Journalist, Film Producer, Creative Soul, Vienna, Austria

One of the most rewarding aspects of interviewing a diverse group of women around the globe, is the accumulation of fascinating reference materials (books, poems and scholarly works) that inspire these WOW Women. I have learned much from Ms. Clara Arias, just from her recommended reads and the fascinating women she named as her role models. I am happy to promote diverse voices on the WOW Woman platform and Ms. Arias’s voice is strong, uncensored, and also quite vulnerable and real. I looked up an author and a poet, based on Clara’s recommendation and found two quotes that sum up the state of affairs as I see them now:

“All too often women believe it is a sign of commitment, an expression of love, to endure unkindness or cruelty, to forgive and forget. In actuality, when we love rightly, we know that the healthy, loving response to cruelty and abuse is putting ourselves out of harm's way.” - bell hooks

“Our days are no different from the past, except in the number of tyrants, their systematic methods and the cold logic with which they lead the world to madness.” - Cristina Peri Rossi.

1. Name.

Clara Arias.

2. Where is your hometown?

I grew up in Ponferrada, León, España but my place of birth is Sevilla. However, Madrid is the city that I hold in my heart.

3. What is your profession/career/title/self-label/designation? What does your average day look like?

I am journalist and a film producer. I also used to investigate big corporations in Latin America and the methods big business bids are procured, both legitimately and illegitimately. Nowadays, I am working as a film producer in a company in Vienna which is producing documentaries about México.

4. What did you study in school?

I studied film production in Ponferrada Spain, journalism in Madrid and then obtained a Master of Latin American Studies degree in Uruguay.

5. What was the journey like to get where you are (in life and career-wise)? Write about some of the achievements that you are most proud of. What was the moment for you that changed your life (in your personal life and/or career?) that set you on the current path in life?

As a teenager, I went through a difficult time due to a traumatic event in my life and behaved in a very rebellious way; so much so, that I was expelled from high school. I changed high schools and at the new center of studies I met Alba, who is now my best friend. Alba supported me, made me value myself much more, discovered me in part. She is still part of my present even though we are living in different cities, we are still very close. She is the kind of friend who tells me that there is a Pulitzer Prize waiting for me, imagine that! I sincerely believe that meeting her was the turning point/for for the rest of my life.

What I am most proud of are not things in my life, but rather my friends. The friends who are nearby or those I can't meet because of the distance; all of them make me so happy and proud because they are part of my life story. If I had to identify key points which I am very proud of they’d be: being a founder of a journalistic magazine called Transversal in which we try to create a space for discussion, away from the agenda setting of the media. I’m also proud to have participated in the feminist movement within my university, together with my group of friends, to take part in incredible journalism with a gender perspective, implementing the Bechdel Test when I could. (Bechdel Test - the test asks whether a film features at least two women talking to each other about something other than a man. The measure sometimes is enhanced by adding that the two female characters be named in the film). Doing my bit in the area of feminism makes me feel very good. Additionally, I’m proud to have obtained a scholarship to do research in Uruguay, to be able to known the culture on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

6. How is your life different from what you pictured at 20?

I guess I realized a lot of things along the way. When I was 20, I thought I was going to achieve everything I set my mind to, however life shows you difficulties and limits that were not in my plans, some have to do with acquiring political awareness or social class consciousness.

For example, when I was 20 years old, living in a city of 60,000 inhabitants, I felt different, with more charisma, capable of almost anything I set my mind to. I wanted to be a journalist and host a famous TV show in Spain called 'El Intermedio'. Nowadays, things have changed so much that this is no longer my dream. Politicizing myself has been part of that process, getting to know the ins and outs of the media, talking to many friends along the way is what has turned me into a different person from the one I was when I was 20.  

I never thought that traveling the world would be a vital choice for me.

7. Was there a time when life knocked you down or out and how did you get back up on your feet?

There is no doubt that there is a before and an after in my life. I recognize that moment for myself the day my grandmother died. I was with her during that last period, I held her hands, helped her to alleviate the suffering. My grandmother had always been my favorite interlocutor, a model of a good human, someone I admired. She educated me, listened to me and advised me a lot. In the last few years, I wasn’t too close to her physically, as I had gone to live in another city. But I always feel like we were connected.

On that last day, I watched her body wither away as her beautiful rich soul was leaving this world. I don't think I have ever recovered from that; I have only internalized it and I live with it. It is life. “Old people trade for children trade for..” cycle, that's the rule, isn't it?

8. Advice for other women?

I would advise other women to read “Women who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype” by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, then work on finding the wild woman we all have inside us. This book warns that there are times when we must break away from the sensitive and protective mother who has brought us up, to find referents that are more in tune with us and that encourage us to seek intuition.

I would also recommend supporting the works of other women, talking about the work women do, acting as a multiplier of women’s voices, as Olga Shmaidenko does. This empowers our voices and makes us more powerful.

9. Knowing what we know now in a current political climate, can women be "all that we can be" in today's world? What is the way forward, as you see it, for "feminist values"?

I would like to say that women can be anything we want, but that's not the case. Unfortunately, we are not represented as much as we should be.

I understand feminism as a path to liberation, a tension with the hegemonic that will allow us to have better living conditions. Feminism is memory, it is joy, it is sacrifice, it is union, it is a challenge and a goal.

I also believe that we should speak of feminisms in the plural and that dialogue among feminists throughout the world is still a pending task. Am I a feminist if I wear purple and go to a demonstration but I have a black employee taking care of my children and I don't give her a day off on Women's Day? And not just on that day, understand me. I mean, there's a white liberal feminism that doesn't look at the margins, disregards social status; this is still a challenge.

10. Where in the world do you feel “tallest” (i.e., where is your happy place)?

Even though it sounds cliché, I feel my happiest probably near a bonfire, surrounded by friends, playing a guitar, all of us singing.

11. What extracurricular activities/hobbies are you most proud of? Why?

I think I'm good at public relations, I have a knack for telling a story, for generating larger and larger networks.

Sometimes my guitar and voice sound good. I am very happy that I learned to play the guitar, it has saved me a lot and has definitely helped me with anxiety and depression.

I really enjoy gardening and repairing my house in the countryside. I really enjoy these physical jobs as they allow me to find myself, set my mind free, give me a chance to let go of worries and do something different. I especially love the day after, when I get the chance to see the results of my labour. I think beautifying the space you’re in, truly serves as a kind of therapy.

12. What do you want to be when you grow up? Future goals/challenges?

When I'm older I would like to direct the course of our magazine, Transversal, to make sure that it runs as it should. I’m fascinated by a talented team of journalists, ability to work on important topics that can help change the course of journalism, of thought and culture. It would be incredible to consolidate Transversal magazine as a reference media in short.

Although it sounds like such a cliché, it is also a goal of mine to write a novel. I have a text, I started writing and would like to finally finish it. But I have to work more diligently on getting into a disciplined writing routine. I met a writer I admire a lot, Juanjo Millás, who told me he wakes up at 6 a.m. to write, as he finds it a peacefully ideal time for concentration.

13. What fears are you still hoping to overcome?

My sense of shyness. Sometimes it’s quite difficult for me to speak in public; my voice trembles and I am afraid of making a fool of myself. It is something irrational, I guess, and I still have a hard time controlling it in certain situations. Sometimes I think that, to get rid of this fear once and for all, I would have to perform a stand-up comedy routine, tell a story on stage and share something ridiculous about myself. However, on a second thought, that would be like throwing someone who doesn’t know how to swim into the Loch Ness.

14. Anything you'd do differently, if you had another go at life?

Yes, of course. I can determine several turning points in my life where I could imagine different outcomes depending on the road I chose. I think of one such example when I stopped playing the double bass. With other priorities of adolescence hanging over me, I no longer had fun with the instrument, preferring to do other things. I wish I stuck it out. Music, thankfully, remained an important part of my life to this day, so who knows, if I continued playing double bass, it probably would have led me down some interesting paths in life.

Another example involves my grandmother and her words of wisdom. I lived almost twenty years with my grandma; during that time, she gave me plenty of advice, much of it I took, some I did not. If only I could be with her again, I’d listen to her opinions more, take in her wisdom and pay attention to each one of her words.

15. What/who inspires you?

I am inspired by nature, above all things: an area full of vegetation, a forest, the coming and going of birds, a roe deer crossing a path in the forest, even the smell of plants during a hot summer day. For me this connection to nature is very important. In nature I make sense of things and people that surround me in life. In nature, a beautiful smell, a color or a certain texture can change my mood and make my soul sing.

I am inspired by the many women I have met during the course of my life. Pilar Cousido, my uiversity professor, is a good example of a WOW Woman. She taught me how to be powerful, dedicated, professional and also an effective friend, all at the same time. I’ve had the honour of meeting an artist Ouka Leele, who unfortunately passed away in 2022. She had the most unique and inspiring view of the world, always thinking outside the box.

I’m also inspired by many writers such as bell hooks (an American author and social activist), Tamara Tenenbaum (a journalist, writer and professor of literature at the University of Buenos Aires), Laura Rita Segato (an Argentine-Brazilian academic), Rosa Montero (a Spanish journalist and author of contemporary fiction), Josep Pla (a Spanish journalist and a popular author), Antonio Machado (a Spanish poet).

16. What are you hopeful about?

I would like to see the feminist movement consolidate and start to become a substrate of the civic culture throughout the world. The idea is that this latest feminist revolt, in which we are immersed right now, will allow us to know and create a more democratic world.

I am also excited to hope for a solution of the coexistence of the State of Israel and the Palestinian State. I hope that someday, this illegitimate wall, enclosing Palestinians in an open-air prison, will be demolished.

17. What are some ingredients to a good life?

I would say patience, having friends nearby, a job that allows you to have time for your real life, not to be obsessed with work even if sometimes it is very difficult.

On the other hand, I am realizing more and more that there comes a point when we have to renew our life references (ideas, jobs, relationships and connections). It's good to break ties that have been keeping us stagnant in one place; we shouldn’t be afraid of that process, as it is part of the growing as an individual.

How did the global pandemic change your perspective about the world, about your life, your goals and dreams?

The pandemic changed the model and the idea of freedom, clearly brought a return to focus on the social rights and it also further impoverished parts of the population. In my personal life, which I have always led improvising, was not extremely affected by the pandemic. I continued to think divergently, creatively and survived through improvisation - the only way I know how to live.

18. What are (at least) three qualities you most love about yourself and why? What are your superpowers?

Creativity, impulsiveness and tenacity; these three, on multiple occasions, have gotten me out of many difficult situations. They also served as the steppingstones toward achieving what I desired at the time. If I put these three to work, at the same time, the results can be very good indeed.

19. What advice would you give your 14-year-old self? What advice would your 14-year-old self give you in return?

To my fourteen-year-old "self" I would advise to truly enjoy adolescence. I would tell her to live as much as she can, make mistakes and learn from them. There are some mistakes that we are only allowed to make when we are teenagers. Do not be afraid to live an experience fully, keep her identity intact and continue feeding her curiosity.

My fourteen-year-old self would tell me to think really hard about what I want to achieve and go for it!

20. What are you reading now? (what books do you gift most and what are your favourite reads?)

I am reading “Women who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype” by Clarissa Pinkola Estés.

The books I would gift to others most would be “All About Love: New Visions” by bell hooks or an anthology of Cristina Peri Rossi’s poems.

21. Who is a WOW WOMAN in your world who inspires you and why?

For me, a WOW WOMAN is a person who works from the bottom up for the benefit of the community. I consider Cristina Barrial a WOW WOMAN; she is a journalist from Gijón and an expert in anthropological theory and politics. Additionally, she is an activist, passionate about advocating for safe working environments for women.

Another WOW WOMAN is a journalist Olga Rodríguez Francisco. She is a war correspondent who specializes in the Middle East and human rights issues. During her reporting on the Iraq war, Olga lost a dear friend José Couso, a tragedy which impassioned her to be more vocal in denouncement of the war atrocities. Olga is an expert in the feminist discourse and serves as a key reference for Spanish journalists.

My third WOW WOMAN is my mother: I have seen her work hard her whole life, without a single vacation day. She is a WOW Woman with a generous, brilliant spirit, a beautiful heart and an impactful ability for self-analysis.

22. Where can others find you/your work (links to websites, blogs, etc.)?

You can find me in revistatransversal.com  or on Twitter: @hey__ya

My articles: revistatransversal.com/author/clara-arias

Bonus Quick Round Qs:

1. What and who is worth suffering for? When something goes wrong in the relationship with my friends, I tend to suffer, but you have to experience this pain in order to fix the problem.

2. What would you do if you knew that nobody would judge you? I would initiate the debate on spreading the wealth concentration.

3. Who is/are your mentor/s (men or women)? Karin Forsthuber is currently my mentor. Originally from Salzburg, Karin helped me find a professional coach and gave me advice about what path to take. She is a powerful woman who has been really generous to me; today, she is not only a mentor but a good friend.

4. If you didn't have to work anymore what would you do with your days? I would dedicate my time to musical training, spend time with my friends and dedicate myself to writing.

5. If you could be anyone for a day who would you be? I would have liked to be in the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat’s shoes.

6. If you could relive one year in your life, which one would it be? I guess it would be 2019, the year I lived in Uruguay. If I could re-live that year over, I’d make certain decisions differently and spend a lot more time with my friend Helena.

7. What bothers you most about other people? What do you love most about other people? It bothers me when people lack empathy. I don’t respect people who are not generous (with their time and attention) to those less fortunate than them. What attracts me to certain people is their capacity to generate networks of solidarity in small villages or in big cities. Resulting synergy is inspiring and reaches places where individuals themselves cannot reach on their own.