I’ve read thousands of books and none was an autobiography about a woman founder. None have been about female artists.
Nicole Nadeau (@nicolenadeau) a sculptor and creative sage, has this rad t-shirt ‘I’ll give you a Kiss if you can name 10 Female Artists.’
I’ll wait.
I can never mentally get to 10 all the way in my head, even when I include Nicole Nadeau.
So I figure I should write down my playlist. I’m going to start with 1 and keep building out, revisiting this list until it’s gotten far longer than 10. Donations welcome.
My definition of “artist” is broad, actresses, business leaders, painters, data scientists. Only pre-requisite is that they live life in the spirit of an artist and not as a man.
1.
It’s a weird place to start, but I have to be honest, Jamie Lee Curtis was the inspiration for writing this post. So, I’m going to start with the legendary, Academy Award Winning Best Actress in a Supporting Role, True Lies Sex Icon, and Women’s Gut Health Advocate, the incomparable, Jamie Lee Curtis.
This woman is our head cheerleader. She shows us how to act in triumph. And this photo of JLC supporting Michelle Yeoh as she wins a Best Actress Award is iconic.
But then also, this article, written by Zoe Williams of the Guardian really got me…
I’ve been this person:
Yeoh is covering her face with her hands, which is the smart move in these situations: triumph has no acceptable expression. It’s not a lovable emotion to begin with, and it can tip so easily into something even less endearing: smugness, fakery, know-me-by-the-lamentations-of-my-inferiors. Way better to keep all the key features submerged under fingers.
I’ve masked insecurity about elevating myself and compromised displaying my excellence to accommodate others’ comfort. I’ve put more work into helping others, as an outlet for an inner desire to celebrate myself.
But I’ve also been this person for others:
Curtis, standing to the side, has never been more expressive in her 44-year film career. Both arms are punching the air like “early man wins world cup final”. Her mouth is open in what can only be called a roar, and the constellation of feelings, while only she can truly know them, looks something like: “I am overjoyed for my best friend”; “If this hadn’t happened, I could have cheerfully killed someone over it”; “Come on, try me”.
When an endeavor is important enough to succeed, you can chose to show up as JLC / the Head Cheerleader for yourself. Freely celebrate how successful you are and how proud you are of yourself — what you’ve built and the legacy you will leave behind for others.
“We’re all in this bullshit together.” — JLC @ Variety Interview
15 minutes of inspiration from JLC.