tangible about the energy and the creativity and the diversity of people here. It’s just easy to draw from that, because there’s just so much going on. I love it here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Your \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"http://www.jsayers.com/books.html\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Just So You Know\u003c/a>\u003c/i> comics (two books about coming out as transsexual, transitioning to living as a woman and simply being trans) are so poignant and funny. What was it like to turn a comedic eye to the experience of coming out as transgender? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, that was probably the only way I knew how to explore it and how to express it. There wasn’t that much back then—it’s been almost 10 years since I did the first one and the whole genre’s exploded in that time, much to the benefit of everybody, I think, trans or not. But a lot of it was really … I want to say negative. Or not negative, but it reflected the reality, which is a lot of pain, a lot of sadness and hurt and isolation. Those are all real things that unfortunately most of us face to one degree or another, but it’s not the whole picture, so I wanted to bring in the humorous side of it. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I wanted to show people that it’s not a terrible thing. Being trans isn’t something that I would necessarily sign up for if one were given that choice, but it doesn’t mean that there aren’t parts of it that are interesting or funny or weird.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13838984\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200.jpg\" alt=\"A page from 'Just So You Know #2,' published in 2010.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1855\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13838984\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-160x247.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-800x1237.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-768x1187.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-1020x1577.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-776x1200.jpg 776w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-1180x1824.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-960x1484.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-240x371.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-375x580.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/jsyk-page_1200-520x804.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A page from ‘Just So You Know #2,’ published in 2010. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the artist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Has your style of comedy changed over the years?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think it has changed a lot. I don’t know how much of that is just getting older and how much of that is striving for more empathy, or how much of that is transition-related. I feel like I give a lot more thought to what I’m saying. I used to just be a little bit more off-the-cuff and say things that maybe are less sensitive to the way other people feel, in the name of comedy. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I like to think I’m a better writer. Comics is 90 percent writing. They look short and they look easy, but sometimes I labor over the phrasing of a sentence because I want it to sound a certain way. I want the rhythm to be a certain way. I want it to lead into the next thing in a certain way. I definitely put a lot more thought into that. And I think it pays off. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What does your ideal future look like for artists in the Bay Area? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’re really lucky that we live in such an arts-focused environment, but I think there’s always room for more. It feels like we’re living in a time when the artistic and creative freedom that we’ve built over the last several decades could be something that is not always available to us. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think it’s also just a continued cultural shift towards appreciating art of all different types. TV is suddenly a respected art form and comics is a respected art form in ways that they weren’t always. I want to see more marginalized art forms get voices. I want everyone who has something to say in their own way to find a place in the community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Welcome to KQED Arts’ \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/bay-brilliant\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bay Brilliant\u003c/a>, a series celebrating 10 local artists, creatives and makers who are pushing boundaries in 2018. Driven by passion for their own disciplines—music, dance, theater, visual art, performance, writing, illustration and more—these artists are true vanguards paving the way in their respective communities.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jessica Bejarano isn’t your average classical conductor. As a tattooed Mexican-American woman holding the baton, she stands out on just about any orchestra’s podium. The thing is: Bejarano’s been on a lot of podiums, all over the world. When she isn’t at home conducting the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfcivicmusic.org/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Civic Symphony\u003c/a> or serving as music director for San Francisco University High School, she keeps busy conducting overseas in countries like Russia, Bulgaria, Italy, Romania, Spain, Venezuela, and the Czech Republic, and with orchestras in the U.S. from Santa Cruz to Baltimore. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s no small feat for someone who grew up in Bell Gardens, the largely minority and low-income city southeast of Los Angeles, where “classical music was not a thing, by any means,” Bejarano says. Add to that a rough coming-out experience, and the numerous times she was told point-blank that she’d never be a successful conductor in the U.S. due to her looks and background, her stature in the classical music world becomes even more impressive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, she uses her position to lift up others. Recently, Bejarano invited San Francisco Symphony violinist Eliot Lev, the first openly transgender member of a major American orchestra, to perform Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major with the San Francisco Civic Symphony—an 85-member orchestra that’s among the most diverse in the region. And whether as a teacher, conductor, or director, Bejarano’s approach is the same: “There’s a wonderful magic that comes with inspiring people,” she says, “and knowing how to motivate them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13838912\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-800x571.jpg\" alt=\"Jessica Bejarano.\" width=\"800\" height=\"571\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13838912\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-800x571.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-768x549.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-1020x729.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-1200x857.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-1180x843.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-960x686.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-240x171.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-375x268.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-520x371.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1.jpg 1512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jessica Bejarano. \u003ccite>(Jean Melesaine)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What was your introduction to classical music? Did it feel exclusionary to you?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yes. I didn’t discover classical music until my first year of college. In order to fulfill my scholarship, because I was a trumpet player, I had to play in a few ensembles. I sat in the orchestra, and I remember it was Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Smetana’s \u003cem>The Moldau\u003c/em>, and a Vaughan Williams requiem. And I remember just sitting there, blown away. I was like, “Where did this come from? Where has this been?” It was like that music was already ingrained in my body, but it just needed to be activated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Initially my undergraduate degrees were in music education; I wanted to be a music educator at a top-notch high school or at a college. But then I had the epiphany that I wanted to be a conductor. And if I had stopped for a minute and been like, “Okay, let me do some research and look at the history. How many women are in this field? What does it look like? How many women exist in this country or outside of the country in this field?” If I’d have done that kind of homework and seen the statistics, or lack thereof, I might’ve been dissuaded and been like, “Whoa, this is gonna be more of a battle than I’m ready for.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But I didn’t look at any of that. I didn’t look at the lack of females in the field. I just knew that I was motivated, I was thirsty for it, and I was passionate about conducting and being a leader. So I just went for it. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13838911\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-800x1120.jpg\" alt=\"Jessica Bejarano.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1120\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13838911\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-800x1120.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-160x224.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-768x1075.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-1020x1428.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-857x1200.jpg 857w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-960x1344.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-240x336.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-375x525.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-520x728.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jessica Bejarano. \u003ccite>(Artemisia Luk)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What kind of challenges and obstacles have you faced?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many. Maybe too many. But it’s those obstacles and all those “no”s that I’ve been told that I’ve used to my advantage. Every time I was told no, and every time I got a letter saying “thank you but no thank you,” or every time I was told I couldn’t make it as a conductor in this country, I would take that energy and use it to motivate me and to keep that fire burning even brighter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not all the people that mentored me were good to me. Not at all. There is a thing that people call tough love. I would just call it tough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What was your coming-out story?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oh, that’s not a pretty story. I was outed when I was 13, 14 years old. I told a cousin in confidence and he turned around and told my mother. My family being Mexican, very religiously driven and culturally driven, the woman is supposed to get married, be a wife, be a mother, bear children and so forth—I’m like the complete opposite of that. I was defying our culture, I was defying our religion. And then they were immigrants as well, so there was just that fear behind it. My mother and family did not take it well whatsoever. It took them years, years, \u003cem>years\u003c/em> to get over it. And then by the time I was in college, when a bunch of my cousins came out, they were just like, “Okay, I guess it’s fine.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How does it feel now to not just have these accomplishments and this career, but to be able to help others who may have been told “no” along the way?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m starting my third year with San Francisco Civic Symphony. It’s a full size 85-piece orchestra; they’re the oldest community orchestra this side of the Mississippi. They’ve been around for over 80 years. The thing about that orchestra, it is a community orchestra, and you get an array of talent. So, for me as a director, it’s like, how do I make it all-inclusive for everyone?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For me, no matter if it’s a professional orchestra, a community orchestra, as a director, my philosophy when I work with musicians is not to demand and insist, but to motivate and inspire. And when I have that kind of energy with my musicians, it keeps them on their toes. It keeps them on the edge of their seat and it keeps them in tune. No one wants to listen as someone berate them over and over again, and just hammer over them how awful they are or they’re not getting this right.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a wonderful magic that comes with inspiring people and knowing how to motivate them. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13838914\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-800x1120.jpg\" alt=\"Jessica Bejarano.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1120\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13838914\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-800x1120.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-160x224.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-768x1075.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-1020x1428.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-857x1200.jpg 857w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-960x1344.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-240x336.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-375x525.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-520x728.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jessica Bejarano. \u003ccite>(Jean Melesaine)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How does living in San Francisco inform your work and what you do?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve lived here 11 years now and I love this city. I absolutely love this city. Let me tell you what this city means to me. After I graduated from UC Davis, I had a plan to go to Europe conducting in Romania and Italy, travel around Europe, come back, and drive to South Carolina, because I got accepted to start my DMA in orchestral conducting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long story short, I was offered a job at the Peninsula Symphony down in Los Altos. Assistant conductor, Peninsula Symphony, four-year contract. And it paid $2,000 a year. After taxes, $224 a month. I had 24 hours to decide if I wanted to start my Doctorate like I’d planned, or be conducting in the Bay Area on $2,000 a year. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And San Francisco, as a kid, has always been my dream city. For me it was like gay Disneyland. I’ve always wanted to be here, but it seemed like my life was never going to bring me here—until this position came to fruition. So, I reached out to my mentors. I was like, “What would you do? What would you do?” Hands down, everyone said, “Take the job. Because you’re going to get your foot in the door. You’re actually going to be a conductor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, I took my first job… for $2,000 a year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw0sqCBkTkI\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What motivates you every day?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Obviously I have a love of music. But growing up in a very poor community and a poor family, I only grew up with my mother and she worked two, three jobs. She worked at Toys ‘R’ Us. She worked at a hamburger joint. She worked at a Pick ‘n Save. In the evenings, she would go collect cans and plastic bottles to recycle them and make more money. Later, when I was in college, my mom was working at a casino. You know those people that stand in the bathroom, that clean the counters and give you mints? That was my mom. She would push around the trash can. That was my mom at a casino in L.A.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I remember seeing her struggle, and wanting to be successful as an adult so that one day I could knock on her door and tell her, “Today you’re going to quit your job because I’m going to support you for the rest of your life. I’m going to take care of you now that you’ve taken care of me my entire life and given me everything that I needed. Now it’s my turn to take care of you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That was always my goal. That was always my dream. Unfortunately, five, six years ago she passed away from a massive brain aneurysm. And it happened on Mother’s Day, too. It was the lowest point of my life. It kept me quiet and dormant for about a year to process. But once I came out of it, I still kept her and that momentum and that inspiration going even stronger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because even though she was gone and I couldn’t knock on her door to have her quit her job and let me take care of her for the rest for life, I could still make her proud. Even though she’s not here, I could still make her proud. That’s what drove me to begin with and what continues to drive me now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13838910\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-800x1120.jpg\" alt=\"Jessica Bejarano.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1120\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13838910\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-800x1120.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-160x224.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-768x1075.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-1020x1428.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-857x1200.jpg 857w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-960x1344.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-240x336.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-375x525.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-520x728.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jessica Bejarano. \u003ccite>(Artemisia Luk)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What does your ideal future look like for artists in the Bay Area?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s getting incredibly tough for anyone to live in the Bay Area. Most artists that I know have multiple jobs in order to live comfortably. Even me—I’m also a music director at San Francisco University High School. But it’s worth it. It’s absolutely worth it. I can’t believe that I get paid to direct the San Francisco Civic Symphony, and to conduct the orchestra and the music program at University High School. That I paid to do all these things as my career, as my living, in San Francisco! For me, it’s a blessing. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I remember when I first moved here, I would literally sit right on that corner where City Hall is, that green patch of grass, kitty-corner to Davies Symphony Hall. I would sit there with my sandwich, my legs crossed on the grass, and I would just stare at Davies and think, and wonder, and get myself going, “It’s there and it’s possible. It’s tangible. It can happen. It can happen.” I was just keeping myself inspired with that $2,000 a year in my bank account.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Conducting a Tier 1 orchestra, it’s still a goal, but my goals are more flexible now, where I don’t have to necessarily have a Tier 1 orchestra to be a great conductor. I can be an amazing conductor at the San Francisco Civic Symphony and be as inspiring and as effective musically, and personally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People think music, it’s a hobby or something, but the power of it can be so immense and intense. It took this girl out of the ghetto. I’ve been traveling around the world and working with so many different musicians on so many different levels and I’ve done so much with my life because of music. It saved my life. It literally saved my life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For artists, despite the financial challenges that may come with being an artist, I think music or the arts give you something much more than financial gain, that’s worthy of seeking and pursuing. So, an ideal future might be getting enough of \u003cem>that\u003c/em> reward to offset the meager financial reward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Learn more about Jessica Bejarano \u003ca href=\"http://jessicabejarano.com/about/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Welcome to KQED Arts’ \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/bay-brilliant\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bay Brilliant\u003c/a>, a series celebrating 10 local artists, creatives and makers who are pushing boundaries in 2018. Driven by passion for their own disciplines—music, dance, theater, visual art, performance, writing, illustration and more—these artists are true vanguards paving the way in their respective communities.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jessica Bejarano isn’t your average classical conductor. As a tattooed Mexican-American woman holding the baton, she stands out on just about any orchestra’s podium. The thing is: Bejarano’s been on a lot of podiums, all over the world. When she isn’t at home conducting the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfcivicmusic.org/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Civic Symphony\u003c/a> or serving as music director for San Francisco University High School, she keeps busy conducting overseas in countries like Russia, Bulgaria, Italy, Romania, Spain, Venezuela, and the Czech Republic, and with orchestras in the U.S. from Santa Cruz to Baltimore. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s no small feat for someone who grew up in Bell Gardens, the largely minority and low-income city southeast of Los Angeles, where “classical music was not a thing, by any means,” Bejarano says. Add to that a rough coming-out experience, and the numerous times she was told point-blank that she’d never be a successful conductor in the U.S. due to her looks and background, her stature in the classical music world becomes even more impressive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, she uses her position to lift up others. Recently, Bejarano invited San Francisco Symphony violinist Eliot Lev, the first openly transgender member of a major American orchestra, to perform Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major with the San Francisco Civic Symphony—an 85-member orchestra that’s among the most diverse in the region. And whether as a teacher, conductor, or director, Bejarano’s approach is the same: “There’s a wonderful magic that comes with inspiring people,” she says, “and knowing how to motivate them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13838912\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-800x571.jpg\" alt=\"Jessica Bejarano.\" width=\"800\" height=\"571\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13838912\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-800x571.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-768x549.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-1020x729.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-1200x857.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-1180x843.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-960x686.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-240x171.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-375x268.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1-520x371.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoHoriz1-1.jpg 1512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jessica Bejarano. \u003ccite>(Jean Melesaine)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What was your introduction to classical music? Did it feel exclusionary to you?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yes. I didn’t discover classical music until my first year of college. In order to fulfill my scholarship, because I was a trumpet player, I had to play in a few ensembles. I sat in the orchestra, and I remember it was Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Smetana’s \u003cem>The Moldau\u003c/em>, and a Vaughan Williams requiem. And I remember just sitting there, blown away. I was like, “Where did this come from? Where has this been?” It was like that music was already ingrained in my body, but it just needed to be activated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Initially my undergraduate degrees were in music education; I wanted to be a music educator at a top-notch high school or at a college. But then I had the epiphany that I wanted to be a conductor. And if I had stopped for a minute and been like, “Okay, let me do some research and look at the history. How many women are in this field? What does it look like? How many women exist in this country or outside of the country in this field?” If I’d have done that kind of homework and seen the statistics, or lack thereof, I might’ve been dissuaded and been like, “Whoa, this is gonna be more of a battle than I’m ready for.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But I didn’t look at any of that. I didn’t look at the lack of females in the field. I just knew that I was motivated, I was thirsty for it, and I was passionate about conducting and being a leader. So I just went for it. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13838911\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-800x1120.jpg\" alt=\"Jessica Bejarano.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1120\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13838911\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-800x1120.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-160x224.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-768x1075.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-1020x1428.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-857x1200.jpg 857w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-960x1344.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-240x336.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-375x525.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4-520x728.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert4.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jessica Bejarano. \u003ccite>(Artemisia Luk)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What kind of challenges and obstacles have you faced?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many. Maybe too many. But it’s those obstacles and all those “no”s that I’ve been told that I’ve used to my advantage. Every time I was told no, and every time I got a letter saying “thank you but no thank you,” or every time I was told I couldn’t make it as a conductor in this country, I would take that energy and use it to motivate me and to keep that fire burning even brighter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not all the people that mentored me were good to me. Not at all. There is a thing that people call tough love. I would just call it tough.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What was your coming-out story?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oh, that’s not a pretty story. I was outed when I was 13, 14 years old. I told a cousin in confidence and he turned around and told my mother. My family being Mexican, very religiously driven and culturally driven, the woman is supposed to get married, be a wife, be a mother, bear children and so forth—I’m like the complete opposite of that. I was defying our culture, I was defying our religion. And then they were immigrants as well, so there was just that fear behind it. My mother and family did not take it well whatsoever. It took them years, years, \u003cem>years\u003c/em> to get over it. And then by the time I was in college, when a bunch of my cousins came out, they were just like, “Okay, I guess it’s fine.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How does it feel now to not just have these accomplishments and this career, but to be able to help others who may have been told “no” along the way?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m starting my third year with San Francisco Civic Symphony. It’s a full size 85-piece orchestra; they’re the oldest community orchestra this side of the Mississippi. They’ve been around for over 80 years. The thing about that orchestra, it is a community orchestra, and you get an array of talent. So, for me as a director, it’s like, how do I make it all-inclusive for everyone?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For me, no matter if it’s a professional orchestra, a community orchestra, as a director, my philosophy when I work with musicians is not to demand and insist, but to motivate and inspire. And when I have that kind of energy with my musicians, it keeps them on their toes. It keeps them on the edge of their seat and it keeps them in tune. No one wants to listen as someone berate them over and over again, and just hammer over them how awful they are or they’re not getting this right.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a wonderful magic that comes with inspiring people and knowing how to motivate them. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13838914\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-800x1120.jpg\" alt=\"Jessica Bejarano.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1120\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13838914\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-800x1120.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-160x224.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-768x1075.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-1020x1428.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-857x1200.jpg 857w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-960x1344.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-240x336.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-375x525.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2-520x728.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert2.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jessica Bejarano. \u003ccite>(Jean Melesaine)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How does living in San Francisco inform your work and what you do?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve lived here 11 years now and I love this city. I absolutely love this city. Let me tell you what this city means to me. After I graduated from UC Davis, I had a plan to go to Europe conducting in Romania and Italy, travel around Europe, come back, and drive to South Carolina, because I got accepted to start my DMA in orchestral conducting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Long story short, I was offered a job at the Peninsula Symphony down in Los Altos. Assistant conductor, Peninsula Symphony, four-year contract. And it paid $2,000 a year. After taxes, $224 a month. I had 24 hours to decide if I wanted to start my Doctorate like I’d planned, or be conducting in the Bay Area on $2,000 a year. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And San Francisco, as a kid, has always been my dream city. For me it was like gay Disneyland. I’ve always wanted to be here, but it seemed like my life was never going to bring me here—until this position came to fruition. So, I reached out to my mentors. I was like, “What would you do? What would you do?” Hands down, everyone said, “Take the job. Because you’re going to get your foot in the door. You’re actually going to be a conductor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, I took my first job… for $2,000 a year.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/Gw0sqCBkTkI'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/Gw0sqCBkTkI'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What motivates you every day?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Obviously I have a love of music. But growing up in a very poor community and a poor family, I only grew up with my mother and she worked two, three jobs. She worked at Toys ‘R’ Us. She worked at a hamburger joint. She worked at a Pick ‘n Save. In the evenings, she would go collect cans and plastic bottles to recycle them and make more money. Later, when I was in college, my mom was working at a casino. You know those people that stand in the bathroom, that clean the counters and give you mints? That was my mom. She would push around the trash can. That was my mom at a casino in L.A.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I remember seeing her struggle, and wanting to be successful as an adult so that one day I could knock on her door and tell her, “Today you’re going to quit your job because I’m going to support you for the rest of your life. I’m going to take care of you now that you’ve taken care of me my entire life and given me everything that I needed. Now it’s my turn to take care of you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That was always my goal. That was always my dream. Unfortunately, five, six years ago she passed away from a massive brain aneurysm. And it happened on Mother’s Day, too. It was the lowest point of my life. It kept me quiet and dormant for about a year to process. But once I came out of it, I still kept her and that momentum and that inspiration going even stronger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because even though she was gone and I couldn’t knock on her door to have her quit her job and let me take care of her for the rest for life, I could still make her proud. Even though she’s not here, I could still make her proud. That’s what drove me to begin with and what continues to drive me now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13838910\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-800x1120.jpg\" alt=\"Jessica Bejarano.\" width=\"800\" height=\"1120\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13838910\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-800x1120.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-160x224.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-768x1075.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-1020x1428.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-857x1200.jpg 857w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-960x1344.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-240x336.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-375x525.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3-520x728.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/JBejaranoVert3.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jessica Bejarano. \u003ccite>(Artemisia Luk)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What does your ideal future look like for artists in the Bay Area?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s getting incredibly tough for anyone to live in the Bay Area. Most artists that I know have multiple jobs in order to live comfortably. Even me—I’m also a music director at San Francisco University High School. But it’s worth it. It’s absolutely worth it. I can’t believe that I get paid to direct the San Francisco Civic Symphony, and to conduct the orchestra and the music program at University High School. That I paid to do all these things as my career, as my living, in San Francisco! For me, it’s a blessing. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I remember when I first moved here, I would literally sit right on that corner where City Hall is, that green patch of grass, kitty-corner to Davies Symphony Hall. I would sit there with my sandwich, my legs crossed on the grass, and I would just stare at Davies and think, and wonder, and get myself going, “It’s there and it’s possible. It’s tangible. It can happen. It can happen.” I was just keeping myself inspired with that $2,000 a year in my bank account.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Conducting a Tier 1 orchestra, it’s still a goal, but my goals are more flexible now, where I don’t have to necessarily have a Tier 1 orchestra to be a great conductor. I can be an amazing conductor at the San Francisco Civic Symphony and be as inspiring and as effective musically, and personally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>People think music, it’s a hobby or something, but the power of it can be so immense and intense. It took this girl out of the ghetto. I’ve been traveling around the world and working with so many different musicians on so many different levels and I’ve done so much with my life because of music. It saved my life. It literally saved my life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For artists, despite the financial challenges that may come with being an artist, I think music or the arts give you something much more than financial gain, that’s worthy of seeking and pursuing. So, an ideal future might be getting enough of \u003cem>that\u003c/em> reward to offset the meager financial reward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-800x78.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-12127869\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Learn more about Jessica Bejarano \u003ca href=\"http://jessicabejarano.com/about/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
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}
},
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"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
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"order": 10
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
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},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
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"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
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"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
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"order": 1
},
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"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"meta": {
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
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"here-and-now": {
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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},
"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
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"source": "wnyc"
},
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