Finding Inspiration from the Female Creative Eye
by Maile Hulihan
It is a personal passion of mine to promote women artists—writers, dancers, filmmakers, painters, cooks, crafters, actors, you name it— and to share my hard-earned lessons about making time for creative projects. Whether you’re the artist or you’re experiencing someone else’s talent, creativity is fuel for your heart, mind & soul. Many scientists believe we map other people’s actions into our somosensory system, which shoots sensation through the brain and body to help us to feel other’s emotions as if they were our own. Cool, huh?
One artist I am always obsessing over is the immensely talented Michelle Louis. Fabulously, she has captured petrichor in her latest nature series. Petrichor, the scent of rain, signals to thirsty animals there’s water available even if it doesn’t look like it’s rained. The peculiar smell comes from water liberating molecules in rocks.
I cannot miss this opportunity to tell you about Elin Menzies. One of my favorite contemporary artists, her current work is “rooted in the seemingly disparate areas of ancient mythology and scientific research on interspecies and intra species communication that has gained momentum in recent years. Although most research is done with primates, there is evidence of humans communicating with many other animals including wolves, foxes, crows and whales.”
Elin Menzies’ pieces leave the viewer contemplating how “our new understanding of animals allows connections with them that bring a restorative balance to the human psyche.” I share in her views and exploration of our relationships with nature and animals.
Both Michelle Louis and Elin Menzies are strong, bold, and incredibly talented artists. I hope you’ve found some inspiration in their featured pieces and enjoy them as much as I do!