We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Whitney Brandon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Whitney, thanks for joining us today. Do you have a hero? What have you learned from them?
My two kids, ages 13 + 15, are truly my heroes! They always inspire + motivate me, and teach me how to approach each new day with a sense of magical awe + wonder-filled fun! If I’m feeling overwhelmed or stressed, they encourage me to look at life’s challenges with a sense of adventure + fortitude. Starting a one woman owned + operated small business in the midst of the pandemic in 2020 was definitely a challenge. I remember coming home one night, tired, frustrated, and feeling like giving up. The next morning I found a beautiful note from my daughter…
“I think you should keep working on TreeGarden and keep making it the best it can be, and keep making it a beautiful space for people to share their talents, and for people to learn and grow together. Every sapling has to survive through its first frost before growing big and strong!”
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?
My name is Whitney Brandon, and I am the Cultivator at TreeGarden in Austin, and the Farmer at Blue Butterfly Farm in Dripping Springs. As a farmer, mother, former teacher for students with autism, and master of fine arts student, I am passionate about nature, education, art, and community. I wanted to create a place where the community could come together to collaborate, create, inspire each other, and grow. So in 2020, I started TreeGarden. I believe we all have a special gift to share with the world, and my dream is that TreeGarden is the magical canvas where we can all join together to share our blessings and make the world a better place.
TreeGarden is Cultivating Collaborative Community through Nature + Education + Art + Wellness + Outreach.
Surrounded by the magical trees + gardens of our East Austin oasis, you’ll find an exciting variety of creative programs and special happenings at TreeGarden, designed to nurture and inspire our collaborative community.
TreeGarden offers creatively cultivated workshops, magical community meetups, live music on the Backyard Stage, inspiring art in the TreeGarden Studio, and community outreach opportunities. At TreeGarden, we are passionate about nurturing our community. Our outreach branch, TreeGarden’s Forest of Friends program, donates 10% of proceeds to support our seasonal nonprofit partners, community volunteer opportunities, and scholarships for TreeGarden workshops.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Last year, the City cut down a big, beautiful Sycamore tree in the front yard at TreeGarden, and I was heartbroken! But, I was determined to make a rainbow from the rain, and honor the tree’s memory. So I gave the wood to 44 local artists to create with, and we hosted a creative collaboration called “We Speak for The Trees” as part of the Austin Studio Tour. The event benefitted our nonprofit partner, Forests for Monarchs, and we raised funds to plant 9,440 trees in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. It was amazing to see how the love for 1 tree grew into nearly 10,000 trees to be planted for future generations! And it was truly a testament to the amazing things that can be accomplished when the community comes together to collaborate and create beauty and magic in the world.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
When people visit TreeGarden for the first time, they immediately say, “This is magical”! It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’ve been, or where you’re going – when you come to TreeGarden, you feel what a special place it is. So much love and intention goes into every detail, and I believe that makes all the difference. Every person who comes, collaborates to create beautiful happenings at TreeGarden – artists, musicians, workshop leaders, wellness providers, and guests – we all share something special and life-enhancing with the community. TreeGarden would not have grown for the past two years without ALL of the amazing people who share their magic, and I am forever grateful for our “Forest of Friends”!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://treegarden.org
- Instagram: @treegarden
- Facebook: @TreeGardenAustin
Image Credits
Carrin Lewis Photography Carlos Gallegos Photography Jinny J Photography Marina Oneill Photography Sol y Vida Photography