Stay Woke at “SEEDS,” A Resourceful and Artsy DIY Event Following OC Women’s March

“They tried to bury us but they didn’t know we were seeds.”

The simple yet poignant Greek proverb inspired the organizers of SEEDS, a grassroots art-meets-activism happening following Orange County’s Women’s March, to wipe away post-election night tears and spring into political action the best way four OC female millennials knew how—through DIY art, zines, live music and resourceful discussions.

“I was really heartsick with what just happened,” says Vanessa Gaston, a local artist from SanTana and a former organizer of Grrl Fair, “I had somebody tell me that I shouldn’t be so upset—there was nothing I can do about it and I just stopped crying and said, ‘No, there is something I can do about it.”

It was then that Gaston texted her circle of local chingona  artists including santanera Aimee Murillo (OC Weekly‘s Calendar queen and founder of OC Zine Fest), Costa Mesa dweller and Orange tattoo shop owner Evie Yapelli (who illustrated the We Testify project for the National Network of Abortion Funds) and a tech Communications Manager and vintage aficionado from Orange named Ann Vanderhelm.

The women’s mutual feelings of initial despair turned into a steadfast determination to peacefully yet effectively resist president-elect Donald Trump. “I got comfortable during Obama [then after the election] I realized I had to step up to be the change,” says Vanderhelm.

What was initially conceptualized as a feminist art show to raise money for Planned Parenthood (one of many targets facing de-funding from right-wing conservatives) began to manifest into an all-inclusive DIY extravaganza featuring zines, live music, artwork, action plans and community speakers in solidarity with OC’s Women’s March.

“Sometimes you do a march and then you’re all amped up and it’s like, ‘Ok, what do we do with this now?'” says Yapelli, “if you want to do something more in depth and just continue your day of empowerment…just walk right over to the Frida [Cinema].”

For SEEDS’ first half, immigration expert Bridget Burgos will give a Q&A session on immigrant aid presented en español, activist, drummer for YAAWN and Alice Bag and OC Weekly freelance writer Candace Hansen will talk about LGBTQIA support and a Q&A discussion provided by Planned Parenthood on women’s healthcare will take place too. “We really wanted to hit everybody that we knew was going to be affected by this and what they would need in order to help them through this whole thing,” says Gaston, “I really wanted everybody to have a solution rather than thinking, ‘Fuck, this is it.'”

After you’ve soaked up all the information you may need to resist the Donald, treat yo’self to a good time with art, zines, and live music—”that’s like a form of resistance in itself, not letting something like a president get you down,” says Murillo.

“Why not celebrate that we all have the power to make these things happen, watch some great bands and enjoy everybody’s company?” Yapelli adds.

Annie Knight of Zineworks will lead a workshop on how to express your voice through the power of zines, while artists and zinesters such as Laura Pardo, Kristy Moreno, Kyle Crowell and Murillo, Yapelli and Gaston will display their art that was inspired by a reaction to the election, a statement of solidarity or simply something beautiful that serves as a moment of escape.

Live music from local bands such as Maladjusted, Bellhaunts, Rats In The Louvre, The Littlest Viking, Time And Energy, Flying Hand and Sunstroke will play into the night. So enjoy yourself and feel good knowing that 100% of the money raised at SEEDS will be donated to local organizations such as Orange County Immigrant Youth United and the Community Action Fund of Planned Parenthood for Orange and San Bernardino counties.

The response to SEEDS has been overwhelmingly positive according to its organizers, “It’s blown us away,” says Gaston, “so many people have been like, ‘I’m so glad I found out about this and tagging their friends [on Instagram]…to me it was a vast difference from being depressed about the world [to] wanting to cry from how amazing people are,” Even a 15-year-old girl from New York reached out to Gaston to submit her artwork for SEEDS. “It was really cool, it made what [we’re] doing worth it…that one girl feels like she has a voice.”

Murillo adds that she hopes SEEDS will inspire its attendees to create self-empowering art. “Even if they’ve never made art or a zine before, I think everybody has that sort of creativity within them, so hopefully [SEEDS] can sort of usher that.”

Zines with tips on how to set up similar events to SEEDS within your own community will also be available to keep the art activism momentum flowing.  “If we can share that knowledge with other people then it becomes greater than we are,” says Yapelli, “We’re planting a seed.”

SEEDS at The Frida Cinema, 305 E. Fourth St., Santa Ana, 2 p.m.-10:30 p.m. $2 Early bird donation before 6 p.m; $7 donation for concert (OC Women’s March attendees save $2 off concert fee.) All ages.