"I feel like I have empathy for what it’s like to be a child. It’s hard work learning new things, trying to find out who you are and what you are good at and I feel like I go through that all the time. Also when I tell my kids you need to practice to be good at something, I am showing them that everyday. Plus they see how hard I work AND that I enjoy what I am doing. They also see the lows of when I don’t get a project that I wanted or win a contest that I entered. To show them how you can handle the ups and downs of life is a valuable lesson." - Terri Fry Kasuba
Read More"Art is such a huge part of our lives and I like to think of my boys as my tiniest and most energetic studio apprentices. They tag along wherever I go, whether it be gallery hopping or hanging shows. We talk about art, we critique, and we color together. They see the bliss I have when creating and making things with my own hands. My wish is that they find this same happiness when they grow up, whether it be as an artist, sculptor, builder, or whatever their true calling may be." - Ann Marie Coolick
Read More"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
Read More"My situation is unique since her mom and I aren't together as a nuclear family. So I lead two lives really, working artist in existential crisis and then rad dad mode. They are parallel but it doesn't mix in my situation when I have my daughter I'm in dad mode. My time with her needs to be extra special to me, This means my schedule needs to be flexible. I have no advice, I have no idea what I'm doing. My advice would be if your daughter asks to make the stuffed animal talk just make the thing talk because that's all she wants right now." - Mark Pernice
Read More"I believe mothers have an invaluable amount to contribute to creative society. It’s all about balance. Knowing that my path in life is to be both a mother and an artist allows me to maintain a certain balance between the two roles. Being able to do both is a real privilege!" -Georgina Forbes
Read More"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
Read More"Well, it’s getting a lot easier now that he’s nine! It was hard in the beginning, but I did my best to carve out little chunks of time for creativity. I have a very supportive husband who suggested I get studio space out of the house where I could go a couple of times a week… that way I couldn’t be distracted by a toddler that wanted to play, or by a pile of laundry that I believed needed to be done immediately. Life is still really busy right now though - Charlie has lots of activities, I have a day job, I run the blog (and everything that comes along with that) so I’ve had to DECIDE to make time. I set aside chunks of my weekend where I don’t do anything else. Just make collages. I usually give my boys a head’s up that they’re going to have to pick up some take-out because I’m going right through till bedtime! You know... when you get on a roll, you get on a roll!" Danielle Krysa
Read More"Now it is a bit easier to find time as they are teenagers. They are less demanding but even as teens my studio is still in the dining room in the middle of the house and there are still constant interruptions. I didn’t have the option to not work outside the home or pay for childcare or stay home once they were in school. I couldn’t stay up late doing art because I got up early for work. I’m sure that I could have done more art. I really yearned to be a full time artist and have a studio and stay home. My focus was to have them here with me and know that I cared about their projects and show them that I was happy making things and they could be also. It worked out well, they always had something that they were interested in and now are very self directed and have that love of learning and making instilled." - Lisa Rydin Erickson
Read More"For me, being an artist feeds a part of my soul that wasn’t fulfilled before. I believe that I am more wholly myself when my drive to create is being met. I hope that my children will see that being an artist can exist apart from a career, and that being creative can be expressed in a variety of ways, but that everyone is creative in their own right. I also hope that my children will take away the idea that self-fulfillment is not selfish, but that it is a necessary part of self-care that makes you a better parent, sibling, and friend." - Emily Jamison
Read More"If there is a way to take your art with you, I recommend it. Some people need soft music, a clean work surface, and total quiet to be productive and creative. My life doesn’t allow for these circumstances, so I keep my studio in my bag. There are small tools you can buy, but all it takes is a piece of paper and a pencil or a travel set of watercolors, and you can carve out some time wherever you go." - Samantha Dion Baker
Read More"We are planning on spending a few months in Southern France next year. Needless to say, I'm dreaming BIG about that adventure! Walking in the same fields as Van Gogh, visiting Monet's studio and gardens, visiting the town Picasso spent so much of his formative years in... it's going to be so refreshing and exciting and inspiring." - Emily Jeffords
Read More"Both being an artist and a teacher has influenced my parenting. In both making art and teaching it, you need to have a lot of patience. Being around so much art enriches Anna and hopefully makes her a more well rounded person. She draws and paints all the time and is interested in art. We take her to museums and gallery openings frequently and she is around us when we are discussing painting with friends and family. It is such a part of my life that I have to think her interest in it is connected to that. When she would cry at night as a baby and it was my “shift” to walk around with her, I would take her around the house and tell her about different paintings to calm her down - it usually worked." - Chris Feiro
Read More"I have found that I am so much more productive with the precious couple of hours I get during nap time than I used to be with an entire uninterrupted work day stretching before me. There is simply no time to distract myself with social media or other forms of procrastination during studio time. Small children have a way of making you more efficient with your alone time while periods spent in their company become decidedly less “productive”, in the best way possible." - Kristen Abbott
Read More"Since having my son nearly four years ago now, my work and approach has certainly changed for the better. It’s funny how children force you to get laser-focused and efficient at whatever it is you do. And trust me, “laser-focused” is not an adjective I would have ever used to describe myself. Part of that and probably the biggest change has been simply staying on task and “creating” on a schedule – something that you’re just forced to do with children. Basically, I now listen to my instinct a lot more, which in turn has helped to instill a certain confidence in my work. My son has given me a new source of energy and motivation to create despite the daily stresses of being a mother. His imagination and thirst for discovery are infectious and I try to channel that into my work EVERY day." - Eva Magill-Oliver
Read More"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
Read More"I hope my kids take away the importance of being creative in life. It can be a good soother and fulfills a need I think we all have to participate in life from a different angle. I also want them to know that they can do something they love and find a way to make it happen. I feel like an artistic practice teaches a type of ingenuity and problem solving that can serve them well. I also hope that the way I see things is advantageous to them, how I point out color or something that in nature is simply beautiful. It is a way to find joy all the time." - Heather Kirtland
Read More"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
Read More"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
Read More"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!" - Hannah Betzel
Read More"When I first was pregnant my creativity all but disappeared. Other artist mamas I talked to at that time said their creativity was through the roof - they’d never been more creative as when they were pregnant, but I had such a different experience. I felt like mine had completely abandoned me. And I felt like I was alone in that. And that combination was so hard.
But after I had my daughter, it ever-so-slowly started to come back. Especially as she grew enough to hold crayons or a paint brush. I saw how unencumbered she was with art - there were no rules in her head. There was no judgment about what was good or bad. She was wild and free. Seeing that helped start to break down my artist’s block and breathe new life into my art." - Penelope Dullaghan
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