Finns are known for their quiet nature and modest way of speaking about their talents. These Finnish women are showing everyone that there is no shame in showing your talents and being vocal about your passion. They are in no particular order and surely many more could be on this list. Here are some of the influential women that we can learn from.
1. Erja Lyytinen She is a musician who has been named as one of the best blues guitarists in the world today by Guitar Worlds poll. Lyytinen ranked as impressive #14 in the poll. Guitar World named her one of the Europe’s leading blues players. She also recently published her autobiography Blueskuningatar (The Blues Queen) which describes her journey and growth as a musician and a human being up till this point in her life. English translation of the book will be out next year.
2. Sita Salminen Sita is a Finnish youtuber and blogger with thousands of subscribers. Sita just published her first book which is an erotic collection of short stories named Lupa, Permission in English. The book is her way to normalize talk about sex by braking taboos and sending the message that sex and sexuality are allowed to be enjoyed. Lastly, she has been working on a well-known podcast named Poks with Veronika Verho.
3. Meeri Koutaniemi Photographer, journalist, documentary director, cinematographer and activist, Meeri Koutaniemi has shocked the world with her photos. This year Koutaniemi had her exhibition named Hiljaiset korallit up in Espoo cultural center. The exhibition was about corals in Indian Pacific and how they are in danger due to the climate change. She was also recently in a Finnish tv-program TTK (Dancing with the stars) and made history by dancing with a female dance teacher Katri Mäkinen in one of the episodes. Her original dance teacher and partner was Matti Puro.
4. Alma Singer and song-writer Alma-Sofia Miettinen has been a successful artist for many years. This year she was the warm up artist for Christina Aguilera for four gigs during Aguilera’s tour in the UK last November. Alma has also co-written a song for the recent movie Charlie’s Angles. This year Alma told that she is in a relationship with a woman. She is clearly showing her musical talents and being herself and is recognized for that!
The achievements mentioned above are all just a glimpse into each women’s life. There would be many more deserving a mention. What can we learn from these women? Be brave and stand for your values and keep pursuing your dreams. It’s okay to be different. All these women have believed in themselves and their talents. Let’s all learn from them and show the world our unique talents and passion!
Sources:
https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/the-30-best-blues-guitarists-in-the-…
http://www.erjalyytinen.com/book-release-autobiography-blueskuningatar-b…
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11101170
https://www.apu.fi/artikkelit/meeri-koutaniemi-haluaa-uusilla-toillaan-v…