Jacque Aye did not look up to a Disney princess as a young girl. She instead admired the Japanese manga character Sailor Moon, feeling empowered by the skirt-wearing superhero. “I loved seeing super-feminine characters being cute and kicking butt,” Aye said. “They’re emotional, quote-en-quote, but they still get the job done.” As a manga creator, …
Growing up in Los Angeles, Dori Berinstein made countless trips to see live theatre with her family. The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion was a frequent destination. On one excursion, young Berinstein saw a production of “Hello Dolly,” starring the legendary Carol Channing. Channing’s performance made a huge impact, and from that moment on, Berinstein was a …
Jennifer Orkin Lewis fulfills many different creative roles as an artist, illustrator, author, and teacher. As seen on August Wren, Lewis’s predominately nature-inspired paintings have been featured in collaborations with Anthropologie, Kate Spade Home, Seattle Chocolate, and more. After studying at the Rhode Island School of Design, Lewis decided to start her creative career in …
Before becoming a children’s book author, Sasha Graham worked as a publicist, television writer and producer, and an executive for Walt Disney Studios. In the four years since Graham pursued writing full-time, she has written two children’s books, both part of her Tiny Ninja series. Using the character of the “Tiny Ninja,” which represents the …
When she was four years old, Ishida Dance founder Brett Ishida remembers putting on ballet productions in her bedroom, where she simultaneously was the choreographer, director, and prima ballerina. “I would have dreams about my own productions,” she remembered. “I realized I needed to be doing this. People haven’t seen things like the stuff I …
Female entrepreneurship and creativity were far-flung ideas to Deborah Cole growing up in 1960s Texas. She remembers playing “What Shall I Be?”, a girls’ board game that limited players to “choosing” careers as either a teacher, nurse, model, ballerina, actress, or airline hostess. Owning a business was not an option. Today, as a photographer, motivational …
During Erin Cronican’s childhood, she watched a lot of musicals, a lot of Disney and was a constant audience member at the local youth theater in her hometown of San Diego. Somewhere during those years, she realized being up on stage was what she wanted to do with her life. In fact, despite a hatred …
As a young girl, Isis Asare never shied away from making reading recommendations to her younger sister or neighborhood friends through a self-started book club. Her passion for sharing literature continues today through Sistah Scifi. The online bookstore is self-described as a “cauldron of all things afro-futuristism casting spells to uplift literature written by Black …
For nearly two decades, Kristy Guevara-Flanagan has been making documentary films that focus on gender, death, and the Latinx community. Guevara-Flanagan remembers seeing a lot of movies with her family as a child. Her stepdad was in the Directors Guild of America, and her mother was a high school English and drama teacher who poured …
ZuZu Perkal first arrived in Austin to pursue an advertising degree at the University of Texas. After graduation, Perkal spent several years working at various creative agencies and organizations before realizing her dream of becoming a full-time visual artist and muralist. She is also a yoga instructor and serves on the Board of Directors for …