Inspiration: Tori Amos

I think I will let her speak for herself:

Inspiration: Stephanie Johnson

Hello, darlings! Vicky Squid here. I get to kick off this month's celebration of women we find inspiring. You're all invited to join in -- just send an email to any of the team. In this traditionally hot and humid month (in the northern hemisphere anyway), when so many people take their holidays and few people feel all that energetic, we thought a brief tour of the women who delight our minds and replenish our inspiration would be a fantastic way to idle through the month.



I chose co-founder Stephanie Johnson as our first shining example, because she has exquisite taste -- of course -- but also because a whole slew of her art is newly available online. You can always visit her Repository of Visuals, but do yourself a favour and drop by Smoking Ant Records to see an orgy of delights that show just how varied her style can be. That nimbleness of mind proves to be a rare quality, but one SLJ has in abundance. You can see how each page suits the character of the band whether old school or new world jazz spunk or off-kilter power pop. Johnson's art has cheeky good humour and inventive dazzle. Every design makes you grin with pleasure.

And guess what? The music is terrific, too. Win-win! No surprise, I suppose -- why not surround yourself with the very finest people? Works for me.

More on the journal tomorrow, my dears. Must dash now.

Who is Vicky Squid?

Victoria to those she has not met formally. An enigma? Her origins remain unclear, lost not in the mists of time, but the whirlwind of her life. It's said she rubs elbows with the crowned heads of Europe, but there are also those who claim she is more likely to be found in the shadowy alleys of artists' mews and garrets, in fact many say she has been captured in oils and in marble. While her shape has been reproduced, no still art can imprison the spark of inspiration that fires those restless rambles across town and country.

For Vicky is a traveler, seldom content to linger in one location beyond a season, always seeking new adventures, new partners, new inspiration, new fashions. A bon vivant, it's true, yet so much more than that dissolute tag implies. Not for her the mere thrill of new experience. She searches for the unknown, the unheard, the unseen—jewels of inspiration not mere oblivion or sensual pleasure or novelty.

Asked once what excites her interest, she was reported to reply, "Passion. Vision. Daring. Humour. Any alone will be intriguing—but to have them all is to be sublime."

And that is the mandate of the new journal for the Women's League of Ale Drinkers, for which Vicky will serve as editor. We seek only work that meets these criteria, the output of creative women who may feel that their vision and passion has been overlooked elsewhere, that their daring has brought only disapproving stares, that their humour has met with stony silence. We delight in work that crosses traditional genres.

We do not ask for your credentials, awards or publications. We ask for your heartfelt work -- writing in RTF files, art in JPGs, music and video via links. We ask that you tell us why the piece embodies your reason to live, to breathe -- what the work means to you, even why you think it may not have received an audience before.

And if we select your work for WLoAD, we ask that you wear the badge proudly -- link to our site and your fellow artists, promote the journal assiduously and celebrate this forum (i.e. comment on the issue and your colleagues).

Our first issue will be available in full colour PDF in time for Halloween. Submissions should be sent to VICTORIASQUID@GMAIL.COM as RTFs, JPGs or as simple email text with links to your MP3 or video files. Be sure to include links to your website, blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc., as well as your account of the extraordinary work you are offering us. We look forward to your genius.

Tomorrow, Vicky kicks off our celebration of creative women who inspire. If you have a woman you'd like to celebrate, contact us and we'll give you a spot.

More Enigmatic Hints

The Anachronism (Official Trailer) from Anachronism Pictures on Vimeo.

and

a dash of Valentine de Saint Point...

Another Clue

Any guesses what's coming from WLoAD?

Shhhhh....!

Secrets to be revealed soon. This video contains a clue...

Women's League of Ale Drinkers: The Film!

WLoADed Mugs!

You know you want one....or three....

Please visit the shop at Zazzle.com....

http://www.zazzle.com/my/products/public?cg=196188254829505024

WLoADed: Elena Steier

We've got a new format for introducing new members of the League, and we're trying it out with the fabulous Elena Steier. We'll be introducing a few more people in the next few days. Don't forget to share the links and pass along invitations to the creative women you know.

TEN Q FOR JOINING THE LEAGUE!

1. What name(s) do you go by?

Elena Steier

2. Where can we find your fabulous work?

http://editorialcartoonists.com
http://greatstufforama.com
http://gothscout.com
http://janequiet.com
http://striporama.com
http://queenofthecosmos.com

3. What piece would you want to use for a "first impression"?

You can use a goth scout cartoon. Pick one, any one. [Okay! Click for full size]



4. How did you learn your skill/craft/discipline?

Learn? Hahaha? I only pretend to know what I'm doing.

5. Who inspires you?

My dad. He's no longer extant, but when I think about him, he finds ways of giving me strength.

6. How do you cope with the inevitable discouraging days?

Discouraging usually means things have gone wrong in the social end of things. I recenter by thinking what would I do if I were all alone in the world, what would make me happy. People can be real dicks.

7. What are your goals for your work?

I do hope to draw really well some day. I'm getting there.


8. What wisdom from your own experience would you pass on to other WLoAD
members?

Never give up the opportunity to go on an adventure.


9. If you received a million dollar grant, how would you make use of it?

I really want to start a cartooning school. A place where kids can go after school and work on cartoons, animation and illustration along with other like-minded kids. A million dollars would be great. I could work with that.

10. WLoADed stars need not actually drink ale: what's your fave bevvie?

Campari and orange juice. Yum. Yum.

In Anticipation of Women's Month

Last year's celebration of women during Women's History Month went so well on my blog, I'd like to invite participants to be guest bloggers for this March. All you need to do is pick a day and send me (in advance, please) a blog post. Please feel free to link to your own work or sites that are important to you. This is a chance to celebrate fabulous women, so set aside those culturally ingrained notions of humility and carpe bloggem. You don't have to talk about yourself. As long as your post celebrates women and/or women's history, I will be cheered. I already have a few people on the calendar, because I mentioned this on Twitter, so choose your day soon even if you don't know what you're going to write yet (but do try to have your post ready at least two weeks before the live date).

If you've thought about maybe blogging, here's chance to dip your toe in the water safely. If you blog regularly, build your network further and share at Wombat's World.