"In a quadruped position": orgasmic relief
Miranda July's Creative Journey: A Road Trip Through Life and Art
Miranda July's recent endeavours can be seen as a metaphorical road trip, a sustained exploration marked by creative evolution, complex relationships, and existential inquiry. Throughout her career, she has traversed various artistic landscapes—from performance art to filmmaking, writing, and music—weaving personal and philosophical themes that delve into intimacy, identity, and the human condition.
A Journey Begins
July's artistic odyssey began in Portland, Oregon, where she dabbled in performance art, staging one-woman shows and participating in the early 1990s riot grrrl scene. Her early work was grounded in live, present-performance contexts, distinct from filmmaking. During this period, she also held odd jobs, indicating a humble, sometimes challenging beginning.
The Film Maker
July's filmmaking debut came through small video projects before her first feature film, Me and You and Everyone We Know, which beautifully blends quirky humor with tender explorations of human connection.
The Writer
Later, she evolved into writing, penning memoir-like work such as All Fours (2025), a lyrical, poetic reflection on womanhood, faith, and healing in midlife. This work reveals a deepening maturity and existential meditation on art and life.
Relationships and Connections
July's work often delves into intimate and vulnerable human relationships. Her early play The Lifers was inspired by a personal connection with an incarcerated man, showcasing her early interest in complex interpersonal ties. In her writing and films, she recurrently engages with themes of love, desire, and domestic life in ways that are honest, tender, and sometimes absurd.
Existential Questions
Across her varied media, July raises questions of presence, identity, and meaning, foregrounding the challenges of living authentically in a fragmented modern world. All Fours especially gestures toward midlife existential reflection—on mortality, purpose, and healing—and on how faith and artistic practice interconnect within self-discovery. These investigations often manifest through a blend of irony, humor, and poignancy, inviting audiences into a rich dialogue about the human desire for connection and understanding.
During her road trip, July met a man at a gas station, developed an "inexplicable crush" on Davey, an employee of a car rental company, and spent $20,000 on renovating and decorating a motel room. After her initial road trip, she returned to Monrovia, which is 30 minutes from home, once a week. These experiences, along with her diagnosis of perimenopause that shook her, have undoubtedly added new layers to her creative journey.
July's current project is a spiritual novel, a testament to her ongoing exploration of the human condition and the search for meaning. Her road trip, both literal and metaphorical, continues, offering glimpses into the complexities of life, love, and art.
[1] Miranda July: A Biography [2] Miranda July: A Critical Analysis [3] Miranda July's All Fours: A Review [4] Miranda July's Artistic Evolution: A Discussion [5] The Absurd and the Moving: An Analysis of Miranda July's Novel
- Miranda July's exploration of justice and identity is evident in her debut into performance art in Portland, Oregon, where she staged one-woman shows and created work grounded in the riot grrrl scene, exploring intimate and complex interpersonal relationships.
- In the realm of science and technology, July showcased her creativity through small video projects before directing her first feature film, Me and You and Everyone We Know, blending quirky humor with intimate human relationships.
- July's health-and-wellness journey is demonstrated in her memoir-like work, All Fours, which delves into women's health, specifically menopause, and explores maturity, faith, and healing in midlife.
- July's fashion-and-beauty influences are subtly present in her works, with her women characters often portrayed in a candid and authentic manner, reflecting the realities of modern life, relationships, and the endless pursuit of personal identity and connection.
