Figure and Form was commissioned by the Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History Project, led by Emily Salgado. The work is inspired by the work of vibraphonist, pianist and arranger Marjorie Hyams, and specifically motivated by going from arpeggio and chords to a unity between the left and right hand by the end, hopefully attaining an unexpected "form" and inspired by Marjorie’s comments about assuming an unexpected form to counter social expectation of feminist embodiment: In a sense, you weren’t really looked upon as a musician, especially in clubs. There was more interest in what you were going to wear or how your hair was fixed — they just wanted you to look attractive, ultra feminine, largely because you were doing something they didn’t consider feminine.

– Molly Joyce

Most of the time I fought it and didn't listen to them. [One of the ways you fought it was insisting on wearing a band uniform instead of a dress.] Only in retrospect, when you start looking back and analyzing, you can see the obstacles that were put in front of you. I just thought at the time that I was too young to handle it, but now I see that it was really rampant chauvinism.

– Marjorie Hyams, 1978