In my early teens, I discovered Jenny Holzer’s work, and all of a sudden I
realized what was possible for women and what was possible for me:

that women were free to communicate on our own terms;

that by living this way, we were making a vital contribution to society, just by example;

that men’s voices were not the only voices that mattered;

that seeking the approval of others was soul-crushing;

that going about our work (and our lives) in a quiet, methodical, under-the-radar kind of
way could give us far better results than ego-driven, bombastic bluster.

At an age when being malleable and courageous meant that the rawness of the world would not be shut out, women like Jenny Holzer sent girls like me a message that power was always in our grasp.

Image: Jenny Holzer, “Survival,” 1983-1985.