more of this please. six women who kill it.

as a man, who co-runs a (primarily, intentionally feminine) blog, i very much feel the need (and the want) to make you aware of some incredible women making things on and off the internet, that inspire me. i say with no exaggeration, or need for any holiday to tell you, the women below, making things, living their truths, evaluating their values, are my biggest inspirations.

dana, of wild we roam: dana, half of a wild we roam, is at the forefront of creating something i very much strive from. the way they've been able to cultivate their identity while simultaneously figuring it out along the way is so refreshing. the life they lead is so abundant and true, and forgiving. there's just such an honesty there, within their videos, that i think it absent from much of the youtube and the internet spheres. it's storytelling at its finest, because you get what you see. (and equally, adore them as i will never be able to repay her (and lou) for helping me find mediation)  

iz harris: a filmmaker, mom and fricking world traveller. she is, simply put, killing it. hannah and i talk often about the ways in which our work (and lives) will change when we eventually have a family (a long way away, mind you). which is a legitimate fear, but when reminded about the work that she makes and how she does it with such composer and fluidity, with two babes at her hip. we're set at ease. she has shown me again and again that a film for yourself doesn't have anything but for yourself, that the act of creating a memory in movie-form can be just that.

megan, of the fresh exchange: to be honest, this one is a bit difficult to articulate as much of Megan's work has had such an influenced our practice and work. being able to see my home state through a lens of someone who is truly living their truth, doing what they love, but yet, learning and accepting the changes that comes with a midwestern identity has been the biggest blessing to me. it's no easy task to keep gratitude pinned down. but yet, through her honesty and willingness to share on multiple platforms, she's shown me that honesty is really your only product.

marlee grace: from her shop in grand rapids, which i used to frequent, to her personal practice, what i love so much about her and her work is its ease. there's simplicity, a softness to it all that has informed much of the ethos of moons. for someone who really struggles putting work out that's not perfect, marlee has taught me that work is a process and not a product. her commitment to this process and her aesthetic principles of balance are ones i come back to again and again.

amelia meath: amelia, half of sylvan esso, and a third of mountain man, is in many ways my idol. she embodies much of what i want to be as an artist, someone who is honest & mysterious, hard yet soft, and open but equally doesn't give a fuck. it's these juxtapositions that inspire and motivate me to know there's not one way. she and her music are just unforgivingly her. her work feels aware of itself, and that it's just happening. but goddamn, she's just doing it right. 

hannah tikvah moonbeam meridian kaiser: from the very beginning, i've dreamed of having a collaborator that i could bounce ideas off until there were no one ideas to be had, for someone to make good shit with. i've spent my entire lifetime looking for that someone. she is that someone. she is that woman. she is more than i had ever dreamed of. there is no greater inspiration for me than her. what she's manage to do more in a year with this blog, is loads more than i've be able to do in 5 years prior, she has astonished me. i am thankful for you as my partner every day. as my biggest inspiration. 

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i think the internet is a very weird place. but i'm utterly and overwhelming thankful for it. but through the nonsense and egotism of social media, i think it's our duty particularly, for those who so well inform your style, to communicate and thank them, even applaud them, for what they've given you. making work is hard work. i recognize this and i hope these women  continue to kick-ass for many moons to come.

and i thank you greatly for the work you do, as i see myself in all of you.