PLANET VENUSPLANET VENUSwelcome to planet venus :) this is where i come to celebrate and share the creations of other women, and i hope it can be a place of joy and discovery for you! somethings are crossposted between here and the general journals.
art | history | feminism | ♀♀ | music | film | books | characters | online | mini shrines | just for fun | show all
alexandra is an indie artist who makes dreamy and melancholic music. she has had a rocky career seeing 'highs and lows', and she is open about this whereas and how it may feel, and how it comes into conflict with the art and self.
"The most important thing about the music industry I've learnt is that it's total bullshit, and that the thing you should focus on the most is just the art."
favourite songs:
i hope to see her live one day :) i also really love her style and her music videos are art pieces in themselves. savior also paints, and has painted some of her single covers.
murata is a writer who i love for exporing themes around conformity for women in japanese society which are certainly relatable. in many of her writings, she creates characters that are doing things that are taboo, or actively living in worlds that to us seem taboo.
my favourite book so far of hers is convenience store woman. drawn from her own experience as a convenience store woman, murata's story follows keiko furukura who has comfortably been a convenience store worker for eighteen years, but is facing increasing pressure from those around her to conform to what is expected from a woman in her late thirties - to marry and have children. many reviews call this book "quirky", "weird", and "hilarious" as you can see on this copy i read from the library - but as a fellow woman who works in this style of job and whos brain finds comfort in the little world of rules found inside said job - i actually found it hauntingly kindred and cathartic.
i also really enjoyed a lot of the stories in life ceremony, such as 街を食べる (eating the city).
i hope to read more of her work soon
ive been following simz for many years and it is a blessing to watch her put out continiously incredible projects. overall her wordplay is very introspective and i have always liked her overall philosophies on living life conveyed in her work. her lyrics also examine events in her life, and more uncontrollable influences like being a woman.
the way she raps and sings are complimented by her varied and unexpected instrumentals, pulling from a vast array of genres.
simz and her mum
my favourite songs of hers are:
sarah kay is a retired illustrator who is known for the very delicate and peaceful illustrations of the brand of the same name. the works depict mostly girls in nature with animals, friends, and a carefree attitude living a pleasant life. her real name is vivian kubbos.
according to the sarah kay brand's website, kubbos found plenty of inspiration from the wildlife around her in australia.
i also found this old shrine website for sarah kay with more info about her.
besides the sarah kay brand, she also illustrated many books, such as a selection of pony pals books and the 1993 re-release of the wizard of jenolan
lifang - autumn, 1968
margaret mellis - plant, 1960
reasonably light read following the story of the bold and determined young lesbian molly bolt.
though i imagine itd feel very alien and confusing to someone whp isnt/hasnt been chronically swamped by social media in some way, to those who have, this book is so familiar and frames everything in a lense that makes you realise how absurd everything is - and as the book goes onto its second part, how things in real life render it all in comparison.
mia ikumi was a japanese manga artist, most well known for having illustrated the tokyo mew mew manga. she wrote the manga's sequel, tokyo mew mew a la mode herself, and also super doll lica chan
she was one of my very first artistic inspirations - her style and designs are incredibly cute, dainty, and charming. across all of her work, she always has lovely and sweet themes - such as fruit, cats, desserts, and fantasy elements. i love to pick up her manga simply to gaze upon the beautiful artwork. id like to share some of my favourite artwork from her. when i have time, id like to update this section with more.
the tokyo mew mew card series is some of my favourites- each card has a chibi style character and an animal.
ikumi left curious insights into her day-to-day in authors notes in her manga, and apparently liked to wear fun costumes and cat ears. here she is dressed up as ichigo, and as a hampster!
here you can read about ikumi's work besides tokyo mew mew.
ikumi also had a website which sadly is lost, but hikayagami on tumblr has two posts of artwork she posted/made for the site. the text can still be viewed here. i loved reading her 'notes' section which having a similar feeling to her authors notes.
my favourite character of hers is retasu midorikawa. we share the same birthday (april 29th)!
march 27th would've been mia ikumi's 43rd birthday. yesterday, the 14th of march it was announced that she had died. her last published work was a short sequel tokyo mew mew 2020 re-turn. she was working on artwork to include in tokyo mew mew new edition, to be released alongside the new animation in the summer.
thank you for everything, mia ikumi <3
though this wasnt written by or directed by women, i want to share this lighthearted film here. a charming and hilarious film adapted from the book of the same title about the powerful and unexpected friendship of two teenage girls - momoko who loves lolita fashion above everything, and ichigo the loyal deliquent.
you probably already know lesley from her songs sunshine, lollipops and rainbows, its my party, and you don't own me. as a singer, she released thirteen albums over her career, but she also wrote had other songwriting ventures, acted, presented, and was an activist. she was a very joyful and intelligent woman which is evident in the interviews, clips, and performances are found online.
lesley was a lesbian who had been in a relationship with designer lois sasson since 1982. they had planned to marry in 2015, but sadly lesley passed away a few months prior. she hosted a couple episodes of PBS' in the life, a newsmagazine focussing on LGBT culture and issues in america. you can watch her episodes here and here!
an essay providing a plateful of food for thought on women's access to their own creativity, told through vivid metaphors. i think the core points of this text are still very relevant today, and manifests itself in different ways in all women.
susan kare, born in 1954, is an artist who pioneered digital pixel art and is best known for designing icons, typefaces, and other contributions to the first apple macintosh during the 1980s. her icons were made to be meaningful and memorable, the simplicity allowing users to immediately understand the message it is conveying.
some of her typefaces such as new york, chicago, and geneva are still included on apple products by default today, and many of the icons on these products carry over kare's ideas.
kare sketched her designs onto grid paper, which becomes an easy guide to making the art into digital pixels.
kare also helped to pioneer macpaint, as well as designing for early versions of solitaire on windows. today, kare is still desining using her philosophy and currently works with niantic.
kierin magenta kirby, more famously known as lady miss kier, was born in 1963 and is a singer songwriter, dj, activist, artist, and fashion icon. she was the lead singer for the dance trio deee-lite, which you may know from their single groove is in the heart.
with the trio, she created music that was about the power and importance of joy, community, and love. some of her lyrics concern politics such as the environment and voting.
my personal favourites are:
kier also designed all their album covers and other marketing design.
though she hasnt updated her online presecnes in a while, you can find some of her mixes on soundcloud and some interesting posts on her blog if you look through her archive.
"you cant really run away from yourself...so if you dont like the situation in this town, and you runaway - chances are you're not gonna like the situation in the next town"
