Turning thoughts into creative actions with lawyer, writer, and podcaster Marta Busquets
Marta Busquets is a force to be reckoned with. Alongside her day job as a lawyer, Marta raises awareness and creates discourse about gender, sexual and reproductive rights via podcasts, talks, and community projects. Most recently, Marta published her latest book, 'Todo (no) ha salido bien' brings into life questions and debates about the management of the covid pandemic and its impact on society.
We had the pleasure of attending Marta's book launch and asking her more about the motivations that lead her to create so expansively. Her Sassy ability to continually encourage welcoming, safe spaces for open conversations is something we hugely respect. So without further ado, let's get to know Marta Busquets.
Describe your motivations in three words :
Intensity - I feel I have all this intensity about the things going on with me, in my life. And I need to put it out there in some way, either creatively or through action. In a way its therapy or you could call it psychomagic.
Creativity - Because the moment I process this intensity, it becomes something else that I can put out into the world somehow.
Psychomagic - Which for me is a psychology concept, rather than clinical psychology. It has to do with processes that are not in themselves therapeutic, but rather it helps you put a scenography to a situation and then let it go. Which is like my book, ‘Todo (no) ha salido bien (Pol·len’. I somehow put everything I had been thinking and talking about, putting into videos, and was able to systematise it into a book. Then you send it via mail somewhere else and it becomes something that you let go of somehow when you press send.
What shapes your approach to creating?
I like to read a lot,and I attend talks at contemporary art and thought centres. So in my daily life I take these ideas and they turn into a feeling and then I want to turn that into something.
I also feel influenced by the people around me and an important part of my process is talking to my friends. By being in a conversation, I'm able to verbalise or structure what I think and then I reach different conclusions. And lately, we have started to enjoy having those conversations in movement. Before, we would go for a beer at the bar and talk. But lately we've found that we go deeply into things when we're on a walk in the forest for example.
I also think that, although I am a consistent person, I never really plan anything. Sometimes I think it would be easier if I did but I can't seem to do it that way. I'm more organic, less on top of trends.
Tell us about your book?
'Todo (no) ha salido bien' (published by Pol·len) was a response to the pandemic. Because I think the whole ordeal has been not only a matter of health but also a matter of discourse. Its been very monolithical (unidirectional discourse, no variants admitted). I wanted to get away from the focus on scientific evidence and, instead, come from a social sciences background because I usually work with health from a human rights perspective. So we know, for example, that the biggest indicator for health and illness and death is your socioeconomic status. This book was my way of saying, what happens when we go away from purely medical indexes and instead, look at it from a broader angle.
I think we live in a world where we don't have much time to process.
In general, I feel like there are not many safe spaces nowadays to debate from a constructive point of view but also a cariñoso (affectionate, tender) point of view; where you actually feel welcome to share, to show yourself vulnerably by showing up and offering ideas to one another as much as we can. I have been thinking about this in regards to social media. People want a reaction, a strong response and have statements made. But what if I want to take a couple of days to think about it to decide what I think?
How do you decide what to put your energies towards?
I think life decides for me because I am a very intense person with a lot of capacity to be affected by what's going on. But at the same time, I think it's a very bodily, intuitive process, so there is not much thought that goes into it, rather a feeling of 'This makes me feel alive right now' or 'I feel compelled to do this'.
I'm not the kind of person who likes to stay forever in the same place
For example, I've been part of the maternal debate because I got into an experience, I felt it in my body that I had things to say, I said them which is why I created the podcast ‘Maternidades con gafas violetas'. Not from a place where I want to say things to the world but rather as a space for exchange. Because when the podcast started, there was almost nothing, being spoken about, especially from politically situated perspective regarding topics such as colonialism. It was a very political podcast that I thought no one would listen to and then it became quite a success back then. So I went into exploring different subjects, and at some point there was nothing else I wanted to say. My kids have grown up, I've lived other experiences and have other things to talk about with people. And I don't want to perpetuate myself as an expert. I feel I made my contribution and someone else can take it and build from there.
Also I moved away a bit from the maternal world because there is a very strong line of discourse, at least in Spain, about biologism and letting it decide our destinies. It means we don't allow other conversations around what we want and there's also a problem of transphobia within that space. So I have stayed away from that because at some point I didn't feel comfortable anymore among people who I thought were comrades until then. Trans rights are human rights which means I didn't feel comfortable in certain spaces.
One thing you want to change about your industry?
Within the legal industry, I would change everything. I don't like the justice system at all, I think its violent to its users and also the people who work in it because it's focused on very binary approaches to conflict. Winners and losers, always coming from opposite positions and it's a very hard dynamic.
In the podcast industry, it has been a very difficult world for me to navigate. I never felt like I was enough, I've always felt like an outsider. I'm a lawyer, a person who does things and puts it out there. I've understood how important the podcast was not because of the number of people who listened, but because of the feedback I've gotten from other people.
And regarding publishing, I am very happy because I'm working with Pol·len who are a very left-wing editorial. They gave me freedom to express what I needed regarding the pandemic and gave me full support. For me, the decision of who you're publishing with is also a political one I know how the publishing house works, I know which families will pay their bills with the work we are doing and I like that.
What does your Sassy side look like?
I have the hugest Sassy side! And I think when you look at me you can't see it, or at least you can't see the dimension of it! Maybe my closest friends are the ones who know my Sassy side! And maybe it looks like a sauna 😚
What's the best thing about being you?
Oh the best thing about being me is being me. It's been a long toil but finally, I feel like I am where I want to be. I have made many decisions in life that have taken me here. And I feel I have the perfect life for myself ❤️I like my life.
It has been a very long process of accepting who I am and the things I like. I felt like I was not supposed to be this person and enjoy the things I like, in many aspects. But I have finally made peace with that and not only made peace, but I'm actually enjoying my life and it's mine.
One myth you'd like to bust?
That lawyers are serious people. Hehe
Catch more of Marta's work and conversations via IG @marbusgal or visit her website