We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rachel Weaver a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rachel, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful projects I’m working on are The PETAL Project environmental education initiative and KUZU Community Radio in Denton. I’ve joined in on other meaningful creative and community projects over the years, and I feel like those opportunities were building up my skills and connecting with community that have helped build up my experience for current projects.

I started volunteering with KUZU Community Radio in 2016, before it was on the air, and joined their fundraising and community outreach endeavors. I was invited onto the Board of Directors, and have helped launch the station in 2017, host events, build our membership, fundraise, and build up our community. In 2018, I started my own show on the station, airing stories, songs, and educational information with an environmental focus. KUZU is a very meaningful community and creative project for me because it brings together so many volunteers, producers, and community members that share music, voices, and creativity on the air.

The PETAL Project is another meaningful project that I started in the Fall of 2022. It was an idea I have been dreaming about for a long time and during job transitions and life changes, I decided to plant the seeds to grow that dream into reality. I connected with an amazing community of friends, artists, creatives, naturalists, environmentalists, and educators that I have been a part of throughout my time volunteering and working in Denton, and when I asked if people wanted to join this environmental education and community initiative everyone has been overwhelmingly supportive and excited. We are finding that people all over are wanting to have more opportunities to talk about environmental issues, learn new skills and share their knowledge, and work together to make our communities more resilient and ecologically conscious.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am an environmental educator, writer, musician, radio enthusiast, mixed media artist, and community collaborator based in Denton, Texas. When I was working on my Master’s degree in Environmental Philosophy at the University of North Texas in 2012 – 2014, I knew that I wanted to find meaningful work in environmental spaces while doing my studies. I began volunteering and working on local sustainable farms and nature centers, and I have continued to work in environmental and creative nonprofits including local Farmers Markets, Creative Reuse Centers, Arts Centers.

Over the years, I have also managed community garden spaces, hosted gardening workshops and guided hikes, volunteered in a pay-what-you-want community restaurant, and performed at various DFW venues, museums, and creative spaces. Environmental issues and our environmental imagination (how we connect and interact with the environment) are always a common thread throughout my work. Many projects have become a part of my past, either I moved on to other jobs and opportunities, or the project had to end/close for one reason or another. But each ending opened a new beginning and helped me cultivate friendships and collaborations that continue in current projects.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

We have to be willing to support artists and creatives without focusing on the financial profit they may bring. Art, music, and creativity are essential to all of us. Creatives continue to make art in response to the economic difficulties and climate change issues we are experiencing, and the ongoing recovery after COVID-19 shut everything down. As society continues to recover, rebuild, and adapt, artists are alongside activists, environmentalists, and community builders contributing problem-solving and creative thinking skills. Yet, we see a lack of support for the arts and often a dismissal of the importance art has in our society. I see artists as being at the forefront of the activism and education our society needs as we tackle so many social, environmental, and community problems.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of sharing my creativity is the community connection. There is amazing music, art, and expression happening all around us. We don’t need to go to a huge stadium or auditorium to experience something that can change our lives. People are making music and art all around us; the birds, insects, plants, and animals around us are sharing expressions, and we are able to share these expressions in endless ways – through technology, in alternative performance spaces, to an audience of one or one hundred. I’m grateful for the diverse opportunities in which I have been invited to share my environmental work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.weaverswriting.com/
• Other: https://www.kuzu.fm/ https://www.txpetalproject.com/

Image Credits
Peter Salisbury Ellie Alonzo