Pinky Weitzman knows how to lead the resistance without burning out. Her trick is to make time for art.
She’s deputy digital director at the American Civil Liberties Union, an organization that defends people’s rights and liberties, and that Fast Company has recently deemed as “Leading the Resistance.” She’s been there for 3 years, with a leave of absence to run Bernie’s digital campaign in Iowa last year.
Now she’s embarking on a year-long international tour as a violinist for the Magnetic Fields – the sultry lovesick indie band. At first, Weitzman thought she’d take another leave for the tour, but then the election happened.
“How do you leave the ACLU when Donald J. Trump gets elected? The answer is you do not. You stay and you fight and you figure everything else out around that,” Weitzman told NBC.
So, by day (and in between sound checks) she’s a leading figure in shaping the online resistance, and by night she plays sold out shows. Essentially, badass 24/7.
While some may think she’s piled too much on her plate, Weitzman says it’s the music that replenishes her spirit and keeps the political burnout away. “For the few hours of sleep that I get every night, I sleep very peacefully,” she told NBC News.
Make time for all things important. Finding your happy place is, perhaps, most important of all.
If you wanna read more about how music is changing our world, check out our piece on Building Beats, a non-profit that gets youth making music.
