For this month’s “Letter from Lori”, my team suggested I write about Women’s History Month. My first thought was: Why do we even need a special moment to recognize women’s contributions? Women have always been shaping the world—often without credit. You know the saying, “Behind every great man is a great woman”? I prefer, “Next to every great man is a great woman—who probably made it all happen.”
Women’s History Month started small in 1978—just a local event in Santa Rosa, CA—before becoming a nationally recognized celebration in 1987. This year’s theme made me reflect on the women who shaped me. Patriarchy was alive and well in my family. I saw my mother leave teaching because my father didn’t like her working, and my brothers played by different rules from me. As a young girl, I had a hard time making sense of it all. Then, in my teens, I discovered Beatrice Wood—a woman who lived entirely on her own terms. She showed me that women can make and break the rules.
Born in 1893, Beatrice ditched privilege for Paris, joined the avant-garde, and fell in love with Dadaism before stumbling into pottery in her 40s. Searching for a particular glaze, she ended up teaching herself ceramics, becoming one of America’s most respected potters. She worked well into her 100s, unapologetically bold, always creating, and famously crediting her longevity to “chocolate and young men.”
This month, I’m celebrating women like Beatrice—rebellious, brilliant, and endlessly inspiring.
Thank you Beatrice!
Lori Smyth
Founder, Tulip Shades
Please visit this link to learn more about Beatrice Wood.
Letter from Lori: Celebrating Rebellious, Brilliant, & Endlessly Inspiring Women
Women’s History Month started small in 1978—just a local event in Santa Rosa, CA—before becoming a nationally recognized celebration in 1987. This year’s theme made me reflect on the women who shaped me. Patriarchy was alive and well in my family. I saw my mother leave teaching because my father didn’t like her working, and my brothers played by different rules from me. As a young girl, I had a hard time making sense of it all. Then, in my teens, I discovered Beatrice Wood—a woman who lived entirely on her own terms. She showed me that women can make and break the rules.
Born in 1893, Beatrice ditched privilege for Paris, joined the avant-garde, and fell in love with Dadaism before stumbling into pottery in her 40s. Searching for a particular glaze, she ended up teaching herself ceramics, becoming one of America’s most respected potters. She worked well into her 100s, unapologetically bold, always creating, and famously crediting her longevity to “chocolate and young men.”
This month, I’m celebrating women like Beatrice—rebellious, brilliant, and endlessly inspiring.
Thank you Beatrice!
Please visit this link to learn more about Beatrice Wood.