By Books Author Denise Turney
Women are more than four billion strong globally, by the numbers. Confident, optimistic, effective communicators, empathetic, visionary, fearless, faithful and nurturing are among the many advantageous attributes that women possess. Leadership skills and community-building experience are other winning attributes. Clearly, it would take over a year to celebrate a fraction of the contributions that women have made and continue to make.1
Celebrating Creative Women – Rebirth and New Growth
March, a time of rebirth and new growth, is a splendid season to acknowledge and spotlight the immeasurable impact that women make. Hopefully, you and the communities you live, work, and engage in set aside occasions to honor the many successes women have made and are making in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), families, education, ministry, government, healthcare, business, communities, entertainment, travel and hospitality.2
Among these focal areas, there are women leaders like Gladys West, a pioneer who played a crucial role in the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS)3; Marie Curie, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for her work in chemistry and physics; and Sau Lan Wu, whose work helped in the discovery of Charm Quark and Higgs boson.4
Here at chistell.com, we’re celebrating the power of creative women around the world. Toni Morrison, Amelia Earhart, Maya Angelou, Barbara Streisand, Sarah Al-Suhaimi, Wangari Maathai, Lucille Ball, Amy Tan and Sima Ved are innovative and creative trailblazers.5 Their work spans across literature, aircraft, song, film and creative entrepreneurship.
Discover These Strong Creative Women
Following are brief overviews of strong creative women around the world. See how many other great creative women you can discover this month as well as throughout the year.
Frida Kahlo – Earth-born on July 6,1907 in Mexico City, Mexico, Frida Kahlo is a world-renowned painter. Her paintings captured the wonder of nature, Mexican artifacts and everyday life. Realism, fantasy and rich colors are hallmarks of her creative works. She continued to create despite the fact that she dealt with chronic pain. Over the course of her earth-life she is said to have painted between 100 and 200 paintings. So enriching is her work and her life that a movie, aptly named “Frida”, wherein actress Salma Hayek plays the lead role, has been made to capture a glimpse of her greatness.
Yaa Gyasi – Homegoing and Transcendent Kingdom are deeply engaging, powerful novels penned by Ghana-born author Yaa Gyasi. Reading Yaa Gyasi’s work is giving yourself chance to explore painful and rewarding real-life histories through multi-faceted characters in a way that makes you feel part of the story. While yet a child, Yaa Gyasi discovered what it feels like to be native-African and an American immigrant after her parents relocated from Africa to Alabama. Her experiences make subtle and not-so-subtle appearances in her writings. For her work, Yaa Gyasi has already won the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Award, the National Book Foundation’s “5 under 35” honor, and the American Book Award.
Courageous Women Creators
Zaha Hadid – Architecture was a field that Zaha Hadid excelled in. Earth-born in Baghdad, Kingdom of Iraq in 1950, Zaha Hadid used painting as part of her design process. Among her architectural works there’s the London Aquatics Centre which she designed for the 2012 Olympics, the Guangzhou Opera House and the MAXXI Museum in Rome. Zaha Hadid went into history books when she won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004, becoming the first woman to win the prize.
Joni Mitchell – Widely considered to be a musical legend, Joni Mitchell was earth-born on November 7, 1943 in Alberta, Canada. She came into her own during the late 1960s and the 1970s. Folk music was very popular when Joni Mitchell came on big in the music scene. Blue, Ladies of the Canyon, Court and Spark and The Hissing of Summer Lawns are among Joni Mitchell’s earlier esteemed works. A host of singers have sampled her works, creating new hit songs that have a root in Joni Mitchell’s original works. During her career, she has influenced pioneering singers-songwriters-musicians like Alanis Morisette, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins and Jaco Pastorius.
Jane Austen – Think about romance novels and it’s hard not to consider Jane Austen. In fact, depending on where you grew up, you may have studied Jane Austen and her novels while in secondary school. Although her novels were in the romance genre, Jane Austen wrote about everyday life rather than idealizing relationships in her stories. During her 41 years of earth-life, Jane Austen finished six novels with Pride and Prejudice being the best-selling of the six. Other novels that she authored include Sense and Sensibility, Emma and Mansfield Park. Over 30 million copies of her books have been sold.
Creative Greats to Celebrate During Women’s History Month and Beyond
Toni Morrison – Currently reading Toni Morrison’s novel, A Mercy, I am gifted with this chance to treasure the award-winning author’s work. Earth-born in Lorain, Ohio, this Pulitzer Prize winning author doesn’t pull back when it comes to creating stories about the African American experience. Early in her career, Toni Morrison worked as an editor, working for Random House and a textbook publisher. Her editing work found her sharpening books by or about icons such as Muhammad Ali and Angela Davis. Sula, The Bluest Eye, Beloved and Song of Solomon are among Toni Morrison’s other books. Later in her career, she worked as a professor at Princeton University. In addition to writing adult novels, Toni Morrison wrote children’s books and short stories.
Joy Harjo – Poet laureate, Joy Harjo, is an educator, author, poet and performer. A member of the Muscogee Nation, Joy Harjo is the author of 10 poetry books and children’s books, including The Good Luck Cat, Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings, Catching the Light and Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light. As a youth, she attended the Institute of Native American Arts in New Mexico, Joy Harpo started expressing herself creatively as a child. In addition to using her talents to create unique art, she strives to develop art that introduces the truth of Native Americans to a broader audience, shedding light on erroneous perceptions of her culture.
Vera Wang – Early in this iconic Chinese fashion designer’s career, she worked for Ralph Lauren and applied her skills with Vogue. When 1990 ushered in a new decade, Vera Wang launched her own business, a bridal gown boutique. Highly skilled and creative, she has designed gowns that have been worn by women such as Mariah Carey, Chelsea Clinton, Michelle Obama and Hayley Williams. Her designs are sharp, unique, chic statement makers. Often designing in black, white or a combination of the two colors, Vera Wang has expanded her fashion catalog to include bridal gowns, everyday fashionwear, fragrance, eyewear, home designs and jewelry.
The more strong creative women you become familiar with, the more easily you can remove the belief that women can be held back. Even while living in fractured or limiting environments, women rise and in ways that benefit the larger human community. This month and every day throughout the year, we celebrate strong creative women around the world, brave innovators, and we celebrate YOU!
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Resources:
- 65 Famous Women in History Who Changed the World | Marie Claire
- 25 inspiring TED Talks by some of the world’s most creative women | Creative Boom
- Gladys West | Biography, Accomplishments, & GPS | Britannica
- Fairygodboss
- 30 Creative Women Every Girl (& Boy) Should Know – Babble Dabble Do