Happy International Women's Day!

Creative women who've inspired me lately

Growing up, I think I revered men more than women. As a classic rock lover, my idols in high school were Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix (the only woman who snuck through was Joni Mitchell, duh). Then in college, my study of philosophy also made men the center of my creative admiration. I poured over the ideas of Aristotle and Nietzsche, only later finding the works of Simone de Beauvoir.

I now find myself gravitating towards women musicians, authors, and artists. Learning about their strength has helped garner my own strength. I’ve gotten to learn about many enthralling individuals who put themselves, their beliefs, their art, and their energy out in the world in such beautiful ways.

This list would be too long if I started at the bottom and worked my way up, so instead I’ll focus on three women that I’ve in some way “crossed paths with” in the past few months.

Marina Abramović

Earlier this year I watched a documentary called Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present. I had heard her name and recognized her face as a prominent artist, but I wasn’t familiar with her work.

I used to be a bit of a snob for more traditional art. It’s easier to appreciate work when it looks like it was hard to make, took a long time, and required highly technical skills.

Performance art, as fine art, isn’t something I’ve explored or interacted with much. I went into this documentary with an open mind, not knowing what to expect. (Warning: if you’re disturbed by nudity and violence, this isn’t for you).

I was surprised to find myself moved by her work. “The Artist is Present” (the piece the documentary builds up to, on display at the MoMa in 2010) created such a buzz. I think its power laid in empathy. She created an environment, even a temporary community, where people felt safe, seen, and a part of something special.

What I admire about Marina:

She’s an example of endurance and perseverance both within her individual works and through her life as an artist. (Frida Kahlo is another artist who I revere for working through her pain).

Barbara Hepworth

On the very last day of my trip to the UK this past fall, I wandered into a bookstore in Colchester. I was alone, it was raining, I had time to kill. So I poured over every shelf, twice, looking for the perfect book to take home with me. It wasn’t until my second pass that I noticed a staircase that led to a small room of less popular book genres. There, back in the corner, I found this tiny Barbara Hepworth publication, produced by the Tate. I can’t even find an author credit.

Her stone and cast bronze sculptures feel so organic and human to me. The scale, the sense of motion, and the shape language she developed are very inspiring.

Katy Hessel’s The Great Women Artists Substack has a great (paywalled) article about Barbara Hepworth that says a lot more about the artist than my personal anecdote does. Or if you want to hear someone talk about Hepworth with more passion than any artist could hope to evoke, listen to Hessel’s discussion with author Ali Smith.

What I admire about Barbara:

As a focal member in the Constructivist movement in the UK, she believed “Art and creative concept . . . as forces for positive change.” She was also an activist, an optimist, and a leader in her art community. And as a mother of triplets, she embodied the “10 minutes is better than no minutes” mindset. She found a way to live artfully and bring her Artist-self into everything she did.

Next time I go to the UK, it’s high on my list to visit the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. (The video at the bottom of this link gives a really nice view of her body of work).

Gloria Steinem

On vacation this past January I read Gloria Steinem’s 2015 memoir, My Life on the Road. Though she’s such a prominent feminist and activist, I really didn’t know much about her and her work. This book gave a great overview of her career journey and all the human interactions that taught her the many ways to exist in the world.

What I admire about Gloria:

Gloria seems to always follow her gut. She knows her beliefs, her values, and has stuck to them. She has consistently voiced her opinions and ideals throughout her life.

Here are some of my favorite quotes I wrote down while reading the book:

“We don’t know which of our acts in the present will shape the future. But we have to behave as if everything we do matters. Because it might.”

“The first step toward speaking for others is speaking for ourselves.”

Give me more

PLEASE PLEASE leave comments, and give me more recommendations of women artists and authors that I can obsess over for the next few months. <3