9 Incredible Women On The Women Who’ve Shaped Their Lives
To celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, GILLIAN BRETT asked the women who inspire us who inspires them…
Musician Olivia Dean on Beyoncé
“I saw Beyoncé live when she was touring her self-titled album and it kind of changed my life; I cried from start to finish. Her albums have chronicled chapters of my life and she was always someone, who kind of looked like me, to look up to. I’ve got different songs of hers for different moments when I need her, but the one that springs to mind is Me, Myself and I – which was a big inspiration for one of my own songs, Be My Own Boyfriend. The song is about being my own best friend, and I think that’s such a strong message – not just for women, but for everybody. You don’t need somebody else in your life to make it better and to complete you. If you can find that within yourself, then you’re winning… It’s so easy for people to pit women against each other. Even subconsciously, I used to compare myself to other artists who were coming up at the same time – and go into this default mode of, ‘she's doing that, why didn’t I get to do that?’ But it’s so irrelevant – and another woman in the same sphere as you making a step forward is a step forward for you as well.”
Designer Priya Ahluwalia on Diet Paratha founder Anita Chhiba
“Diet Paratha is so inspirational and fundamental for South Asian creatives. I think, first and foremost, people feel so much more confident and so much more validated in their desire to do jobs in the creative industry by having representation – and showing that there is such a myriad of South Asian creatives and talent across the industry. Anita [Chhiba] has genuinely been the starting point of so many more creators being booked on jobs, finding each other, collaborating, and having their work paid for and bought by customers and brand partners. Plus, she’s recently launched a mentoring scheme with Johnnie Walker, so, as well as it being inspirational and beautiful, to celebrate the work, she’s actually creating systemic change.”
Musician Lolo Zouaï on music-industry executive Grace Lee
“Grace [Lee] is one of the first people in the music industry who I felt truly believed in me – and what I was doing with my music. She has connected me to so many other talented female artists simply because she thought I’d get along with them or make good music with them – and I really appreciate that. Dua Lipa asked Grace what she’d been listening to, and she played her a bunch of new artists – one of them being me. My music caught Dua’s ear, and her manager reached out to see if I was available for her upcoming tour – this was in 2019. I immediately said yes and got a sweet DM from Dua herself. Thanks to that moment, I went on an arena tour opening for one of the biggest artists in the world. I learned so much from watching Dua’s show every night and we became friends. Grace was also responsible for my first billboard in Times Square – what a moment. She’s selfless, caring, super-fun and, most importantly, she understands what it’s like to be a woman in the music industry.”
Jewelry designer Sophie Bille Brahe on artist Gun Gordillo
“Gun [Gordillo] has always lived her dreams. I think that’s why I’ve always looked up to her – the way she has lived for her art is very inspiring. In a way, I would like to thank her for showing me the way. When I understood that I would work in this field, Gun took the time to talk to me about it. She told me that it was a wonderful idea, but also that I had to remember that, when it comes to art and craft, the talent represents only 10 percent – the rest is hard work. I never forgot that. My work doesn’t stop once I’ve had a great idea; I need to make things, and to continue doing it again and again to achieve something. Whenever I create a new jewelry collection, her advice resonates in my head. Now that I have my own company [Sophie Bille Brahe], I realize that my inspiration point is very close to Gun’s – I’m always working around something simple, a wave, a shape. That allows me to appreciate her work even more.”
Author Coco Mellors on fellow writer Amy Hempel
“Amy Hempel was my teacher in my MFA [Master of Fine Arts] at NYU [New York University] and one of the first people to read the start of my debut novel, Cleopatra and Frankenstein. She was very much a mentor and unfailingly encouraging… She cut through the miasma of self-doubt and second-guessing and gave me the permission to pursue this unwieldy, often unconventional love story, with the gift of four simple words: ‘it’s good, keep going’.”
Author Danielle Prescod on The Brownies co-founders Ayanna Wilks and Brianna Agyemang
“Ayanna Wilks and Brianna Agyemang are both incredibly supportive people and work tirelessly at creating a community and safe space for Black women [through their platform The Brownies]. Each of them is independently successful but it is an important endeavor to pursue building a multi-city and -industry collective, where Black women can thrive. My very first Brownies event was a volunteer day that they organized at a shelter in Brooklyn, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I had made volunteering a New Year’s resolution, so it seemed to be really synchronistic that, 15 days into the year, such an opportunity arose. It was a really special day, spent crafting pillowcases with the kids in the shelter so that they would feel more comfortable in their beds at night. I’ve also done book clubs with The Brownies, reading everything from Mariah Carey’s memoir to my own. We’ve worked out together, shared meals, celebrated birthdays and holidays and, most importantly, really built a beautiful community of creative Black women who are looking to foster connections beyond work.”
Writer Yomi Adegoke on fellow author Bernardine Evaristo
“I thank Bernardine Evaristo in the acknowledgements of my new book, The List, for ‘being as cool as everyone thinks she is’ – because, while public figures can deal with a lot of projection in terms of what people think they’re like, Bernardine really is the wonderful person people assume she is. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from her has been how she treats young writers. I have never come across someone so generous with their time and willing to support the next generation of talent. She always puts the ladder back down and tries to bring as many of us up with her as possible – it's truly amazing to witness. She could very easily be someone that is remote and inaccessible but, instead, she works tirelessly to platform voices – whether it is through her guest-editing of The Sunday Times, which spotlighted various Black women, or bringing along young writers with her to the Booker Prize.”
Ballerina Patricia Zhou on dance advisor and ballet teacher Anna Du Boisson
“When I was asked to think of someone who inspires, I immediately thought of Anna [Du Boisson]. Even though I have only known her for a short period of time, she has taught me so much about who I aspire to be as a teacher, and as a leader in the ballet and dance industry. I would love to thank her for creating such an open space for dancers of all abilities, ages, and socio-economic backgrounds to co-exist, thanks to her scholarship foundation, the Du Boisson Dance Foundation. I specifically remember one class where there was an 86-year-old dancer, an aspiring 11-year-old student, and me, who was somewhere in between – all dancing, enjoying the music, creating beauty together in a sweaty studio. She was sponsored as a young girl through her training, and now she has taken it upon herself to build a platform to help those that are less privileged in receiving the best dance education possible. Through her actions, we learn so much. To persevere in ballet, and in life.”
Art historian Aindrea Emelife on artist Mama Nike
“I chose [Nigerian artist and activist] Mama Nike because, as a Nigerian-British young woman, her work speaks to a sentimentality of connection. Recently, I have been appointed the curator of modern and contemporary art at the Edo Museum of West African Art, a new David Adjaye-designed museum complex in Benin, Nigeria. I split my time between Lagos and London – both are home for me at the moment. Mama Nike reminds me of my own mother – her love of stories and the strength of Nigerian women, but also the softness. In a world that implores Black women to be strong, I seek to champion the strength and the soft; the loud and quiet moments. I’d like to thank her for being a Nigerian female figurehead, which must have, by some degree, softened the shock when I announced to my parents that I wished to be a curator and an art historian. She trailblazed, so that future generations of African women could, too. As a young, art-loving child, my family would always call me ‘Future Nike’. Though I am no artist by any means, Nike’s idea that art can change the world is a sentiment I share.”