"Though my head is in constant 'idea' mode, in reality I have very simple desires when it comes to my art and my hopes for the future. I just want to keep creating, to keep finding those precious snippets of time and drive that keep me popping into my little studio when my boys aren't looking. Whether it's a mere 5 minutes or a luscious 30 minute stretch in the early morning, I want to keep adding those shark fin marks, unrestrained scribbles, pops of color and hints of pizzazz to my works. I want to continue to buy tubes of glorious paint, reams of textured watercolor paper and Neocolor II crayons and I want my artwork to continue to evolve as I grapple with new techniques, processes and mediums. " -Melanie Roach
"there have been a lot of ebbs and flows in terms of my creative process. I think I have actually been more prolific since having children as it’s as if I feel more of an urgency to make and create in the time I’ve been given, generally once the kiddies are asleep! It has forced my work to move on a smaller scale too and more recently have been using watercolours as they are way to pack away and quick to dry. " -Paula McGurdy
"Somehow once you hit the bottom, the choice seems easier. Stay there forever in the dark or get the heck out. It was now or never. Was I going to live this one precious creative life, or let it slip past, catalogued only by those angry late night doodles (and 3 amazing children!)? I picked up a pencil one day and started to draw (or maybe claw) my way up to where I am now. It’s been hard work. I committed to myself to draw every day, good drawing or not, and just keep going! That was 5 years ago now! I have wavered constantly, especially in confidence, but I’ve rediscovered my own style, and now I feel confident and strong in it. I paint every day and sell my work all the time. I can’t actually express the joy of it! I don’t know – and I do know – why it took me so long to make time for myself. But it is a dream come true. (At last!)." - Trudi Murray
"One thing I know for sure about myself, deep down inside to be true, is that I can always paint myself out of a corner. When you have creativity and know how to use it, the possibilities are endless. You are never stuck for long. I hope my daughter can grow up to value creativity. To know that it is something of incredible value and importance. To know that it should be nourished and no matter what your interest or calling, being creative makes your life experiences all that much more rich. To be able to appreciate art and create is to be truly free. " - Lisa Anderson Shaffer of Zelma Rose
Pre-kids, I was a nuclear medicine technologist and breakdancing was my creative outlet. I stumbled into painting in the fall of 2014, a few months after my second child was born. I wanted to create an art piece for our home and I thought, "hey let me just create some abstract art, because it couldn't be that hard right". I was in for a rude awakening of course. I laugh at myself whenever I think about this." -Yumi Phillips
"I also need to say that my answers to these questions are all true. However, I have hours, days, and even weeks where I forget what I truly believe. Where I forget what I have told myself over and over again. Days where I feel immense mother /parent guilt for not being the “perfect parent,” which does not exist. Hours where I mentally put myself in a fetal position and have a pity party, with my self doubt as the honored guest. (FYI this pity party happens about once per month.) And I can’t tell you how many times I have yelled at my husband that I think I should just give up on art. So, with that said, I advise you that no matter what answer you are looking for, or from where these answers are coming from, above all have compassion for yourself and your craft. Listen to the answers and know that they are not an end, but a constant practice." - Megan Gray
"I’m shifting to only working or volunteering during the school hours and taking care of the household business at other times. For me, painting is a form of creating that is more free, it’s not tied to my business and I tend to be more inspired in the evenings to paint. I also feel it sets a good example to my family of doing something analog, I love for my son to see me not working and being more playful." - Jessica Nichols
"Also, I would argue that there is no real way to streamline life...it's supposed to be messy and crazy, even though it can be really frustrating. It's "a beautiful mess", as they say. We live in Brooklyn without any family nearby and I sometimes wish I could have a little help, but right now I am thankful just to be doing what I love and raising a happy, smart, silly little girl!" - Megan of Art by Megan
"I worried a lot about my daughters not seeing me in my professional career like I had when my first was little but with the girls watching me create a new business and find such joy in painting I feel incredibly blessed. They are seeing me build a business that fits into our lives, their lives, and makes me happy. I feel they they will take away excellent life management skills from watching their mama. I know that painting makes me a much better mother. I am happier when I am able to explore my creative side and also put to use my business skills. I love raising three independent girls and always encourage them to seek out what makes them happy and remind them that they are responsible for creating a life they love." - Kristin Try
"Oh it was very difficult when I first started getting into painting to find the time. Basically, if she was asleep, I was painting (and her naps were unpredictable and usually short in those early days). After she started attending her Mother’s Day Out program, it became much easier. The time I have while she is at school is sacred to me. I don’t run errands, shop, or sit on the couch. I go into my studio, turn up my music and I don’t come out until it’s time to go pick her up." - Ashlee McClung
"My tip is just this. Find the time. Make opportunities for yourself. If the only time you have is at night, hand over the kids and get into your happy place and create. Even if it's for 15 minutes. In those 15 minutes, you can find yourself and get motivated to find the next 15 minutes. Hopefully you have supportive people in your life who can allow you focus time on your art. I like to live by this quote: "Every morning you have two choices: continue to sleep with your dreams, or wake up and chase them." Not sure who wrote that one, but it's good!" - Kelly Rossetti
"I’ve been painting consistently for a few years before having my first daughter. After she was born, I felt a surge of inspiration and creativity. I became much more purposeful with my time and the direction of my art. I knew that raising the girls was going to be my primary focus, so I needed to find a way to fit my passion and career into that. One of the biggest changes since having children has been the limited hours to create. I’ll be in the middle of a piece, inspired and in the zone, and I’ll have to walk away to focus on family life. I think that as mothers, we are always adjusting to the changing daily demands and needs of our children. Understanding this fluidity has helped me both in my studio practice and in creating art." - Karina Bania
"I’ve found that it’s pointless to only work when I feel “inspired”. I plan my schedule, and I stick to it. Honestly, I’ve been able to create better work by just being consistent. Most of my cleaning gets done when my daughter is awake. She loves helping and I think it’s important to teach her these life skills in a fun way. But when I can’t “do everything”, I’m OK with the laundry waiting for me, and etc. My husband is a huge help with cleaning so that is a huge bonus. I really don’t watch much TV, or read as much as like I would like to, but I don’t really feel like I’ve had to give anything up because I’m doing everything that I need to do for my well being." -Brooklyn Lamb
"It's important to me to show our children that I'm are being brave and truthful with my life. I want my children to know they can pursue their dreams and face fears they may have while pursuing their goals and they need to see me doing that as well. Hopefully my kids will remember seeing me being passionate about my art and will see how it fed me and that it was glorifying to God." - Maria Kamara
"I’m not great at being super organized, but I realized that if I wanted to find the time to myself to be creative, I HAD to make myself a schedule and get help with childcare AND that it was crucial for me to have an area separate from my kids to work in. I got lucky last year and had a friend offer me a room in her studio to use at my convenience. That was really a turning point for me in realizing how important my art is to my well-being and how worthwhile it is to spend my energy carving out time and resources to continue making it a priority. My advice to anyone else in my situation would definitely be to sit down and look at your schedule really closely and see where you could fit in a few hours here and there. Honestly, I probably only have 5 hours a week or so to paint, but that’s five hours I didn’t have last year, so I’ll take it and hopefully grow with it!" -Jenny Kersting
"I think having children has definitely made me more inspired! Since being at home with the children I have painted and drawn more than I ever did when working full time in my previous career (I was a psychiatrist). I also feel I'm much more open to new ideas, and able to appreciate the small things, as drawing makes me look more closely at the world around me." -Sonia Brittain
"It makes me a better mother because it allows me to do what I love, which makes me happy, which benefits everyone. If I’m not happy, I notice it carries over to the rest of the family. Plus, my kids see me working hard to try to earn money for the family and I feel like that is good for them. Especially my daughters, I want them to know that they can do anything."-Beth Allen
