When my father was in architecture school in the 1970’s there was 1 female student in the entire class. They didn’t even have a women’s restroom near the studio space. When I went to the same architecture school in the 1990’s half the students were female. That’s progress, right?All images via Creative Commons license. Attribution as follows: Carole King Photo by Nehrams202 on Flickr, Lousie Nevelson Photo by Lynn Gilbert, 1976, as commissioned by the Pace Gallery, New York, Maya Lin Photo by Sharon Styer, Zaha Hadid Photo retouched by  Knight Foundation.jpg April Greiman Photo by Thmonline-Photos within the public domain: Nina Simone,Eileen Gray & Frida Kahlo public domain{{PD-US-no notice}} – any work first published without copyright notice prior to 1978.

Now ask me to name 20 famous male architects. Done, I can do that in my sleep. But ask me to name just 5 famous female architects and I would be scratching my head for a few minutes….How can women represent 50% of the creatives out there but be so elusive to name?

Let’s face it, despite the amazing progress women have made this past century in terms of equal rights and access to education and good jobs, we are still an underrepresented minority in many professions, particularly creative ones. To prove my point I opened up my  Art of the 20th Century book (a fantastic encyclopedia of modern art) and flipped through page after page without a single female name popping out. Ah! So where is a young girl to look for positive creative female role models?

You can start here. Today I am introducing you to a few of the women my friends and I have looked to for inspiration in our creative careers. This is by no means an exhaustive list but I think it’s good place to start discovering some wonderfully talented creative women that every girl (and boy) should know about.

Note: I also want to preface this list by saying that I limited it to 20th century creatives in the professions below but that by no means is this representative of the numerous creative fields out there.

And don’t miss the word search and crossword puzzle to go along with this post!

Download them at the end of this post!

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1. Frida Kahlo One of my favorite artists ever, Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter famous for her raw and expressive self-portraits which often documented the tragedies she faced in life. She had a tumultuous marriage to Mexican artist Diego Rivera and she depicted the highs and lows of her life through her art.
2. Corita Kent Corita Kent was a nun who taught art at the Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles in the 1960’s. An artist/designer in her own right, she inspired hundreds if not thousands of women and men to see the world differently, asking them to look at everyday life with a creative eye. I keep her book Learning by Heart: Teachings to Free the Creative Spirit on my nightstand.
3. Annie Leibovitz Annie Leibovitz is a contemporary photographer who has photographed famous people across the spectrum. You will not want to miss her portraits of rock stars. She was the chief photographer for Rolling Stone Magazine for 10 years starting in 1973 and defined the look of celebrity photography. Her famous cover shot of John Lennon and Yoko Ono was taken just hours before he was shot and killed.
4. Georgia O’Keeffe Georgia O’Keeffe was my grandmother’s favorite artist. Ms. O’Keeffe lived and painted in New Mexico and is famous for her vivid watercolors of flowers, skulls and landscapes.
5. Grandma Moses Anna Mary Robertson Moses was affectionately known as Grandma Moses because her prolific career as an artist did not begin until she was 78. You read that right,78! She was a folk artist who painted scenes from American life. Her paintings capture the essence of American life at the turn of the century.
6. Louise Nevelson Louise Nevelson is known for her wood sculptures which are geometric, textural, and often made from found objects then painted monochromatically. She broke gender barriers as a female sculptural artist and was touted by the feminist art movement, however, Ms. Nevelson never though never saw herself in that role. Her life story is pretty incredible, from walking the streets of New York to find firewood as a single mother to an estate valued at $100 million dollars at her death.

1. Eileen Gray This woman inspired me to go back to school for industrial design. Eileen Gray was a French industrial designer who created quite a few notable and still in production pieces of furniture. One of her most famous is the E1027 table. She was also a contemporary of Le Corbusier, one of the most famous male architects ever, and inspired him, so go figure!
2. Ray Eames Charles and Ray Eames were a design power couple synonymous with mid-century design. They teamed up on thousands of amazing projects but Ray is most famous for her graphic work including textiles and cover designs for numerous publications. She outlived her husband by years and continued their legacy into the 1990s. For a primer on the Eames’ work, start with this comprehensive book.
3. Patricia Urquiola Patricia Urquiola is a Spanish industrial designer who has brought a decidedly female touch to the macho Italian furniture world. Often when competing with men women try to emulate male designs but Ms. Urquiola has done the opposite, instead interpreting flowery, lacy, and woven textures in a modern way. I absolutely adore what she has done for the field of furniture design. She has done a lot of pieces for Italian furniture company Moroso.
4. Zaha Hadid Zaha Hadid is probably the one famous female architect people can name offhand.  She was part of the Deconstuctivist architecture movement of the 1990s and her buildings are dynamic and exciting and sculptural pieces of art.
5. Florence Knoll Florence Knoll was an architect and furniture designer who played a large part in shaping the modern furniture company giant Knoll. She worked for and married the founder of Knoll and upon his death she ran the company during the late 1950’s-early 1960’s when many of its iconic pieces debuted, many of which she herself designed. She had a marvelous belief in total design, that designers should work across fields to create products and spaces, not limit themselves to one aspect of the design.
6. Maya Lin Maya Lin rose to fame as a 20 something architecture student whose design for the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial was selected as the winner of a national design competition in 1980. The selection of Ms. Lin design caused quite an uproar since she was a young female with no associations to the war she was memorializing. The memorial has turned out to be one of the most powerful places to visit in Washington D.C. and completely changed the way memorials are designed. Prior to that most memorials were realistic statues and representations of events that occurred. Now most memorials have turned inward to help people reflect on the events they represent. You will not want to miss this image of her winning submission to the competition.

1. Mary Blair You may not know her name but I guarantee you have seen her work. Ms. Blair was a concept artist and illustrator for Disney and worked on three of their classic films: Peter Pan, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland. She also played a large role in the design of the It’s a Small World Ride at Disneyland as well as a number of decorative mosaics at their theme parks. Her work was colorful and infused with style and brought a modern touch to Disney parks during the 1960’s and 1970’s.
2. April Greiman April Greiman was a teacher of mine. Gosh, do I feel lucky saying that! Ms. Greiman was one of the first graphic designers to embrace computer technology in her work starting in the 1980s. She really shaped graphic design in the 1980’s and 1990’s particularly with respect to type. She is famous for using type in an explosive and engaging way and shaping the style of design called New Wave as well as graphics associated with the Deconstructivist movement.
3. Maira Kalman Maira Kalman is an illustrator living and working in New York who has a distinctive hand sketched whimsical style you will recognize immediately. She has created numerous covers for the New Yorker and illustrated many children’s books which you probably own or have read. One of my favorites is Fireboat.

1. Nora Ephron Nora Ephron is one of my close friend’s idols. She was a reporter, writer, and screenwriter with a very illustrious career started when women were just making strides in the publishing world. She was married to Carl Bernstein in the 1970’s and used their marriage and divorce as fodder for her well-known film Heartburn. She also wrote Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally, and Sleepless in Seattle, dare I say some of the most thoughtful “chick flicks” out there!
2. Maya Angelou I don’t even know where to begin covering the immensely creative career of Maya Angelou who is most famous for her autobiographical book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, published in 1968. But that doesn’t being to sum up a career which included poetry, acting, dancing, singing, composing, and political activism. She is inspiring for the honesty and catharsis she showed though her writing. And if you want to read about a crazy creative routine you must learn about her daily hotel room writing schedule.
3. Isabel Allende Some people call Ms. Allende, a Chilean writer, the most famous Spanish language author in the world. She has written memoirs, adult fiction, and children’s novels including the well known City of the Beasts. Her work is often cited as magic realism and she is the lone female to be including on the Huffington Post’s round up of 8 Top Latino Authors.
4. Tina Fey Comedy writer and actress Tina Fey has won numerous awards for her comedy writing. She became Saturday Night Live’s First female head writer in 1999.

1. Joni Mitchell Joni Mitchell is a legend in my book. Her songwriting is like poetry with thoughtful lyrics that are part love song, part social commentary. And did you know she’s a painter too? Ms. Mitchell became famous in the 1960’s for her folk songs and then branched out into jazz influenced music in the 1970’s. I’m pretty sure you’ve heard her work, if you don’t think you have, try listening to Big Yellow Taxi. My personal favorite Joni Mitchell song is Free Man in Paris.
2. Nina Simone I first discovered Nina Simone while working in New York. My boss would put her songs on for the office to listen to while we worked. I was stunned. Nina Simone is singer and songwriter and you will be blown away by her deep and soulful voice and the raw emotion that accompanies her music. Her life story is fascinating. She was a civil rights activist who left America for her refusal to pay taxes in protest of the Vietnam War. This is great place to get acquainted with her music.
3. Christine McVie Christine McVie is often overshadowed by her famous Fleetwood Mac counterpart Stevie Nicks, but I wanted to include Ms. McVie because she was responsible for writing and singing 8 of the band’s greatest hits. Fleetwood Mac was one of the most popular rock bands of the 1970’s and in no small part this was due to the songs penned and performed by Ms. McVie.
4. Carole King Carole King is a master songwriter. She collaborated with her then husband Gerry Goffin in the 1960’s to write some of the era’s most well loved hits including You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, and Up On the Roof. In the 1970s she started writing and performing her own music and also continued writing songs that became mega hits like James Taylor’s You’ve Got Friend. She is the original folk diva in my humble opinion. Tapestry is her breakout album.
5. Madonna How could I not include Madonna? Hasn’t she done it all? Creatively she is a songwriter and visionary. I still remember how many of her videos broke controversial ground in the 1980s and 1990s. She tackled a lot of women’s issues in her own unique way and made brash bold performances by women a concert standard.
6. Bjork Forget the swan dress this woman can sing! And write! Bjork is an Icelandic electronica singer, songwriter, and activist well known for her funky style and voice. She was a member of the band The Sugarcubes and has had an extremely successful solo career as well.

1. Martha Stewart Martha Stewart is a household name. I still remember the first time I heard about her back in the 1990’s. While her career started with writing cookbooks it has expanded into what I call lifestyle design. She has inspired women and men from around the world to make art of out everyday life! Dinner parties and crafts will never be the same since she started influencing people to pay attention to details and be creative in their own right. For this reason I consider her a master creative.
2. Coco Chanel Would you believe Coco Chanel was born in 1883? She was of very humble origins but eventually climbed the social ladders to become of the of the world’s most iconic fashion designers. Her life was full of controversy but if you overlook that you will undoubtedly recognize her immense contribution to the world of fashion including the little black dress, her popularization of jersey fabric, and of course her signature perfume Chanel No. 5 which debuted in 1921.
3. Your Mom! Yes, your mom. Even the most practical of mothers has a creative flair. We all grew up with it! From holiday decorations to parties, to afternoon crafts I’m sure your mother left a creative imprint on you in some way. My mother wrote a couple of unpublished children’s books, illustrated a cartoon series, and taught art history to my elementary school classes. So please go and thank your mother for introducing creativity to you in the best way possible, through love and nurturing.

Puzzles

Okay to go along with this post I completely geeked out and made you guys two downloadable puzzles. A word search and a crossword puzzle! You can download them below. Here is a preview.

Word Search

Crossword Puzzle (Color)

Crossword Puzzle (Black and White)

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Wanna inspire more young women to take on creative professions in life? Here are some great books oriented for children to get you started!

What creative woman has inspired you?

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