We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ruby Barrios . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ruby below.
Ruby , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
Seeing Ruby’s Button: The Musical come to life at Inner City Arts continues to be the most meaningful project. Ruby’s Button: The Musical, is based on my children’s book. The story follows a young girl named Ruby who has a missing belly button from undergoing many surgeries. Ruby’s character is a reflection of my own journey being born with a chronic illness. Ruby’s character also raises awareness of how our bodies can change and should always be celebrated. Through the book, I’ve had the honor of deepening my connection with families within the chronic illness community and more importantly, celebrating our stories.
When Inner City Arts reached out to bring Ruby’s Button to the stage, I immediately felt an overwhelming feeling of home. Inner City Arts is a non profit organization that provides the arts to under-resourced youth. Inner City Arts believed in my aspirations to be an artist ever since I was in high school and they continue to vouch for me. This relationship made every step of developing the musical feel like a full circle moment. I was collaborating with mentors I’ve always admired and I became a mentor myself with the cast (we cast Inner City Arts students). Being a Hispanic woman and being raised in a lower socioeconomic community, it was important that we cast students from the program so that they could see that regardless of social stereotypes, their experiences are their strengths, not their setbacks.
Because of Ruby’s Button I believe in real life magic. I felt magic in the swarm of children’s voices filling the theater and seeing their experience watching the musical. Some were leaning at the edge of their seats, some were holding their breaths, and some were kicking their feet filled with excitement. I felt magic as each child saw themselves in each character. In the musical adaptation, I dive deeper with the other characters in the story. Ruby loves performing yet has to play catch up academically due to their hospitalizations. Valerie loves to help yet feels as if they are missing something that makes them special. Melonie feels the loudest when writing yet is told to speak up. Emily excels academically yet is afraid to explore because they might make a mistake. Jeremy comes alive through their drawings yet is seen as a bully.
Many times children shrink because they are told that their differences make them less. Especially for children that already have stereotypes put upon them seeing their differences celebrated can reshape their inner belief. Ruby’s Button was created for children in the chronic illness community and has blossomed to spark new connections with children who need a story that celebrates what sets them apart.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am very passionate about collaborating within production and non profit landscapes. I am currently an Associate Project Manager at Team One, an advertising agency, where I have the opportunity to launch Lexus campaigns. Being able to experience an insight evolve into an idea and soon into an ad in the real world is a craft in itself. Every day I find myself falling more in love with the collaboration process. In addition to being a part of production, I also have the honor of being a part of Team One’s culture initiatives such as the Mentor Program and See What I Saw podcast. As a lead of the Mentor Program I pair seasoned Team Oner’s with new members of the agency so that they can have access to support meant to propel their careers forward. Based on my personal experience being a Hispanic woman, I knew that it takes more than hearing the buzz word “inclusive”. Real life impact was made in my life when I had people vouch for me when I wasn’t in rooms, shared resources and made me feel empowered. The podcast, See What I Saw, is an internal podcast that allows Team One to learn more deeply about team members beyond their title. Members of the agency share the hurdles they overcame and how it has shaped their perspective. I have had the honor of sharing my story navigating the world with a chronic illness and coming being BIPOC. Now, I get the chance to promote the podcast and promote other stories.
When I am not in the midst of production days, I am collaborating with Inner City Arts to bring youth theater, hosting Ruby’s Button Read-Alouds for UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and the Los Angeles Unified School District, as well as auditioning. Ruby’s Button: The Musical recently premiered at Inner City Arts and was also shared on Spectrum News. Through Ruby’s Button we changed the narrative for children. My hope is that children saw their “shortcomings” as one of a kind traits that are meant to be celebrated. In regards to acting, I got the opportunity to be in the Nickelodeon show, Erin and Aaron as a choir member which only made me more in awe for the collaboration process. I am so grateful to have experienced a space where each person felt electric and genuinely fueled by their role. I also have the honor of being the voice of La Rose for the L.O.L Surprise! series. Through my work, I hope that I can continue to raise visibility for underrepresented communities.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn that shrinking myself was a strength. Being born with a chronic illness and being Hispanic, I have always found myself being the only one in many rooms. My teachers ingrained in me that being the only one was wrong while my parents told me to hide my condition out of fear of not being given the same opportunities as my peers. I held the belief that my background and my consistent surgeries/hospitalizations were all shortcomings. I began to see my identity as something that would set me back and soon I began to hide behind my endeavors.
When I started connecting with families within the chronic illness community, I realized that they didn’t need to hear insight on how to blend in yet they needed to have dialogue on how to navigate the world authentically. Through social outreach, I began dismantling the lie that my purpose was to find the best ways to shrink and began to recognize that I could share my experiences on my own terms. When I began witnessing how shrinking myself was shrinking the voice of families, I began to unlearn.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I am a strong believer that we are creators. Whether that’s creating with our hands, such as pottery, creating relationships or even our goals into the physical. Because we are all creators, I believe we all are artists. It’s the one thing we all have in common. No matter your upbringing, no matter what you look like, no matter your surroundings, it’s the one thing that we all have in common. It’s forgotten and that’s the power of art. Art goes beyond a skillset or the end product. It reminds us of what we have forgotten and builds community. I have witnessed art urge children and our inner child to believe again. In a world that forces us to abide to systems that we aren’t always aligned with, in a world that forces us to ignore our instincts, in a world that forces us to believe we aren’t enough, art brings back agency.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rubysbutton.com/
- Instagram: @_rubybarrios_
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruby-barrios
- Youtube: Spectrum News – Ruby’s Button The Musical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=n6mxKPmFaU0
- Other: Ruby’s Button Available on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Rubys-Button-Ruby-Barrios/dp/1077906099 LOL Surprise! Winter Fashion Show Now Streaming on Netflix – https://www.netflix.com/title/81604831 LaRose Fashion Doll Now Available – https://www.lolsurprise.com/products/lol-surprise-omg-fashion-show-style-edition-la-rose L.O.L Surprise! House of Surprise Now Streaming: LaRose Shows Off her Skate Skills – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1oPSkvzC6E LaRose on Ice! – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ab_y7t77xc
Image Credits
Headshot by David Muller