Art and Mothering

The Painter's Keys arrives in my inbox regularly. This week was a discussion about Motherhood and Art. The following link was recommended, and I agree. The writer truly summarizes the division that splits artistic Moms in two:

http://www.parentingexpress.com/Stories/Stories/0044.htm

In reflecting upon my life, now more than 10 years into parenting, I suspect I have channelled my art-making into home-making, and because I feel a certain guilt for being supported by my husband (uncomplainingly at his end, I might add), my creativity dreams up new schemes for making money from the things I love to do, which never work, because I haven't got the time to pursue business when what I really want to do is be artistically expressed. So mediocrity seems to be the land I live in.

I suspect the most important thing for artist-moms is to be gentle with ourselves and keep on creating/expressing, no matter the form or voice that expression takes. Every experience we live contributes to the selves we bring to our work, and there will come a time for all that stored-up creativity to finally find its expression in intentional works of art.