Joyce Carol Oates said, “The great enemy of writing is interruption.” I have lived this truth for the past eight years trying to complete consecutive degrees while raising a large family. It has not been more apparent than in these past four months trying to complete my portfolio, and the past two weeks is a perfect example. I thought my reflection would be the easiest task of all the portfolio items to complete, however constant and frequent interruptions have disrupted my thinking to the point that some days I could not write more than one or two sentences in one sitting. I hope that in sharing my thoughts, I am able to convey the joy, enlightenment, frustrations, limits, and love that was all equally part of my overall experience in this program. 

Completing the DAOM program at AOMA Graduate school of Integrative Medicine (AOMA) has completely changed my life. This program is designed to develop strong leaders who apply critical thinking skills and who are dedicated lifelong learners and contributors to education and research in the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Upon reflection, my experience at AOMA was not at all what I anticipated. My journey began as a quest for mentorship and support as a new Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner. I had just completed the Masters of Science in TCM (MSTCM) degree program at Colorado School of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Denver and did not feel prepared to be on my own yet. It was my hope that I would polish my skills, get additional training in mental/emotional support through TCM, and have greater access to seasoned professionals who could guide me in my practice. What I actually gained from my participation in the program was a level of confidence that grew me from a timid practitioner to a polished public speaker affecting change in my community through education and leadership in health.  

I had no idea who/what I wanted to be in my life until I was 35 years old. As a child I wanted to be a teacher. My mother would purchase sample textbooks and curriculum guides and give me the ones she didn’t like. I would use the teacher’s manual and workbooks to play “school” with my younger siblings and cousins. As I got older, I became enamored with the arts. I loved stage acting and thought I would love to become a professional actress. Then I found Traditional Chinese Medicine, and realized it was everything I wanted in my life but never knew existed. I wanted to be a healer practicing acupuncture medicine. My decision to continue on to the DAOM program was spontaneous. I had been counting down the days until I completed the three year, accelerated, MSTCM program and was looking forward to being done with school forever! I was sitting in business class, and a question came up about “finding your niche”. I began wondering what I could offer that would be different from the hundreds of acupuncturists serving the Denver Metro area. I knew that I wanted to share what I had learned with the community that raised me. But what would I offer that might attract and inspire them? I needed more time, more information, more support, and more school. I decided in that class, at the end of November, that I would apply to a Doctoral program that would begin in the summer. Seven months later, during the first residency week of the 3rd cohort to enter the DAOM program at AOMA, I found my tribe. I heard voices that echoed mine, I heard ideas I thought only I had considered, I felt validated and welcomed. From that first week and through the next 13 I slowly realized that I had demonstrated who I was since childhood, but I could not see it. I am someone who cares about others, I am helpful, I listen, and I try to solve or resolve problems that are presented. I am someone who loves to learn and who is not afraid to take the road less traveled. I like to share what I have, especially information or knowledge. I must have a purpose and I must make a meaningful contribution into my community in order to feel fulfilled. 

I had a lot of reluctance around having the term “leader” used to describe me before starting the DAOM program. I was lectured from a very early age on the importance of leading by example. I was placed in leadership roles despite my objections. My naturally inquisitive nature and willingness to try things others shied away from, put me in positions that made me “first” and by default a leader, but I was often oblivious to these instances as they occurred. I now recognize and accept both role and title, as well as the responsibility that comes with it. My community sees me as a resource not only in health but in public education. Last year I was asked to serve as Community School Coordinator for Denver’s first community school model. I was chosen because of my ability to organize people, curate resources, develop community, support families, and motivate others. I was invited to speak to university classes and high school classes as a motivational speaker. I have been asked to submit articles on holistic health and speak at health forums.  Recently with the COVID-19 crisis, there have been many panels and events held to offer support to people around self-care and emotional support. My community has reached out to me on multiple occasions to share in these areas. I’ve spoken on two radio shows and done two other panels. I credit the leadership development training I received at AOMA for nourishing whatever seed that was present within me upon my arrival, and allowing me the space to blossom into a better version of myself.

Going through the DAOM program at AOMA does not only impact the scholar, but transforms their lives in such a way that anyone the scholar builds community with will also be impacted. John F. Kennedy said: “Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone…” The benefit to everyone is a shift in perspective. This shift broadens problem solving approaches, bridges gaps between communities, and inspires new ideas and goals. Those are some of my greatest takeaways from the program. AOMA offers not only technical or clinical training in TCM, but they help grow leaders in the field of Integrative Health. Now that I’ve completed the DAOM program, I feel prepared to lead my practice, my patients, and my community. I embrace leadership and I accept the responsibility that comes along with it. I am committed to growing and learning more, and I will invite my family and friends to grow alongside me. I am grateful for this experience. Thank you AOMA.

Austin, TX is often ranked the best city in Texas to live in for many reasons. We wrote a blog on that topic previously, but we want to focus in on all the amazing small businesses that keep a heavy focus on staying local and community-oriented.  At AOMA, our mission is to transform lives and communities, so we firmly believe in businesses that think about our community too. We are so fortunate to be located in South Austin, surrounded by so many local community minded merchants! If you’re new to Austin, or just visiting, we recommend you stop by these fine establishments that are local and community minded.

1. Juiceland

Founded in 2011 by Matt Shook, Juiceland is a diverse juicebar offering healthy fresh pressed juices and smoothies. They also offer healthy snacks and small meals ready to go. Juiceland is iconic to Austin as a place to recharge with refreshing juice or a smoothie. Perfect place for a health conscious juice, salad or energy boost.

2. Wheatsville Food Co-op

Wheatsville is a food co-op located off of South lamar and Ben White Blvd. They feature a large-selection of locally grown goods and organic produce, specifically from Austin’s own Johnson’s Backyard Garden. They also have a wide selection of vegan/paleo products, a hot food bar, salad bar, deli and smoothie counter. They even have nitro locally-sourced cold brew on tap. Perfect place to grab local-made eats, treats, produce and beverages.

3. People’s Pharmacy

4. Black Swan Yoga

Black Swan Yoga has several locations in Austin and yearly named to the list of Austin’s best yoga studios. Their studios feature lobby-less heated yoga rooms and generally follow a vinyasa flow format. Best of all their classes are donation-based! Their south location is just across the street from AOMA on West Gate Blvd. Perfect way to de-stress and detox!

5. Crux Climbing

Crux Climbing Center was founded by two local Austin climbers who designed the facility to be more of a community space than a gym. Crux features family friendly climbing for all ages including space for strength training, yoga, and fitness classes. The indoor 22,000 square foot facility in South Austin has plenty to do so you’ll never be bored! Perfect weekend activity (that’s indoors!).

6. El Chilito

El Chilito is one of Austin’s favorite taco stands. They’re known for their “wonderful interior Mexican” food such as delicious and authentic breakfast tacos, migas, and agua frescas! Each location has a full coffee bar and outdoor patio seating! Perfect spot for a quick lunch pickup or coffee break.

7. Radio Coffee and Beer

Radio Coffee is located in a refurbished classic home in South Austin. You’ll find many of our AOMA students there studying on any given day! They have a large outdoor patio that’s climate controlled! They also show movies, feature live music, and generally kid and dog friendly. Radio also serves a large selection of craft beer, kombucha and coffee. You’ll also find Vera Cruz taco truck on site as well. Perfect place for a study break, or drink with friends.

8. AOMA Herbal Medicine

If you’re in town, stop by our herbal medicine dispensary and retail store for a selection of over the counter and prescription Chinese herbal formulas, gifts, snacks, drinks, meditation pillows and so much more! Each of our stores has a licensed Chinese herbalist on staff to help you with any questions pertaining to Chinese herbs. They’ll be able to answer any of your questions! We have a south and north Austin location to choose from!

AOMA Herbal Medicine:

Want to learn more about Chinese medicine? Download our guide!

Austin is one of those places you visit and never want to leave. Which is why our students love living here so much! Our student population at AOMA comes from diverse backgrounds and locations, from places all across the country and overseas. While they’re here, when they are able to take a break from studying, they venture out and take in the beautiful city of Austin, a place with plenty to do and see!

With a focus on local business and a taste for “weird”, you’ll find many iconic spots in Austin that you won’t find anywhere else. We’ve compiled a list of some of the most unique places to visit while staying in Austin that “Keep Austin Weird.”

1. Jo’s Coffee & the "I love you so much" Wall

This local coffee shop, owned and operated by the same owners as neighboring San Jose Hotel, boasts a piece of the city’s most iconic street art. When you scroll through photos of Austin on social media, you’ll likely see couples and bff’s standing next to the “I love you so much” - street graffiti turned photo backdrop! Jo’s Coffee brings together the South Congress neighborhood for good coffee, food and often Live Music. Grab a cup of Jo’s coffee and explore the shops and sights of South Congress Avenue or downtown at their 2nd Street District location - two of South Austin’s most famous local shopping districts.

Jo's South Congress: 1300 South Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78704
Jo's Downtown: 242 West 2nd Street, Austin, TX 78701

2. Cathedral of Junk

They say one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. This couldn’t be more apparent than Austin’s Cathedral of Junk, where junk is overtly displayed as art! Vince Hannemann started building his cathedral in 1988. It’s been a slow growing pile of junk that Vince has turned into his own masterpiece, constantly changing and growing over the years. Tours are allowed but by appointment only - so you better call ahead!

Location: 4424 Lareina Dr, Austin, TX 78745, 512-299-7413

3. South Congress Bats

One of Austin’s most popular tourist attractions is watching the bats from the South Congress bridge. These bats come out to feed just before sunset from underneath the South Congress Avenue bridge, which crosses Lady Bird Lake. Enjoy a vantage point from the bridge, the lawn of the Austin American Statesman, or even consider an evening of bat-seeing on a boat ride with the Lone Star Riverboat. Make sure to check the season before you go out there - the bats are only here over the summer months before they travel to South America.

For more information, check out: http://www.batsinaustin.com.

Location: Congress Ave Bridge, Austin, TX 78704

4. Zilker Park

(Home to Festivals such as ACL, Austin Kite Festival, and Trail of Lights)

Zilker park is considered the “most-loved” park in Austin. This 350-acre park is perfect for a picnic, a place to take the dogs off leash or hang out and practice yoga with friends! Zilker park connects to the urban Lady Bird Butler Trails Hike and Bike Trail, an 11-mile trail that circles around the city. Also within Zilker you’ll find Barton Springs pool - an Austin iconic spring-fed natural pool, as well as the trailhead to the Barton Creek greenbelt which winds and stretches several miles north into the Barton hills and Westlake neighborhoods.

Also home to many iconic Austin festivals such as Austin City Limits, ABC Kite Festival, as well as the annual Trail of Lights and Zilker Christmas Tree lighting, Zilker offers relaxation and recreation with a beautiful view of our downtown skyline.

Location: 2100 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704

5. Peter Pan Mini Golf

When driving on Barton Springs Road, you may notice a large Peter Pan or T-Rex statue popping out above the treeline. Peter Pan mini golf is a popular spot to spend some time with friends playing a round or two of miniature golf. It’s $7 per person, and BYOB. A local favorite for an inexpensive night on the town.

Location: 1207 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704

6. Blue Cat Cafe

Do you love felines but aren’t ready for one at home? Blue Cat Cafe allows you to dine with your furry friends. What’s even better is they allow you to adopt any cats you can’t go home without. With a $5 entry fee, you can spend your day petting sweet cats and enjoying good food.

Location: 95 Navasota St, Austin, TX 78702

7. Two Stepping at the Broken Spoke

Let’s face it - Austin may be a big city, but we’re still in Texas. And that means there’s bound to be a lot of country music going on. Austin has a thriving bluegrass, blues, country and folk scene. One of Austin’s most famous venues for Country Western music is the long-established Broken Spoke, where many famous country stars have performed, including Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, Joe Ely, and Dale Watson. Get yourself some boots and enjoy two-stepping at this local honky-tonk!

Location: 3201 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704

8. Singalongs at ALAMO Drafthouse

Austin is home to the dine-in movie theatre experience. It all started with one movie theatre and a couple with a vision to change how we experience going out to see a movie. Austin is home to Alamo Drafthouse, now becoming popular nationwide. Not only can you enjoy a tasty menu and drinks while you enjoy the picture, but they also host special events including singalongs to your favorite musical films! With private viewing parties and dressing up as characters for movie nights, it’s a one of a kind experience you don’t want to miss!

Nearest location to AOMA: 1120 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704

9. Swan Pedal Boat on Lake Austin

Want to enjoy the most relaxing activity in Austin? Try out a Swan Pedal Boat on Lake Austin. You won’t have to paddle, the pedals will do all the work! Hosted by Capital Cruises, the swan boats will help you enjoy Lady Bird Lake while also looking like a regal swan floating along the water. Covered swans are also available for those hot summer days!

Find out more at: www.CapitalCruises.com.
Location: 1211, 208 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704

10. Austin Museum of the Weird

No city of self-proclaimed weirdness would be complete without a Museum of the Weird! Self-described as “America’s Strangest Attraction”, the museum features life-size wax figures, real mummies, and even shrunken heads! The Museum of the Weird might be the most literal reflection of “Keep Austin Weird”, and it’s sure to entertain.

Tip: While you’re there. explore the rest of 6th street - a dense concentration of live music, food, and drinks that help put Austin on the map as the “Live Music Capital of the World”.

Location: 412 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701

We hope you enjoy our city while you’re here!

Want to see more to do in Austin? Download our Guide to Austin!

While you're in town, come see us for an acupuncture visit!

Those of us that live in Austin LOVE it and the ones that visit always wish they could stay. Some call Austin “weird,” or the “blue dot in a red state,” while others call it the “Live Music Capital of the World.” Regardless of what you have heard about Austin, one thing is certain - it is VERY different than the rest of Texas for a number of reasons. Austin has its own culture and is known as a tolerant, open-minded city that attracts a wide variety of people –college students, tech entrepreneurs, artisans, nature enthusiasts, alternative health practitioners, and many others. To top it off, Austin was ranked the best place to live in 2017, according to US News and World Report! Let’s be honest here, we couldn’t agree more that Austin is the best, which is why we came up with 5 reasons why Austin is strikingly different from (and arguably better) than the rest of Texas.

Environmentally Friendly

What you’ll notice about Austin that’s different from the other concrete-jungle cities in Texas is the vast amount of parks and nature preservations located close to the city center. Austin caters to any outdoor enthusiast with prized urban nature conservations such as the Barton Creek Greenbelt. Spanning a length of 7.9 miles with gorgeous trails and swimming spots along the way, “the greenbelt” is considered one of the best hiking trails in Texas. Zilker Metropolitan Park (350 acres), one of Austin’s most used parks, is just 2 miles from downtown. Zilker connects to the Barton Springs swimming pool and Lady Bird Lake, where anyone can paddle board, kayak, or canoe. Such centrally located access to outdoor recreation is rare in most Texas cities, making Austin even more special. Oh, and did we mention how dog-friendly Austin is? People love to bring their pets most anywhere, so you’ll find many outdoor restaurants and cafes offering dog-friendly patios!

Music

You’ve heard Austin is the live music capitol of the world, but have you experienced the live music here? Austin hosts large scale music events every year, such as Austin City Limits (ACL), South by Southwest (SXSW), and the Pecan Street Festival. Besides the large mainstream festivals hosted here, there is always live music being played at other smaller venues such as the Broken Spoke for country and two-stepping or the Elephant Room for an eclectic basement with live jazz. We have every kind of music you would want to hear, and more you didn’t realize you would like. With a venue at almost every corner, Austin has your entertainment covered for a night out on the town.

Tech Savvy

Austin is considered the technology hub of Texas spawning with growth from companies such as Dell as well as an explosion of new companies formed during the dot.com era. Today, we host a full-blown tech ecosystem that many consider 2^nd best to Silicon Valley in the United States, and dubbed the “Silicon Hills”. Austin is home to some of the newest up and coming high-tech startups as well as a large presence by many national corporations like Apple, IBM, and AMD. Many of these companies also embrace alternative and renewable energy sources. In addition, Austin was also chosen as one of the first cities in the country to offer Google Fiber access for its residents.

Local Business-Minded

Austin’s economy thrives on local merchants such as coffee shops, micro-breweries, farmers markets, boutiques and local art studios. In addition, some of these local ventures have taken off and grown to national prominence such as Whole Foods Market, Kendra Scott, Tito’s Vodka, Chuy’s Restaurant, and YETI Coolers. Austin is a city where all dreams are possible, where small businesses get bigger, and where consumers are more conscious of the products they buy with the intention of keeping the economy balanced. Let’s not forget to mention that our local and organic food movement is prominent with many local farms, herbal shops and community gardens. Trust us when we say there are more than enough places to discover here and whatever it is you like, we’ll have it!

Access to Alternative Health Options

Austin’s residents tend to be healthier, fitter, and more interested in alternative health therapies. We have a plethora of yoga studios, group fitness classes, CrossFit gyms and running groups. Because of the wide variety of residents in Austin, we have even more variety of health care options for those residents, such as acupuncture and reiki practitioners, as well as meditation and nutritional classes. Our city also provides many restaurants and food trucks that cater to our growing population of vegans and vegetarians. But just so you know, we love our breakfast tacos, and no matter how healthy you are - they can be hard to resist!

Still not convinced Austin is the best? Guess you’ll just have to come see for yourself!

I'm both anxious and excited. It's like going back to summer camp—I'm not sure if my friends from last year will be there, if the camp counselors will be nice, if the lunch lady will be serving mystery meat.  I've been out of acupuncture school for less than a year, and while part of me is still trying to recover and adjust to working, another part of me is beginning to stir again—the student inside. It seems that in our profession, despite all different backgrounds, educations, specialties and interests, we have that in common. We love to learn! 

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine are a lifelong study. The more I learn, the more I realize how much I have yet to learn. I've had to remind myself that it will take time and I have a good solid base to build on. The beauty of this reality is that we will just keep getting better—that's the plan at least. It can be incredibly easy to find a pattern, a groove, a needle combo that does the trick. Why mess with it if it works? What I found was the Southwest Symposium in Austin, TX was more than just a way to get continuing education units, it was a way to get excited about the medicine again, to collaborate with like and different minds, to see old friends and meet face-to-face with people, who up until now, had been a tiny picture on Facebook.

So I dusted off my notebook, gathered some pens and checked my expectations at the door. I was thrilled to see familiar faces and meet people I'd only know by name and reputation. What an incredible experience to be in this space that is buzzing with the collective qi of students and practitioners. In private practice I find that we can become a bit isolated. The graduate school environment is so unique—bouncing ideas off of one another, learning from each other's successes and mistakes. Then, for many, we go into practice either alone or with people of different disciplines and the collaboration shifts, for it is mainly our own successes and failures we learn from and online social networking we lean on.

Vendors lined the exhibition hall of the Symposium – wall to wall with herbs, needles and gadgets galore. People would break off into little groups, catching up with old friends and making new connections. There was a lot of talk about the need to invest in our medicine, and come together to help protect our scope of practice, safety issues with unregulated needling practices and how to get involved. And this was all outside of the lectures!

There is something so reaffirming and supportive about hearing groups of people chatting about harmonizing the Ying and Wei over coffee and mixed nuts. Or knowing exactly what someone is saying when they say they felt that the esoteric Heart Shaoyin pattern changed their practice. Where else could you say, “I really love this herbal decoction for phlegm misting the mind, it really opens the orifices” without vacant, slightly horrified stares. We're not always on the same page, but we're at least using the same book.

The speakers of course were fantastic and covered a broad range of topics and modalities. You could really choose your area of interest—needling, herbs, qi gong, tuina or some combination. So much to choose from, esoteric, Japanese or Nei Jing style for your needling curiosity, with epigenetics, hormesis and aging, with some facial diagnosis in between. Regulating cycles, treating pregnancy and pediatric tuina if that suited your practice's focus. If phlegm gets you stuck, there was an herbal course for that. There was even a way to get those ethics CEUs covered.

So while it's very convenient to sit in front of our computers and get those needed CEUs, I'm starting a personal practice of attending the Southwest Symposium as a way to stay connected. Connected to my community, to my medicine, to my inner student.

2015 Southwest Symposium speakers (in alphabetical order):

• Paul Anderson, ND,
• Jason Blalack, MS, LAc
• Mary Bove, ND, AHG
• Lillian Bridges
• Jeffrey Dann, PhD, LAc
• John Finnell, ND, MPH, LAc
• Holly Guzman, LAc
• Peter D. Lichtenstein, D.C., LAc
• Edward Neal, MD
• Stanley Reiser, MD, MPA, PhD
• Mikio Sankey, PhD, LAc
• Constance Scharff, PhD
• David Twicken, DOM, LAc
• Qianzhi ("Jamie") Wu, PhD, LAc
• Janet Zand, OMD, LAc

About Lauren St. Pierre, MAcOM, L.Ac.

A graduate of AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine, Lauren is in solo private practice with Earthspring Acupuncture, PLLC as well as Texas Center for Reproductive Acupuncture. She is also working with AOMA as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in both clinical and didactic courses while continuing to work with The American Cancer Society.  Lauren has lived in Austin since 2006 by way of Lake Tahoe, California. She counts Austin as her home with her husband and two Boston terriers.

MYTH 1: Austin is always hot.

TRUTH: Austin is hot during the summer. I moved to Austin,TX from Massachusetts in July of 2011, which was later named the hottest, driest month in Texas’ recorded history, and it was brutally hot. The grass was bleached pale yellow and wildfires popped up around the city, in spite of the strict burn-ban, which extended so far as to prohibit Independence Day fireworks. After a few months I learned that such high temperatures are an anomaly for Austin, which generally boasts somewhat mild weather for much of the fall, winter, and spring. Unfortunately, I’d already joyously donated all my cold-weather wear before heading south, so sometime in November I had to reevaluate my wardrobe and purchase much of the gear I’d gotten rid of.

Since living in Austin, I’ve spent Thanksgiving in a wool pea coat and Thanksgiving in a tee shirt…the weather here can be unpredictable, except in its predicable variety.

MYTH 2: If you don’t like tacos or BBQ, you might go hungry.

TRUTH: While is true that Austin loves its BBQ (there are more than 200 joints in the Austin area) and may love tacos even more (you can buy tacos from  AT LEAST 400 restaurants and food trucks around town), the culinary scene is by no means limited to those two major food groups.Austin is home to hundreds of food trucks, which serve foods ranging from donut-burgers and deep-fried sandwiches to Mexi-Korean and Thai Kun. There are vegetarian &vegan restaurants, gluten -free bakeries,  locally sourced dinner-club inspired restaurants, gourmet hot dog restaurants,Thai restaurants, Southern Comfort Restaurants… I could go on and on. I’m not a food writer, but there are many enthusiastic bloggers in Austin. If you’d like to read more about the food and restaurant scene in Austin, here are a few that I recommend: 

•    http://austinfoodbloggers.org/city-guide-2/
•    http://thetastingbuds.com/
•    http://www.southaustinfoodie.com/
•    http://austin.eater.com/

MYTH 3: Austin doesn’t have public transportation.

TRUTH: Austin does have public transportation:

The bus system extends into most of the city, serving 50 routes and 3000 bus stops, and is continuously growing and improving its service.  For more info check out : https://www.capmetro.org/

Additionally, Austin has followed places like DC, Amsterdam, and NYC in implementing a bike-sharing program - ours is Bcycle, and it’s extremely affordable. For more info check out : https://austin.bcycle.com/

Here’s the caveat, and it’s a big one:  people who don’t have cars and instead use public transit often need to plan their daily commute in advance, and may find it easier to live closer to downtown. If you have personal experience with using Austin’s public transportation as your method of getting around, we welcome your comments and opinions!

As important as the presence of public transportation in Austin is its demand due to the growing population. As Austin continues to grow, the city is continuing to improve its public transportation offerings and make improvements to existing systems. I am optimistic that our city planners and local businesses will make this happen.

MYTH 4: Austin is full of weirdos

TRUTH: Austin is unique, and so are its inhabitants. You may have heard the city’s popular slogan “Keep Austin Weird”, and wondered what the heck people mean when they say this. In his book “Weird City” Joshua Long explored this very question, and shows that people mean many different things when they use this phrase. Sometimes people are referring to the music, or local icons like Willie Nelson and Leslie, and other times people are referring to the city’s politics or aesthetics. When I hear people talk about Austin’s “weirdness”, it usually has an intangible, nostalgic quality to it. Legend has it that the slogan began as a bumper sticker imagined up by a guy named Red, who (according to Joshua Long) “didn’t want to make money. He didn’t want to be famous. He was just worried that the city he loved was becoming over-commercialized, over-materialistic, and less 'weird'.” Since then, “Keep Austin Weird” has been adopted by the Austin Independent Business Alliance to promote local business and economic revitalization that preserves the flavor of the city, while allowing it to evolve. Long claims that “there is a kind of a self-perpetuating, self-fulfilling prophecy of nonconformity now in the city” related to this sentiment. What this non-conformity looks like varies a lot depending on who you ask, but it’s my experience that many people in Austin are here because there’s a  sense of inclusivity that accompanies the city’s embrace of “weirdness “. Maybe that does make us weirdos, but I like to think of us as movers and shakers and artists and non-conformists, who are trying to build a city-wide umbrella of inclusivity.

Elizabeth Arris is an advanced student within the Master of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine program. Prior to relocating to Austin to attend AOMA, she earned a BA in Biological Sciences at Smith College. When not in class, Elizabeth serves as Student Ambassador, administering the InterTransform Mentoring Program for new students.