Social Sculptor, Creative Strategist, Cle Elum, Washington, USA
It was a long-anticipated rendezvous with Ms. Philippa Hughes. After months of playing email tag and planning big city meet ups, it was only fitting that we got together in the most off-the-grid town in the woods of the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
Ms. Hughes’s fearlessness, her passion and creativity drew me to her story. Her forte is designing and implementing social experiments that inspire conversations and connections between Americans. Most recently, Philippa explored the various ways of bringing together folks who stand on the opposite sides of the political spectrum and don’t have any face to face exposure to “the other”. She started by inviting two liberals and three conservatives for a home-cooked dish of red and blue pasta and bravely facilitated discussions, focusing on art, to probe the concept of what it means to be an American. This was during the height of the pitch-fork carrying mentality of the ‘deep American divide’. This initiative further developed into the zoom-type conversations like this and this and continued throughout the 2020. Philippa is behind the projects called Looking for America, Blueberries and Cherries, and is constantly sharing her ideas on her Medium site called Artisfear.
With further digging, I was able to discover a slew of inspiring projects initiated by Ms. Hughes and they all touched me deeply. Wherever I look, Ms. Hughes’s goals seem to involve connection, jumpstarting a dialogue and increasing understanding between folks on a personal level. I wanted to note two projects that greatly inspired me. They were both carried out in Ms. Hughes’s neighborhood in Washington DC.
Hello, Neighbour! Project focuses on the Southwest neighborhood in Washington DC and is filled with amazing people who have either lived there for decades, or moved to the neighborhood more recently. In recorded video portraits, folks speak to what they love about the area with the aim of capturing a taste and the spirit of the Southwest.
See/Change Project was a video art project that put a human face on the population change affecting the Park View and Pleasant Plains neighborhoods of lower Georgia Avenue in Washington, DC. Video portraits of people who live/d in the neighborhood were projected in the storefronts and on the walls of the buildings at night serving as large installations of human faces looking at pedestrians. Of course the dialogue ensued and Ms. Hughes was there to record and catalogue the experiences. A WOW Woman through and through.
“It is a kind of vehicle, you know. It's a kind of making, spreading out ideas... You must care for information and I personally try to make information available not only in a written way... I try also to work with images, with fantasy, with jokes, with humor... so I work coming from the idea of art as the most important means to transform the society” - Joseph Beuys.
1. Name
Philippa Hughes.
2. Where is your hometown?
Washington, DC
3. What is your profession/career/title/self-label/designation? What does your average day look like?
Social Sculptor and Creative Strategist. I don’t have an average day! I haven’t worked in an office since 2003 so I think a lot about how to best structure my day. The only person I’m accountable to is me and I’m not a very strict boss.
Sometimes I think I should impose more structure into my day so that I can be more productive. And then when I do, I feel like I lose time to ponder and daydream. Those are the times when I stare off into space and it appears like I’m doing nothing at all. But it’s when my best thoughts come to me. I also tend to overschedule myself with meetings with random people who contact me out of the blue. I always get something out of those meetings and expanding my network to people outside my usual circles has opened up so many opportunities for me.
4. What did you study in school?
I majored in Foreign Affairs as an undergrad and then went to law school.
5. What was the journey like to get where you are (in life and career-wise)? Write about some of the achievements that you are most proud of. What was the breakthrough moment for you (in your personal life and/or career?) that set you on the current path in life?
I am proud of having left life as a lawyer, a career that seemed sensible at the time, but that caused me great unhappiness mostly because it was a terrible career fit. I’m proud to have followed a path that fit my personality better and to have created a life for myself that didn’t fit a particular mold.
6. How is your life different from what you pictured at 20?
When I was 20, I thought I would be married with children living in a big house and going on family vacations. I was heading down that path when I saw that before me and it scared the heck out of me so I got divorced and never looked back.
7. Was there a time when life knocked you down or out and how did you get back up on your feet?
There have been plenty of times when I felt knocked down and every one of those times led to something better in my life, whether it was self-improvement or a new opportunity. For example getting divorced was the best thing I ever chose to do. But it still hurt like hell for nearly a year. I got through by constantly reminding myself that I would not always feel that bad, that little by little, the pain would dissipate and eventually my life would be renewed.
8. Advice for other women?
Eat the dessert.
9. Knowing what we know now in a current political climate, can women be "all that we can be" in today's world? What is the way forward, as you see it, for "feminist values"?
As long as we live in a system of patriarchy, no one can be all they can be, including men. Though men may have access financial capital and power in a way that women do not in our current system, they cannot be fully formed humans without access to the kind of capital that women hold. We are holding the keys to each other becoming our best selves.
10. Where in the world do you feel “tallest” (i.e. where is your happy place)?
Anytime I am doing something that makes me feel a little scared or makes me feel a sense of awe wonder.
11. What extra-curricular activities/hobbies are you most proud of? Why?
Learning to surf in my 30s. It was so hard to learn later in life and I’m still pretty mediocre, but I can do it and I feel pretty proud of myself. Surfing taught me humility.
12. What do you want to be when you grow up? Future goals/challenges?
The author of a published book.
13. What fears are you still hoping to overcome?
Fear of success. Fear of what other people will think of me.
14. Anything you'd do differently, if you had another go at life?
I’d practice the piano and I’d study harder in school.
15. What inspires you?
People who live by their principles and a beautifully written sentence.
***
The very real possibility that Americans can actually speak to each other across political divides.
17. What are some ingredients to a good life?
Walking in the woods, swimming in salt water, drinking rose on a hot summer day, putting as much parmigiano regiano on your pasta as you want, finding perfect things.
18. What are (at least) three qualities you most love about yourself and why? What are your superpowers?
I can see all sides (which can be paralyzing sometimes!), optimism, and I invite strangers to my house for dinner all the time. My super power is that I am an extreme relationship builder.
19. What advice would you give your 14-year-old self?
Don’t perm your hair.
20. What are you reading now? (what books do you gift most and what are your favourite reads?)
The book I gift most is “The Little Prince.” Everything you need to know about life is contained within that book.
I set a goal to read 50 books this year. So far, I’m on track! Some of those include the ones I read for the Obama Book Club, which I started last year to read books from the lists of books he recommends each summer.
21. Who is a WOW WOMAN in your world who inspires you and why? Can you nominate three (or more) women you know who perfectly fit WOW WOMAN description? What would you tell them, if you had an opportunity, why you admire them?
I have SO MANY in my life. I feel so lucky. Nicolette Pizzitola listens to me deeply and always perfectly reflects back the best in me with the most nourishing words. Holly Bass is one of the most brilliant artists I know and is extraordinarily generous. Lisa Markuson lives life on full throttle at all times and lives according to her own rules.
22. Where can others find you/your work (links to websites, blogs, etc.)?