It seems a bit ironic to be writing this post on balancing parenthood and your art career since I officially became an ‘empty nester’ last month. (This helpful post was written in 2011).
That’s right, my three kids are all out of my house and leading their own lives as young adults. One just graduated from grad school and now is a 3D artist, one is in college and my youngest is working in California. I am proud of them all, but it is a big transition for me and I am grateful to have my art career.
Nevertheless, a few weeks ago my Facebook friend, Jennifer Phillips who is a full-time artist and a soon-to-be mommy asked me for some advice on balancing parenthood and an art career. I posted her question on my Facebook Fan page and asked my readers to help answer this question for Jennifer. Below you will find a stream of interesting and very helpful answers from some talented artists.
My own art career emerged between loads of laundry, during my kids’Â nap-times and late at night. Goal setting and focusing kept me motivated. Back then, I was a wildlife artist and so I entered the different duck stamp competitions, entered art festivals and donated my art and illustrations to organizations like the Nature Conservancy and the Wolf Education Research Center. All of this helped build a solid foundation for me as a professional artist. Years later, what a joy it is to see my young adult children and my own art career thriving! Our children truly are our greatest works of art – Â I hope these tips below help Jennifer and the many other young people who are balancing parenthood and an art career! ~LoriÂ
Hi Lori McNee – I was wondering if you had any articles you have written to help on this topic: I will become a full time mom in January for the first time. I am currently a full-time artist. I would like to hear from moms out there who are also business owners – what’s your secrets to juggling both full time momminess and maintaining keeping your business going? How do YOU keep marketing and your art biz a float? Does anyone know of any blogs or artists besides yourself? Please share!
Advice from my readers:
Diane Sharon Van Wyk I used to stick to drawing when my children were little – this prevented mishaps and their breathing in toxic fumes. Once they went to creche I could paint again.
Tina Santiago I am a mommy to 5. I have learned to work my art into our lives by keeping all my supplies in a mobile cart that I can move wherever the family is. I work on my pieces whenever I can here and there, in between cooking and cleaning and helping with homework. When the baby is in the walker or the sling. Every moment adds up and eventually, I find I have a finished piece.
Kylie Fogarty – Australian Artist Have you ever told yourself I’ve got five minutes and then been amazed at just how much you’ve got done in those five minutes? Get yourself in a habit of doing “just five minutes” on your work each day, it is amazing the effect it has, you either: look at the composition in a fresh new light, hone in on the one element that is bugging you and set it right for a longer period, find yourself refreshed for just being around your work and in the moment or start for those five minutes and continue happily until you are needed elsewhere, oh and if you can do it and the subject allows, working through the night is a great one too, you know where the kids are and you have peace!
*****
Thank you to all my Facebook friends for contributing their valuable advice on parenthood – I appreciate your support…happy creating and parenting! ~Lori
I wish this was posted back in 2006!!! Then, I started a blog called, Artist+Mom when my son turned 6mos. I was going full steam for 3 years then realized that I had to start from scratch – not try to rework my old routine.
Now beginning again… started a new blog called, Creative Tempo about finding that rhythm..
Quick tips: grab mini-moments, sketch when you can’t paint and realize that play is related to creativity and will nurture it.
Congratulations on the new blog. I really like the name of it, I will check it out! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and extra tips.
Thanks for stopping by-
Lori
Lori
Thank you SO much for this post. It touches so well on the struggles we have to make everything balance {something I am not doing very well at the moment LOL} Extremely inspirational hearing how others fit their creativity into their family.
Hi Helen, it is fun to see you here! I am so glad you enjoyed this post. Art is a way of life and I hope this post helped others find a ‘way’ of balancing creating and parenting!
Best-
Lori
My son was a collaborative kinesthetic conceptual work of art who arrived when I was in grad school.
He was always my sidekick with a safe place in my studio when he was small, and materials of his own when he was older.
Your child is the most important thing that you will do, the deepest connection you will ever have. My big regret was that I always had to have a day job AND do my art work, but I will NEVER regret any time that I spent with him.
About five years ago I had a retrospective of 25 years of my work. I flew my son back from the west coast (To VT) for the opening to see his “neglected childhood made visible.”
LOL! It wasn’t easy, but guess what! He’s an artist- a free lance graphic designer, doing well with his own business. So it seems to all have worked out.
Hello Liza, what a powerful comment you shared! Kudos to you for doing your best as a young mom and artist. The twenty five year retrospective had to be an emotional experience. Looking at my old work brings back lots of memories for me too…
Our children truly are our greatest works of art!
Lori 🙂
Great to read everyone’s responses!
Since I’ve had my baby (who is now 10mths) I have taken the opportunity to rekindle my art flame. I have a very happy baby which is lucky. It got a bit harder when she started to crawl but I have pretty much got it all child proof now. I agree with one of the readers its all about making sure they are safe, using the playpen sometimes, the bouncer, the jolly jumper can give you 20minutes. When she is awake I usually do the cleaning that is easy like folding washing or washing up, a quick mop of the floors when she goes to bed and then I can spend time making art. A very supportive partner too helps who loves spending time with his daughter and lets me ‘close the door’ to my study so that I can concentrate on my art and business side of it.
Hello Neen and thank you for contributing to this post! I used a playpen at time too. I have good memories of visiting with my babies who were alongside me in their playpen as I dabbled on a little painting.
Thank you for the visit!
Lori 🙂
I agree with the comments which point to a supportive spouse as the most important factor.
When my now-grown children were little, my husband spent many weekends as a “solo” dad while I was traveling to shows.
Some of their fondest memories are of their father taking them to movies and restaurants and on hikes while mom was away working. They ended up with a very close relationship and I had the peace of mind knowing that all was well. Thanks for writing on this important subject, Lori!
What a treat to see you here Carolyn. Thank you for your wonderful comment. You are so lucky to have had such a supportive husband and wonderful role model for your children. Unfortunately, my ex grew jealous of my art career even though I always put family first…but, that is another story!
Cheers-
Lori
I love your article, Lori! Your life sounds very similar to mine except my kids are still teenagers and living at home. Next fall though (2012) my oldest son will be going to college. I’ve had my own home-based art business for 10 years now selling custom art online through 2 websites. I don’t know if I ever ‘really’ figured out how to balance my home life with my business. I just know that we’ve somehow managed–through prayers and perseverence–both financially as well as emotionally. Thus far my kids are fantastic and I’m thrilled that I’ve been so involved in their lives. I’m grateful beyond words that I’ve been able to keep my family my priority. It can be tough but it’s all so worth it!
Hello Jane, yes your thoughts on parenting and rearing children sounds much like mine. I don’t know how I have juggled it all, but somehow I have…and yes, those prayers really do work! Thanks for sharing here. I appreciate the comment.
Cheers-
Lori
Oh, what a battle that is. But I love your post and the suggestions. For myself I have to have a very stoic attitude of “no whining” with myself. I get up at 5 to paint and if I am lucky I can get in 2 hours but usually it is more like 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. But I have silent time to paint while people are sleeping. This works best in the summer, I must admit. Other tips: swap sitting time with a friend. I have a friend and we do 4 hour swap sessions. I order my groceries from a delivery service periodically. I work at night. I paint in acrylic so the clean up is easier and paint dries faster. and I paint fast fast FAST! Also I have a little easel set up so my 5 year old daughter can paint with me. I don’t get as much done but I learn a lot from watching her.
Also, don’t underestimate the importance of seeing new art and staying engaged with what is going on. I take my kids to galleries and museums to catch up on what is happening. My small children now know that one does not climb on the sculpture. (Not jumping on furniture has yet to be mastered, however.)
Thank you again for such an inspirational post.
Hello Amantha,
I like your name, very unique! Thank you for sharing your ‘balancing parenting tips’ with us. None of this comes with a manual, so we all just do our best!
Happy creating!
Lori