We explore the value of storytelling and amplifying other voices with photographer and filmmaker Deborah Anderson.

She takes us back to her childhood, and her father’s ability to captivate her with stories. Inspired by his work as a musician, she sang on his albums and performed at the Royal Albert Hall before she was 10. This early imprint shaped how she sees creativity: an organic weaving of stories in various mediums.

Deborah leads us through the labyrinth of her career, from breaking out with solo albums, to collaborations with DJ Shadow, to clothing design in London and Paris, and then into photography. When a craftsman who’d developed film for a legendary photographer recognized her work, something clicked, and she saw her path was in capturing images of people.

Planning a portrait exhibition at the Leica gallery in Los Angeles led her to South Dakota. She spent months with Lakota women and made the documentary Women of the White Buffalo. What had begun as a photo show became a divine detour, with Deborah traveling and interviewing women from indigenous communities worldwide for her latest project, The Lost Language Of Her.

Listening to elders who speak the language of spirit and nature we safeguard feminine wisdom and legacy. Through this shared storytelling, we connect in ways that transcend language and culture.

Deborah’s story reminds us that it’s not a straight path or a solo journey. And sometimes, It Has To Be Me is really It Has To Be Them.

TESS’S TAKEAWAYS

Provoking thought and moving us into action, art can be a messenger of change.
Creativity in any medium has a common thread—the artist’s perspective.
The expectation that art is selfless negates the inevitability of perspective.
Admitting there will be perspective enables celebration of multiple perspectives.
Ancient and indigenous stories connect us with spirit, nature, and the divine feminine.
Self-doubt is intrinsically feminine, and pushes us to go beyond where we’ve been.
Lean into your dynamism. Trust in the magic of your offer.
Trust in your capability, and never stop refining your craft.

ABOUT DEBORAH ANDERSON

Filmmaker and photographer Deborah Anderson has spent the last decade amplifying the voices of women and indigenous communities, exploring identity, memory, and healing.

Her documentary about Lakota women preserving their culture, Women Of The White Buffalo, received critical acclaim, including Best Feature Documentary film at the Red Nation Film Festival, Best Director of a documentary at the LA Independent Women Film Awards, and four accolades at the Idyllwild International Film Festival. She also champions women’s stories in the feature Aroused and the short films My Revolution with Eve Ensler and Rosario Dawson and Rise with Thandie Newton for the One Billion Rising organization.

Deborah’s photographs have appeared on covers of albums by Pink and other artists, and been featured in Vogue, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, and exhibited around the world, including at the Leica Galleries which hosted her Women Of The White Buffalo portrait series.

The central aim of her work is to bear witness and build bridges, provoking audiences to imagine a more compassionate and connected future.

CONNECT WITH DEBORAH

Website: https://deborahanderson.com/

Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Anderson

Women Of The White Buffalo: https://womenofthewhitebuffalo.com/

The ORA Pathway: https://theorapathway.com/

My Revolution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL36jjF6-DI

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deborahandersoncreative

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-anderson-6825b7354/

MEET TESS MASTERS:

Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of the Skinny60® health programs.

Health tips and recipes by Tess have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Prevention, Shape, Glamour, Real Simple, Yoga Journal, Yahoo Health, Hallmark Channel, The Today Show, and many others.

Tess’s magnetic personality, infectious enthusiasm, and down-to-earth approach have made her a go-to personality for people of all dietary stripes who share her conviction that healthy living can be easy and fun. Get delicious recipes at TheBlenderGirl.com.

CONNECT WITH TESS:

Website: https://tessmasters.com/

Podcast: https://ithastobeme.com/

Health Programs: https://www.skinny60.com/

Delicious Recipes: https://www.theblendergirl.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblendergirl/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/theblendergirl

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessmasters/

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