About Medusa Metric
Who we are
Medusa Metric is a small business located in K’jipuktuk, Mi’kma’ki (Halifax, NS, Canada). It’s owned and operated by Beth, and she hand-makes all Medusa Metric products!
Today, Medusa Metric is Beth’s passion project. There’s nothing she loves more than creating pieces that delight and inspire (and maybe even creep you out a little).
Beth makes art, accessories, and oddities, from earrings to original vinyl stickers, with a spooky and feminist twist. You can find Medusa Metric stuff here in our shop, on social media, and at pop up markets! Check out our calendar to see where you can find us next!
About Beth
Beth is a thirty-something Halifax local who loves making art in all sorts of forms. She’s an artist, gender studies grad student, and library worker (yes, she’s a busy girl!). She has ADHD, so she has a LOT of hobbies. That’s why you’ll always find a variety of products available! Some of her favourite hobbies are crocheting, drawing, and singing. Beth is neurodivergent (yay AuDHD!) and a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community! Her artwork is very important to her— for her well-being and so she can be visible as a member of these underrepresented communities.
The Origin Story
Before the Pandemic
At the end of 2019, I was finishing up my first semester of grad school. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever tried to do, but I didn’t quite make it to the finish line. There were a couple of courses I still had work for, but I didn’t have the time or capacity to finish them.
But I didn’t want to quit! It was SO HARD, but it was something I wanted SO BAD. I investigated my options and got some extensions from my very understanding and wonderful professors. Then I took a sick leave for the next semester. Something wasn’t quite right, and I had to figure out what it was.
Why was this so hard for me when I’ve always excelled in school? In February 2020, I started piecing together the puzzle. I made an appointment with my doctor, and at 28 years old, I was diagnosed with ADHD.
I started reading everything about ADHD that I could get my hands on. In those books and articles, autism kept coming up a lot too—but I kept that on the backburner. ADHD was enough for the moment.
I spent the beginning of my semester off leaning into my artistic side. I’d always loved arts and crafts, and I needed something to do with my mind AND my hands.
The Pandemic Dropped
For me, lockdown was a blessing and a curse in a lot of ways. In one way, it allowed me to calm down, relax, and focus on myself. Everything was closed—what else could I do? I struggle to relax, but this situation gave me permission to.
I got out my scrapbooking supplies, watercolour paints, brush pens, and more. Eventually I also got out some polymer clay I found on a dusty shelf.
I started playing with the clay, making little figurines and beads. Eventually I found some little cookie cutters and started making little shapes. Looking back, the earring I started making looked pretty busted, but we all have to start somewhere!
By the end of 2020, I was back in school, and I was making TONS of little heart shaped earrings. One of the courses I was taking at the time was nonfiction prose writing class. For my major project, I reflected on a lifetime of being taught my body didn’t belong to me, and how that led up to an assault.
I excelled at that course. When I finished it, I knew what I was going to do with all those little heart earrings.
Valentine’s Fundraiser
I started posting pictures of my earrings on Instagram, and decided I’d sell each pair for $5 and donate all the proceeds to a local organization that supports survivors of sexual violence. I sold so many pairs! The support blew me away.
Medusa Metric Est. 2021
After the fundraiser finished, I didn’t want to stop! I was having too much fun making earrings and donating to such a good cause. I started making more styles and made an Instagram account just for my earrings. And thus, Medusa Metric was born.
The Name
Sometimes, people ask me what the name Medusa Metric means, or where I got it from. At the time, I had been doing a lot of reading about patriarchal bastardizations of classic myths and stories. I had read a few articles about Medusa specifically, and I connected with her vibe.
Maybe Medusa wasn’t the villain. Maybe Athena wasn’t jealous. Maybe Medusa was just sexualized by the men around her. Maybe Athena felt solidarity with Medusa. Maybe she didn’t curse her, but instead unburdened her and protected her. As a gorgon, no man could treat Medusa the way Poseidon, her rapist, did again. If they dared try, she would turn them to stone. Medusa was unimpressed with patriarchy. Instead, she wanted to petrify it—turn it to stone.
I am also a language nerd (my undergrad is in English), so I love alliteration. Medusa Metric just kind of came to me. A metric is a system of measurement. I wanted to start measuring things by Medusa’s metric, to start to petrify the patriarchy alongside her—and in style.
Today
Today Medusa Metric is my dream come true, although there’s still a LOT of room for growth. Sometimes I jump into things without thinking them all the way through. With Medusa Metric, I never really had a plan. I just did what felt good and right, and if other people liked it too, then great! That’s still my approach generally (good ol’ ADHD). Medusa Metric feeds my soul. Hopefully one day I can support myself with it and literally feed myself too! :)
My first market was the summer of 2021, and I’ve been doing pop ups ever since. The more comfortable I’ve gotten at it, the more I’ve been able to enjoy the experience and make new friends! Bonding with shoppers and other vendors over art and creativity truly is a dream come true.
Come find me at my next market and say hello! I’d love to meet you!
xo Beth