by Maja Juzwiak

"In my teenage years, as soon as I had my first sexual relations, I started taking contraceptives as those around me advised. It was (and maybe it still is) a usual thing back then in Brazil, where I grew up - as soon as you initiate your sexual activities, you would go to the gynaecologist, and he/she would recommend a contraceptive pill. Maybe it was part of the local cultural behaviour, maybe a lack of information, or perhaps simply the fear of pregnancy (for me personally, I think it was a combination of the three). 

I never questioned the use of it. Since I first took it, ceasing the usage never crossed my mind (even during periods without sexual activity). It had become an ordinary daily habit. 

Eventually, in my late twenties, I started questioning personal habits and beliefs, started reading more about the topic of sexuality and informing myself about the functioning of the body, healthy habits and other related subjects, and eventually decided to subside with the use of the contraceptive pills.

It was an urge inside of me that was asking me to clean my body and start understanding it in its natural way. I felt freer and more curious about the effect of the cycle on my body. With it also came a noticeable increased libido and a different experience of the self.

In 2019, I started working for a company producing plastic-free period products, bringing me closer to the subject. I started learning more in-depth about the phases in the menstrual cycle, the adjustments one can make to improve one's health in this regard, the importance it plays in our organism and how so many internal and external factors can influence the cycle (positively and negatively). 

The fact that only a tiny percentage of the women in my surroundings had access to this knowledge struck me. For many, the period is regarded as an annoying time of the month when they are restricted from doing certain activities. And when the bloody days don't come, they might take a pregnancy test to verify the possibility. Many only start looking more into their cycle when pregnancy is involved.

However, menstruation is about so much more than that. And I only came to find that out in my nearly 30s. No one ever talked to me about it in the past. I never learned about it in school, nor was I incentivised to research it further (and I understand that it is because the knowledge was also lacking in my surroundings). And I have realised I am not the only one. Many women my age (as well as younger and older) still don't understand their bodies, patterns and cycles. 

The seed of an idea to create an artistic project had already been planted in 2019 when I was immersed in the topic. However, due to life deviations and other projects, I stored the idea in a mind drawer until a few months ago, when the subject reemerged when talking to a friend.

During the past three years, I have lived a nomad entrepreneurial life, which entails constant movement, insecurities and various stress factors. This choice has profoundly affected my cycle and brought me back to the curiosity of understanding patterns and reigniting the dormant seed. In my social circle, many of my friends are becoming parents of girls, which enhances my motivation to put this project into practice and give this new generation more knowledge and awareness than we did in ours."