Meet Penny Little

We were lucky to catch up with Penny Little recently and have shared our conversation below.

Penny, we’ve been so fortunate to work with so many incredible folks and one common thread we have seen is that those who have built amazing lives for themselves are also often the folks who are most generous. Where do you think your generosity comes from?

When I was young, my list was long and “grand.” I wanted to be:

(1) one of Santa’s helpers, until I realized working for an imaginary elf wasn’t a viable career path. I thought it would be fun to give gifts to everyone in the world.

(2) an acrobat in a circus, standing barefoot on a beautiful white horse, my arms outstretched as the crowd gasped;

(2) a performer of any kind — I used to sing into my hairbrush, curtain drawn, as if the world outside my bedroom was waiting for the encore; I pretended to be a Flamenco dancer, stomping my feet on the kitchen linoleum, pretending my floppy, noisy red shoes were Flamenco shoes.

(3) a lion tamer — though the closest I got was waving a wooden spoon at our family cat, “Charger” who never obeyed a single command; I read “Born Free” and thought, “yes, I could befriend a lion cub.

(4) a nuclear physicist working on space travel, or better yet, an astronaut — I’d lie in the grass at night staring at the stars. My father gave me a book on physics when I was 10. He was an engineer, musician and inventor.. I would often ask him questions about the universe, atoms, molecules, space.

When I look at all these early fantasies, it was mostly about bringing joy to the world, about giving, doing something good, with the exception perhaps of the “lion tamer”. it was unlikely our parents would move to Africa or that it was possible to have a baby lion, – or shark – on our acres of land. yes, my sister and I actually started digging a shark pond in the woods on our property.. Our uncle worked for Sea World; he had a pet octopus, We thought it might be possible, until our parents explained what having a shark as a pet might entail. I think generosity of spirit is cultivated through exposure to good works, and other’s “giving” – combined with an innate desire to bring forth something good, to make the world a better place.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

As Executive Director of the **Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Celebration**, I’m privileged to be part of something truly magical — an annual event that celebrates art, creativity, and human connection.

Solstice began in 1974 as a small birthday celebration for local mime and artist Michael Gonzales, and over the past 50 years, it has blossomed into one of Santa Barbara’s most beloved traditions — a world-class festival and parade that draws more than 100,000 spectators from around the globe.

When I came on board three years ago, Solstice was emerging from the challenges of the pandemic. What had become a two-day festival has now expanded into a three-day celebration featuring the **FUNtopia Zone** for interactive arts and culture, the **CommUnity Bowl Stage** highlighting youth and multicultural performances, and the **Main Stage**, alive with nonstop music and dance by local and regional artists.

What makes Solstice so special is that it’s truly *people powered*. For two months leading up to the Parade, our Solstice Workshop becomes a creative laboratory where people from all walks of life — artists, makers, performers, families, and first-time creators — come together to learn, collaborate, and build something extraordinary. It’s one of the only places in the world that teaches *Celebration Arts*: the art of creating joy through collaborative expression — from giant puppets and sculptural floats to dazzling costumes, dance troupes, and street performances. There are no motorized vehicles, no words or signage — just pure, people-powered creativity.

For me, the most exciting part of this work is weaving together all the moving parts — artistic vision, logistics, marketing, and community partnerships — to create something that uplifts everyone involved. I see my role as a kind of *servant leadership*: helping make Santa Barbara a more vibrant, inclusive, and beautiful place to live. The social, cultural, and even economic ripple effects of Solstice are profound.

I often say that “art is a superfood for the soul”, and that celebration and connection are essential nutrients for the health of a community — body, mind, and spirit. In a world that can feel divided or heavy, Solstice is like a homeopathic remedy: it reminds us of our shared humanity, creativity, and joy.

Recently, we launched an exciting new collaboration with Elephant Parade*, an international public art movement that celebrates creativity while raising awareness for elephant conservation. Our 2024 Solstice Art Box Contest invited the community to design miniature elephant sculptures. The winning artist, Christopher Noxon, painted a life-sized elephant titled “Phantasmagorial Landscapephant” which debuted in the 2025 Solstice Parade, currently resides at the Ojai Valley Museum until its next appearance as part of the international Elephant Parade® herd. You can view his work at: Christophernoxonart.com

Building on that success, this year we launched The BIGGEST Little Elephant Parade®* a community arts initiative that positions Santa Barbara on the global cultural stage. We’re distributing 100 miniature Elephant Parade® Art Boxes to local artists, schools, and businesses to paint and display throughout the city. These works will be showcased in a public exhibition and Silent Auction at the Santa Barbara Public Library in November 2025, with proceeds supporting Solstice’s free community programming — ensuring that this joyful, inclusive, people-powered celebration continues to thrive for generations to come.

Occasionally I perform at Solstice events. I was music director for the Friday Celebration Sunken Gardens performance in 1997, performed on the CommUnity Bowl Stage in 2023-24, and with my band The Away Team on the Main Stage from 2010-2014.

This year I also am about to release my new album “REMOTE CONTROL TSUNAMI” which has been in the works for several years. Larry Vigon, who was this year’s Solstice Poster Artist is doing my album cover, which he’s already entered into the Album Cover Hall of Fame. Larry Vigon is an internationally acclaimed art director and designer who’s work has been seen by hundreds of millions of people around the world. Highlights include induction into The Album Cover Hall of Fame(2020) for such recording artists as Fleetwood Mac,Eric Clapton, Counting Crows, Bonnie Raitt, Carol King,Tom Petty and many more.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

When I look back, three things have profoundly shaped both my creative and professional life: music, typing, and dance. They might seem unrelated at first, but together they’ve taught me rhythm, flow, and the balance between discipline and freedom.

Music was my first real teacher. I learned piano, violin, and harp as a child, and each instrument opened a different doorway into the language of emotion. Music teaches you not only technique and patience, but how to listen — to others, to yourself, and to what can’t be expressed in words. It’s self-discipline wrapped in beauty. It’s also a direct line to the heart, a way to stay connected to what is real and meaningful. For anyone starting out, I’d say: learn to play something, even if you don’t plan to perform. Music trains intuition, rhythm, and empathy — skills that translate into every area of life.

The second skill is one that surprises people: typing. I took one semester of typing in high school and could type 90 words a minute by the end of it. That single skill changed my life — I got my first job as a Legal Research Assistant at the Missouri Court of Appeals partly because of it (and partly because my mother knew someone in politics!). Typing has been invaluable ever since. It allows me to capture ideas as fast as they come, to translate thought into action without losing the spark in between. My advice: whatever your field, master a tool that lets you communicate freely — with ease, energy, and in touch with your Essence.

And finally, dance — perhaps the most essential of all. Dance reminds me that our bodies are our first and most important instruments. It keeps us fluid, grounded, and alive. Movement is expression, joy, and release. It teaches you how to inhabit your own skin and stay connected to your vitality. I often think of it this way: we only have one body, just as we have one planet — and we have to care for both. Don’t pollute either one.

Together, these three — music, typing, and dance — have been my teachers in harmony, expression, and flow. They’ve helped me stay creative, resilient, and connected to the rhythm of life itself.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

There are so many books — and so many mentors — that have shaped the way I think and create. But the first truly transformational one for me was *Creativity in Business* by Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers, based on their legendary Stanford University course.

I actually stumbled upon the book at a garage sale in Los Angeles — it cost me a dollar, and it ended up becoming my daily “bible.” As I read it, I started illustrating the concepts in my journal, which eventually became the basis for my *Little Savage* cartoon books. The book dives into the deeper dimensions of creativity — intuition, will, joy, strength, compassion, and what the authors call *Essence* — that creative spark beyond ordinary problem-solving.

What resonated most was how they framed creativity not just as a skill, but as a *spiritual approach* to both life and business. It encourages you to bring art into every aspect of your work, to give rather than grasp, to overcome negative self-judgment and that relentless inner critic, and to live authentically. Even the chapter titles read like Zen koans for modern creators: *“If at first you don’t succeed, surrender.”* *“Destroy Judgment, Create Creativity.”* *“Ask Dumb Questions.”* *“Do Only What Is Easy, Effortless, and Enjoyable.”*

A more recent book that’s influenced me is *Life Gives to the Giver* by Joe Polish. He writes about wellness, entrepreneurship, and generosity in a way that’s both practical and deeply human. One of his concepts I love is surrounding yourself with people who are **ELF** — *Easy, Lucrative, and Fun* — rather than **HARD** — *Hard, Annoying, Lame, and Frustrating.* It’s a simple idea, but it speaks volumes about the kind of energy you want to cultivate in your creative and professional circles.

And, of course, I’ve been inspired by all of **Seth Godin’s** work — books like *Purple Cow* and *We Are All Weird.* He reframed marketing for me as a creative act, not a sales tactic — an invitation to connect, to tell a story, and to make something remarkable.

Together, these books have reminded me that creativity isn’t confined to the studio or the stage — it’s a way of living. It’s about curiosity, generosity, and the courage to do things differently.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.solsticeparade.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/summersolsticesb
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SBSolstice
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/penny-little-27282b7/
• Twitter: @summersolstice.sb

Image Credits

Robert Bernstein, Fritz Olenberger, I’ll have to get the other names for each individual photo; however, photographers have signed an agreement for us to use their photos.