The Talents of Women
The Talents of Women: Meredith & RE Anderson
When I was young, I benefited from having older, wiser, more experienced (and talented) women who mentored me. No matter where I landed, there always seemed to be another woman who “took me under her wing.” I learned so much from these generous, smart women! How to dress professionally…How to tip…How to greet strangers and make them feel welcome…How to work with boards (initially, boards were populated by white men in suits! No diversity to be found…)…How to travel…the list goes on and on.
Now that I am in my 60s, I try to support younger women who are just beginning their professional lives or are at some sort of crossroad that could benefit from someone who has been around the block a time or two.
Among those women are two talented, young female artists—Meredith and Lysa…my niece and daughter, respectively. I have long admired their work—edgy, cool, blunt—and they were the ones to whom I turned when I needed cover art for my new poetry chapbook, Just the Girls. Their co-creation blew me away. Here I was…thinking that I was the one supporting them. As it turned out, they knew exactly what they were doing and I—the 60-something who fancied herself to be a mentor—was along for the ride.
I find that today’s women are just fine with help from other women, but they don’t sit around and wait for that extended hand. They jump into the fray—bringing along their smarts…talents…and bodacious attitudes—to make the lives that they want.
I’m glad to help. But I’m equally glad to sit back and cheer for them. They inspire me. And they are my mentors.
Well done, Ladies. Well done.
