Integrating Art into Motherhood
Over the years, I have learnt some ways to ease the niggle to get into my studio while I'm home fulfilling Mum duties! Don't get me wrong, I still have the internal battle between wanting to be present with my kids and absorbing these years while they are little or escaping to paint and/or fulfill commissions.
Motherhood, as you'd know, brings different stages and challenges so it's only natural to impact your creative journey in a similar way. It's been really important for my stress levels and enjoyment of creating to paint around motherhood. I have tweaked my practice and way of doing commissions over the years to better suit my family and I’ll be continuing to alter the way I do things because I want to be able to enjoy both parts of me. Some things that have helped me and I hope help you..
Bring your work in progress out where you can see it.
I love to have my WIP somewhere around the house where I can have a good look at it from a distance or randomly have a little ponder while I’m having my brekky. I think its equally as important to have a break from looking at your work, but I’ve found if I’m actively making my way through an artwork, I quite often figure out my next move by having small moments to look at it throughout my day.
15 minutes can be valuable.
I used to get hung up on needing a solid block of time to get anything done. It would also take me 15 or 20 minutes to ‘warmup’ or get into my art. Once I started letting that idea go and practicing jumping into my studio for snippets of time, I found that it got easier to resume work on a piece. I also found that I got artworks finished with lots of mini sessions and didn’t need to wait for big sessions. This meant I could work into kids naps, mini blocks of time between my partner getting home and dinner, or getting up a little earlier than the kids.
Creating with the kids.
Yeah, I know. This sounds messy and the opposite of what we’re chasing. Hear me out because I am not someone that loves painting with the kids BUT there are ways to enjoy creating with them. One method I quite like is sketching in my sketchbook while the kids colour-in or draw. It’s a ‘no pressure’ task that you can pick up and put down. If the kids draw on your page, only last 2 minutes or need snacks, it doesn’t matter. BUT, its also highly likely you will get some ideas down, or even better-let some creative juices out.
Some other ‘no pressure’ ideas to release some good feels and/or be slightly productive are:
Nature mandala (collect various flowers, leaves and stones and create a mandala together)
Cut and paste (kids can make whatever they want while you create a vision board or collect inspo pics for a project - like an old school Pinterest board!)
A big collective artwork (find yourself a roll of big butchers paper and roll out a long sheet. Its super fun to get down on the ground and squiggle together. Bright pastels are fun and so smooth to use! Bonus is there’s plenty of room for the kids to spread out and stay away from eachother haha!)
Photoshoot (head outdoors to take some inspo pics for your next project or to soak up what nature has to offer. The kids could take turns taking some pics too or just fluff around you if you haven’t strapped them into the pram. Depending on what reference images you need, you could get potentially set the tripod up and get some shots of yourself while the kids are around too!Write a to-do list.
Not everyone vibes a to-do list but I do. It clears my head and I lurve ticking things off it. It can be helpful to break big tasks up and be organised for when I do get into the studio. Sometimes there are smaller things I can work through around the kids to prepare and be ready to get straight into painting or whatever I need to do in the studio. Eg. sketch out compositions for a new painting, order new materials, create postage labels for completed works, clean brushes, reply to emails, update website, plan content, create playlist, create/print reference material.
Believe in your art and value it enough to accept help.
Creating is so vital for my mental health and my energy. It gives me life and purpose so it is important for me to prioritise it so that I am my best me. This part is a journey in itself - something I have got better at but still learning. If you have someone offer their time to care for the kids so you can create (or anything you like), say yes! If you have support around you but don’t get offered time, practice asking for help. You will get more comfortable with it, the more you practice but also the more you keep telling yourself that it is important and valuable. Not only do you need to express yourself, but the world needs your expression. Imagine a world without creations, ah!