Today we’d like to introduce you to Gala Aranaga.
Hi Gala, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Am originally from Miami, Florida where I grew up in a multi-generational Cuban household. My Abuelita (grandmother) was my very best friend.
As a teenager, I trained daily to race road bicycles – but my first three races resulted in crashes (and one concussion). Despite my dedication and persistence, that was a short-lived career.
Began piano studies at the age of eight and knew that I had found my calling. I am currently a music producer and sound artist who composes for streaming, television, and art installations. I have also released music as Life is a Gala, Bad Unkl Sista, and Goyopod.
Have attended music school, film school, business school, and my career has encompassed a range of skills and enabled me to merge and dance with my varied interests.
There’s the business/corporate side of my life as well. I have 25 years of experience spanning creative studio operations, production, project management, and marketing, leading the development of websites, campaigns, and events for numerous Fortune 500 clients. This is what I do to fund my fun.
Over the years, I have also produced video games, directed short films, and owned and managed a theatre.
I also have the privilege of calling two magical young women my daughters. One is on track to enter law school and the other is training as a voice actor. Am so proud of them both!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
My assigned gender at birth was male, and I began experiencing gender dysphoria at a young age. My family’s conservative attitudes, coupled with my (both real and perceived) responsibilities to the family, created enough tension for me to hide this truth. It wasn’t until decades later, after both my parents passed on that I begin my external gender transition.
As a transgender woman, I more acutely recognize the shared struggles of trans women, of all women. Am developing new perspectives and attitudes surrounding culture and society, my professional life and creative pursuits. Just as I have undergone a major transformation, the world also appears very different to me.
Because of my diverse interests, skills, and pursuits, it has also been difficult to maintain credibility with people stuck on the old model (myth) of left-brain/right-brain dominance. As a devout generalist, it’s challenging to become truly exceptional at one thing. There is a deep sense that I might be more legit (and accomplished) as an artist if I leaned into this harder, and (alternately) that I might be a more successful entrepreneur if I put my art aside and focused on growing a business. But I remain with limbs in multiple worlds (which can be an asset, but there are only so many hours in a day).
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
What sets me apart as an artist is my ability to listen into the music through the music; to dissect and explain what is going on inside. To help people connect with the music they love.
Am currently learning more into scoring work and want to compose more music for television, film, and perhaps video games.
What I am invariably most proud of is the work I am currently doing. Am getting better at finishing and releasing, letting go and moving on; if I felt that my best work was already done, then life would probably not be worth living.
What matters most to you? Why?
I am committed to change and transformation, continuous evolution, and living authentically.
I strive to catalyze personal transformation, inspiring others to live their truth.
I believe that life is a precious opportunity to be celebrated and lived brilliantly.
Deliberate Curiosity as a way to hold on to a child-like attitude towards one’s surroundings. To not take things (nor oneself) so seriously. And to pursue this as a practice.
Nimble Discernment as a way to exercise agency in what is ingested vs. rejected, consumed vs. discarded. Am getting better at saying NO.
Unconditional Courage as a practice to work through my own fears, regrets, and cycles of guilt and shame. To face the scary places, do the hard work, and be radically honest.
These are all ideals that I work towards when I remember who I am…and WHY I am.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@lifeisagala.com
- Website: https://lifeisagala.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeisagala
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/lifeisagala
Image Credits
Profile photo: Photo by Alyssa Keys Photography Piano artwork: Assemblage by Gala Aranaga
