"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
"I am still very new to parenting, but I think it is important for my son to see that I have a creative life of my own. I am a strong believer in kids having alone time to play (sans technology) and let their imagination run wild, and I think I will set an example by showing him that I have my own personal time to be creative. I hope they will take away that even as an adult, they can aspire to continually use their imagination and creativity." - Jessica Levitz
"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
"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 didn't start realizing how I loved art until after I had children, but having children definitely does influence the way I view art. I use it as a way to play and relax. And I want my artwork to always evoke that playful and/or relaxed state. I feel like that's what everyone needs - to either have more fun or to relax more. I paint mainly with watercolor because it is inherently a quick medium (at least for me). I am able to spend a short amount of time painting and still feel like I've made something complete, which is critical when you've got kids who demand a lot of your attention." - Jaimie Myers
"My lifestyle has DEFINITELY changed since having a little one, but I think the greatest change has been the “clarity”. I think I used to feel like I could give my attention to everything, and that if I just buckled down enough, I could make it all work. But we all have a limited amount of time and energy to spend and I want to spend mine wisely. I know I want to be totally present for my daughter in the day, when we play or read. When my husband comes home, I want to be able to give him at least a few minutes of undivided attention, to connect and hear about each other’s day. And maybe most surprisingly (to me), I know I want to make my creative side a priority- it’s not just a hobby, it’s a big piece of my overall well-being!" - Natasha Martin of Violet Tinder
"I am hoping that my kids see that they can make a living doing something they love. Being an artist is a legitimate way to build a business and lively hood. In fact I will be as bold to say that successful artists out there making it in the world are some of the hardest working people I know. I want my girls to see that if you work hard and you have a passion you can achieve your dreams. I want them to know the importance of being yourself, and listening to your heart. Don’t let opinions of others or fears get in the way of your vision. To be successful in life you don’t have to go about it in the traditional manner, and down the stereotypical path. Blaze your own trail!" -Suze Ford
"I love this question! Being an artist totally makes me a better mother. It gives our family direction: like pretty much every mom, I try to be very mindful about the kind of lives I’m facilitating for my kids. (Mind you, the operative word here is TRY – I have not figured out the application of this to brilliant effect, and my kids still watch plenty of TV.) In theory, I want the paintings I create to reflect the reverence I feel for nature and God; the joy that beauty brings into our lives. But if I’m not making a conscious effort to draw those things into our family life, I can’t reflect them back out in my art (garbage in, garbage out, my dad always said). For that to happen, we try our best to read great books, fill the house with music that makes us happy, get outside as much as we can, and be kind people." -Lynne Millar
"My children are four and seven and a lot has changed as the two of them have grown up. I would say initially my inspiration dropped and then plummeted during the toddlerhood of the eldest and pregnancy of my second child. Pregnancy wasn’t easy and a newborn plus a speech delayed preschooler occupied the majority of my life for a season. Once we moved past that challenging parenting stage my creativity started coming back, maybe around three years ago. But things didn’t really take off until a year ago when I started keeping a daily sketchbook and started finding inspiration wherever I went." -Marissa Lee Swinghammer
"Art is just a part of our daily life. My daughter knew all of her colors before she could count to 10 or say her ABCs. She roll-plays running an art business more than being a princess or fairy and I love it! She tells me she will sell me her art for “26” or that she needs to take her art to the post office." -Kristine Brookshire
"My experience as a parent has been a crash course in going with the flow, slowing down and enjoying the ride. Consequently, my art-making has become more joyful and much more process-focused than it used to be. I was a full time artist with an out-of-home studio space before my first son was born. So when I first started really working to carve out time to make art while caring full time for my kids, I viewed the new constraints on my time and on my work space as negatives. But the reverse has turned out to be true, which has been such a surprise! While I do have significantly less time for art than I used to, it turns out that I’m a lot more focused when I work in smaller chunks of time. And my family and household obligations force me to step away from my work (in a good way), so that I can come back later with fresh eyes. This really saves me from over-thinking and over-working things." -Kaetlyn Able
"I think being an artist sets a good example for Anouk; I think it’s so important to have something you love, that is all yours; not your parents’, your mate’s, your friend’s…it makes you more independent and fulfilled. I hope she finds that thing she loves someday, whether it’s art or music or science or whatever else she dreams up!" -Oriana Lewton-Leopold
"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
"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
