This past weekend, I saw both The Odyssey and Hadestown pro-shot in the theatre. (And yes! I would love to go to the movies with you!) And, well, my viewings left me with this urgent message to all of us.
First up, The Odyssey, aka, another Matt Damon movie where he’s really good at needing to go home.
My takeaways were thus:
Epic! Sure! Fine!
And kinda boring at the same time! (It felt like 70% men charging into battle.)
I was left wanting more of the feelings behind everything. More aching, more tenderness, more conversation.
And the thing I couldn’t let go of as we walked out of the theatre: I wish every woman in the story had her own movie.
The next day, I took one of my girls to see the in-theatre pro-shot of Hadestown, which we had also seen on Broadway during our NYC Spring Break trip in 2025.
Friend. It was everything I wanted it to be and more.
Funny. Haunting. Delightful. So freaking entertaining.
What I saw in those two and a half hours was such a tender, immersive portrayal of a story that I thought I knew. Seeing it up close offered a completely different experience.
The smallest moments became so loud.
The nuance and vulnerability and longing and tender spots that hurt to press on but you can’t help yourself were woven throughout the film in such beautiful ways.
If only the Odyssey—a film that had every opportunity to do the thing—had even a fraction of the emotional tension. If only. If only. If only.
And here’s why I’m bringing this to you today:
BECAUSE WE NEED MORE WOMEN STORYTELLERS.
WE NEED MORE QUEER STORYTELLERS.
WE NEED MORE POC AND NEURODIVERGENT AND IMMIGRANT AND DISABLED STORYTELLERS.
We need different people getting funding and time and support to tell their stories. People like me. And you.
And, look, you may not be interested in taking 15 years to write a Tony award winning musical. But/and: I’m willing to bet there are creative ideas you’re sitting on, be they essays, art pieces, photography projects, sticker sets, haiku books, guided journals, courses, or even just one more page in your art journal.
I’m talking about the things rattling around in your head you haven’t quite scrounged up the courage to say out loud or put down on paper or give light to.
And I bet you’ve thought that, maybe one day, you will. Maybe, just maybe.
Except that, even though your thing may not be a Broadway-sized musical, the doubt lives on nonetheless.
It’s in my head too. Which is why I keep showing up here doing everything I can to decide that today is my maybe one day.
Which is why I’ve raised my hand and said yes to 25 Acts of Creative Risk this quarter.
Which is why I relaunched the podcast.
Which is why we get to do scary things together in the Public Practice Studio. Because when left to our own devices, doubt can convince us none of the ideas are good enough to follow. And because courage is contagious if you’re surrounded by the right people.
And if you’re feeling lit up but aren’t sure what the right next step to take is, try this: bring one idea to life.
Say it out loud at dinner tonight.
Text a friend.
Toss it up on Instagram stories.
Sketch it out on a post it.
Or the back of that CVS receipt at the bottom of your purse.
Just… get it out of you. (And yes, replying to this email or leaving a comment here counts too!)
Because while we can’t kick doubt out of the picture 100%, it gets quieter the more action you take. One baby step at a time.
Today, this is mine. What’s yours?
PS. Speaking of the Odyssey and wanting more of the women’s stories, I’ll go ahead and toss in a plug for this stunning read!
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