A significant quality that separates the successful from the unsuccessful is perseverance, which is a special word to me. One reason being because it's so hard to spell on the first try, but that can be attributed to knowing a lot of words just to sound smart. The important reason being it paints a picture of a person clawing their way to the top of a hill. Even when the hill seems too steep to walk, too muddy climb, too high to reach, they still will themselves to the top of that hill. On August 7, 2019, Pussy Power released “She Wears the Pants,” the first volume of their magazine. On this day, a hilltop was reached.
To commemorate this achievement, the Pussy Power team, consisting of sisters, Taylor and Courtney Tousana, planned to throw a release party. This would be the perfect exclamation on the bold statement that had been made today. Concurrently, I thought what greater event to do coverage for could there be. So with these parallel sentiments, Taylor invited me down to the venue ahead of start time to help out with set up.
As I soon as I arrived to the venue, I immediately felt the energy in the room. It should be noted that by “energy” I mean heat because it was hot in this place. Just thinking about that place again gives me pit stains. This place was clearly a relic from Atlanta’s art scene of the past. It was explained to me that at one point the place used to be an art space for paintings. The walls were still partly white from what seemed like an older paint job. I expressed my astonishment of the heat to Taylor and others helping set up and was only met with faces that said, “No shit.” So with that I decided to bite the bullet and fulfil my invitation by helping set up.
During this time, I got to witness Taylor’s ingenuity and resourcefulness at peak running power. Considering how small the space was and the limits of a reasonable budget, Taylor was able to make effective use of all the space she had available. What was once an empty wall of exposed brick became wall of ambient light with just the addition of a medium length LED light strip. The tiny elevated section that worked as the DJ Booth became a garden on a cloudy day thanks to a few fake flowers and some cloudy looking stuff(not sure what it was but you get it). I was asked to blow up balloons so they could be tied together to create balloon flowers. However, with the combination of the heat and lots of movement, it was not long before the the lightheadedness caused me to tap out.
As it came closer to start time, Taylor, who at 6 months pregnant still managed to assist in all the set up, still maintained her calm, easy going attitude. The people began to come in slowly but surely all being welcomed by the heat. Ever person who entered had the same response, “Damn, it is hot in here.” However, to quote the philosophers from the Park of Linkin, in the end it didn’t even matter. The people who decided to come out were more interested in celebrating a momentous occasion for a hardworking local creative.
“To see them make it to this point is inspiring,” said Keyonna Singletary, a friend of both the Pussy Power who she says seen ever since she was a freshman four years ago.
Those same people also came dressed to impress and did not want to sweat out their outfits and/or make up. So in an act of collective thought, a portion of the party took place outside the venue.
It was in these moments that the party had reached its equilibrium. People who could stand the heat continued to stay inside; they got their dance off, socialize with the people, buy a drink in the back, or come to the merch table and buy a magazine or shirt. People who wanted to cool off stayed outside and either got a smoke break or continued to socialize. Everyone was there with the same vibe, in synch, no JT.
So much so that one point one of those might-be-might-not-be-homeless guys bumps into a girl and knocks her phone out of her hand. The guy could have easily apologized and it would have been over but obviously he had to be a dick about it because it was enough to make Courtney raise her voice to say “Hey! What the fu*k.” At that moment, as if almost the needle scratched, everyone looked at the altercation ready to intervene, but fortunately the situation resolved itself.
With the party reaching its peak, people began to dwindle and the night was shaping up to be a success. Despite the hardships of dealing with the heat and quick set up, the party was still able to achieve its goal, celebrate the magazine and the hard work of the people involved. With this in my mind, I asked Taylor what made her keep going in these moments.
“I’ve literally been talking about this ‘zine since November of 2018...to be able to sell it and see people's reaction is what keeps me going,” Taylor said while also manning the merchandise table.
The road to creating the magazine was a stressful one: collaborating with women in three cities across the country, finding the right publisher, having the entire magazine completed only to be scraped and started from scratch.
“I’ve been in harder situations, this is one of the easier events I’ve planned,” Taylor said with a smile.
It was then that the word perseverance appeared in my mind. With all things pointing and pulling towards failure, their will to accomplish their goals would not allow them to quit. When the hill seemed like it was too steep to walk, too muddy to climb, too high to reach, too hot to think, Pussy Power overcame.