A Letter To The Mother Artist
To the woman that daydreams about painting florals and landscapes but is scribbling with crayons in their child’s Disney coloring book instead…
I see you.
To the woman who thinks about what colors she should mix to get that exact shade of green of the budding trees, all while pushing her child on the swing set…
I see you.
To the woman who stares at their child’s face when they are falling asleep, wondering how they could capture their innocence with a graphite pencil…
I see you.
To the woman who never went to art school but listens to podcasts and books on tape about art history and the great masters as she cooks dinner for her family…
I see you.
To the woman who did go to university and got a degree in art making but hasn’t picked up a paintbrush in years because she feels like motherhood comes first…
I see you.
To the woman who wants to apply to the workshop in France but knows she won’t be able to leave her babies…
I see you.
To the woman who gave up her dream to raise her kids and is worried they lost their chance at being an Artist…
I see you.
To the woman whose artistic growth is slow and can’t help but compare herself to other artists…
I see you.
To the woman who stays up late to create at the dining room table after everyone goes to bed, despite being exhausted…
I see you.
To the Mother that is also an Artist, I see you. I see your dream, I see your heart, and I see your sacrifice. As mother artists, We live contradictory lives according to societal standards. We are told we can’t do the things we love, we can’t follow our heart or go after our passions because motherhood comes first. Our children come first…
But I am here to tell you, that doesn’t have to be our story.
We can do both.
We can BE Both.
Being a mother doesn’t mean giving up being an artist. We were born artists, we were made to create! To be inspired, to dream, this is an integral part of who we are.
Let your life inspire you, and bring your kids along with you.
This might look different than the artists you see on social media, and that’s because it is different.
We spend our days raising our kids and in between moments we find time to create.
We write poetry while our kids play at the park.
We draw in our sketchbook while we nurse our babies.
We strap our babies to a carrier and paint at the easel as we rock our bodies back and forth.
We stay up late and wake up early in order to make time for our creations.
We bring the kids into the studio and let them paint and make ginormous messes alongside us!
We let the kids play in the muddy water buckets while we throw pots on the wheel.
We crochet and embroider on the couch while watching Bluey for the millionth time.
As Mother Artists we mustn’t let society tell us that we have to sacrifice our art for our kids or vice versa.
Believe it or not, these two things can coexist in beautiful ways.
But there might be some other sacrifices…
For example, the dishes might have to wait until later, just saying. The laundry might need to sit in the dryer for a couple more hours, too. Dinner might have to be quesadilla’s and PB&j’s every once in a while (I’m sure the kids won’t mind)! And our growth might be a little bit slower than everyone else’s.
But I think it’s better that way…
It is consistent. It is manageable. It is ours.
The best part of it all, we get to grow our business while our children grow alongside it.
I don’t know about you, but I would have loved to have full access to an artists studio as a kid…
We get to provide that for them.
It can be hard managing all of the expectations that are placed on our shoulders, and if you’re not ready or unable to create the way you want to right now. I see you. I get it. That’s okay.
There will be a time when you are ready.
And guess what? Even if you aren’t making art right now, let’s just say your “Mom hat” is taking precedence…you are still, and will always be, an Artist.
