As a storyteller, songwriter, performance artist and crafter, Willa Brigham has shared her knowledge and light with audiences for 27 years.

“I’m one of those people who likes to do things,” Brigham said. “I love performance art, because it gives me an opportunity to be on stage, and I’ve always been a showpiece — even as a child.”

Before Brigham recorded six albums of children’s stories and songs and became a children’s book author, she told her stories to a much smaller audience. She sang songs to her children to encourage good manners and hygiene.

“Whatever I wanted to teach my kids, whether it be washing your hands, brushing your teeth, I would put it into a song,” Brigham said. “Because if you make it fun for them, then it’s no longer work.”

Willa Brigham performs at a school (submitted photo).

She either used her imagination to come up with her own stories, or pieced together parts of various fairy tales to change the message, according to the values she wanted to instill in her children.

“When they were young, I read them Cinderella,” Brigham said. “Then I realized, I didn’t want my children to connect with a young lady who did not know her own worth. I wanted her to be a strong Cinderella with an attitude, because she wasn’t depending on someone else to take care of her. She was able to use her own mind to be self-sufficient.”

While her husband’s job moved the family to different states across the country, Brigham worked as a substitute teacher and volunteered at her children’s schools. Her first storytelling performance was when she lived in Wilmington, Mass. One of her children’s teachers asked her to tell stories at the school’s family night, and that led to a paid opportunity at a local library.

To refine her performance skills, Brigham joined Toastmasters International, a nonprofit that allows people to practice communication and public speaking in a group. She became a full-time inspirational speaker in 1991.

Brigham also calls herself an “inspirational humorist,” a term she uses to describe how she uses humor to encourage people to seek their best selves.

Kris Carmichael met Brigham 12 years ago when Carmichael was in search of community partners to enhance the programming at the Page-Walker Arts and History Center in Cary.

“I was just enchanted; she is so vivacious and energetic and creative,” Carmichael said.

For the past several years, the two women have worked together to create a children’s program as part of the center’s Martin Luther King Jr. Dreamfest.

“She has such depth to her performances,” Carmichael said. “She draws people in, and they hang onto her every word.”

One of Brigham’s biggest joys is working with children.

“I love the fact that their minds are open,” she said.

In the early 2010s, Brigham was approached by radio producer Lee Wing, who asked her to host a children’s radio show. A year later, the women pitched an idea for a children’s television show to WRAL-TV. In “Smart Start Kids,” Brigham accompanied groups of children as they participated in educational activities around North Carolina — everything from puppet-making to clogging. The show won two regional Emmys during its seven-year run.

“It was a joy; I got paid to play,” Brigham said.

Her stories for children focus on sharing, participating and acceptance. Some of her performances are inspired by the children she meets.

“I teach at the Durham Arts Council camps, the kids come in with all kinds of concerns,” Brigham said. “There was this one little boy who was scratching at his knees. I asked him what was wrong, and he told me his cat has fleas. And I said, ‘Oh!’ Because for me, that was a song.”

Working towards the betterment of her surroundings, Brigham’s commitment to the community extends beyond her art. Getting involved is key, she says.

“If you see something that needs to be done, don’t hesitate to introduce the opportunity for somebody else to join you, or to bring it to the forefront of those who have power,” Brigham said. “It’s not going to happen, if you don’t let people know it needs to.”

Her many philanthropic efforts include serving as a member of the Cary Women’s Club and being on the board of directors for Kids Together Playground, a Cary park built for children with disabilities.

“I like being involved. It allows me to see what’s going on in the community; it allows me to exchange ideas that improve our city,” Brigham said. “I love this town. I want to be a part of it.”

More From Our Sept 2020 Issue

• Woman of Western Wake: Anne Clem Whitaker
• Woman of Western Wake: Carla Mantilla
• Woman of Western Wake: Lisa Higginbotham
• Woman of Western Wake: Rev. Dr. Rose Cornelious
• Woman of Western Wake: Willa Brigham
• Presenting the 2020 Women of Western Wake
• Nonprofit Spotlight: Wade Edwards Learning Lab
• From the Editor: Making it Work Remotely
• News from the Home Office
• Restaurant Profile: The Peak on Salem
• Liquid Assets: Mort’s Trophy Lager from Trophy Brewing Co.
• Garden Adventurer: Vitex, the Other Summer Show