Photographer Anne Geddes writes in her autobiography “Labor of Love” about her childhood on a cattle farm in Australia, with an “emotionally remote mother and a father who regularly demeaned his children.” She “grew up with no sense of self-worth,” according to the interview article “Anne Geddes’ newest baby is a ‘Labor of Love’” by […]
Creative Women
Nicole Holofcener on using self-criticism creatively
Being overly critical of our work and ourselves can deflate our creative vitality. But we can also use self-criticism for powerful and meaningful creative work, such as writer and director Nicole Holofcener has done with her film “Friends With Money.” “I put my foibles out there.” She comments in an article, “I think that some […]
Creativity and mental health: “Not weird, just wired differently”
Psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison has said of her own experience with bipolar disorder: “When you’re high it’s tremendous. The ideas and feelings are fast and frequent like shooting stars, and you follow them until you find better and brighter ones.” Other accomplished women who have a history of unipolar depression or bipolar include Linda Hamilton, […]
A dark side of beauty
Contingent self-esteem A number of women have said that beauty can be a liability, and a Psychology Today article says that ”very attractive kids may grow up to be insecure adults, especially if they were praised solely for their appearance. “They may develop a particularly harsh way of assessing themselves – what Heather Patrick, a researcher […]
Talented women and self-limiting attitudes about achievement
More women pursuing science and tech careers In my earlier article Women enjoying science and technology, there is a reference to the fact that Caltech [in Pasadena, CA], enrolled a record number of women in 2007: 37%, the highest rate since 1970. What social and personal influences help talented young women decide to pursue – […]