About Studio Mothers
Whether you’re a professional painter, an unpublished novelist, or a hobbyist knitter, creative mothers are full of plans and creative dreams. But the challenges of everyday life with children, a home, and perhaps a paying job, are sometimes overwhelming. Creativity gets shoved to the bottom of the list, or lopped off altogether. Sometimes it feels like combining motherhood and creativity is an impossible proposition.
Of course it’s not impossible — just difficult, at times. For me and many others, turning dreams into reality is easier with a group of supportive friends watching your back. We benefit from a network of women who share similar challenges and success. Checking in regularly, and seeing the progress that others are making, is inspirational food for the creative soul.
Studio Mothers is a community where you can share your creative intentions and struggles — and receive support in making those goals happen. We look forward to meeting you! Don’t be shy — the more the merrier. All creatives are welcome. A number of our participants are non-mamas — and even male! Don’t forget to join in the Studio Mothers fun at Facebook and Twitter.
If you’re looking for more structured, individual attention, I’m available to you as a coach. I’m a certified creativity coach, writer and editor, workshop facilitator, and mother of five children ages 21 through 3. I started this blog to support the book I’m writing, A Mother’s Guide to the Creative Life, which is a practical guide to blending motherhood and creativity based on the experiences of dozens of women. In addition to writing and reading, I’m into photography, painting, gardening, and a variety of creative pursuits. And breathing. Breathing is good.
Miranda
PS: In our earlier days, this blog was known as “Creative Construction.” So if you see references to that name in older posts, don’t be confused!
~The Sisterhood~
A little bit about some of the regulars at Studio Mothers (if you’re not listed here and you’d like to be, just let us know!):
Cathy Coley: I am Cathy Coley, sahm, writer, sometime tutor for moderate learning disabilities, and sometime editor. I’ve published a few short stories and a poem here and there, used to do the Perf-Po thing around Boston. Current project is a youth novel for 8-12 year old readership. Long story short: it’s an overcoming bully/confidence tale. My home contains a blended family: one high-school boy, one middle-school boy, one toddler daughter, my husband, his mother, our spazzy sweet terrier, and my queenly old cat. I’ve at least dabbled, if not taken seriously at some point, in every art form except the ones I want to try like stained glass. I’ve sung, danced, acted, drawn, photo’d, painted, pottered, sculpted, metal worked, but never knitted! Admire it, love to wear it, but have no desire to actually sit still and do it. However, I have ‘friendship braceleted’ guitar straps for boyfriends in my crazy college youth. I love to garden, walk the dog, play with the baby and otherwise entertain myself and anyone in spitting distance. well, now, i guess significantly more than spitting distance. I miss New England, and live in coastal Virginia. The Beach is a necessity for my spiritual peace (piece?!) of mind.
Brittany Vandeputte: I’m a playwright and aspiring novelist in Upstate South Carolina. Before I became a mom, I had time for hobbies like dollmaking, traditional Hungarian embroidery, terrier trials, West Highland Terrier rescue, and international travel. While I try to squeeze my hobbies in when I can, my first love is writing, and and that’s what I do in my (increasingly rare) spare time. I’m currently seeking an agent for my novel How Home Improvement Saved My Marriage, the story of newlyweds who buy the suburban tri-level version of The Money Pit, and wonder which will fall apart faster, their house or their marriage. My writing is heavily influenced by Absurdist Theater. If I was ever stranded on a deserted island, I would be perfectly happy (for a while anyway) with my now-dog-eared, water-stained copy of Edward Albee’s The American Dream. I share my house with my husband, our two boys ages two and six months, two West Highland Terriers, and two cats. [Brittany's personal blog here.]
Kelly Warren: I’m a jack-of-all-trades working mom of twin six-year-old girls. By day, I’m the Director of Student Life and Leadership Development at a very large college in Florida. By night I’m a wife to my hubby of nearly 14 years and mom to the girls, two cats, one dog, a random slew of fish and crustaceans and any other stray creature that happens along. I’ve dabbled in all sorts of arts, from needle arts to sewing to paper to photography to mixed media to jewelry, and have most recently settled on jewelry, photography and mixed media collage, in that order (if you can really call that settling on any one thing). I have a master’s degree in English and teach an occasional college English class while exercising my writing bones on my own blog and here on Studio Mothers. Back in my old days as Assistant Sports Information Director at Florida State University, I was published fairly frequently in local and regional magazines and sports publications, but now I’m content to just send my words out into the blogosphere! And about that kooky picture…I had collapsed on the couch that afternoon battling a case of pneumonia, so my girls took the opportunity to style my hair for me. Rather cutting-edge, don’t you think?
Robin Norgren: I’m a military wife and mother. My most recent hats include growing as a fiber artist and placing my toes in the home-school water through integrating children’s literature with creativity. I am mom to two and stepmom to one (ages 21, 17, and 4). I have been married for 7 years to a guy who loves serving in the military (Navy) and is determined to take his family on his adventures whenever possible. We currently reside in Ramstein, Germany.
Robin’s etsy shop: http://www.wellofcreations.etsy.com
Robin’s blog: http://www.wellofcreations.blogspot.com all things artistic
Blog#2: http://www.joyfulstill.blogspot.com spiritual journey
Twitter: www.twitter.com/wellofcreations
Fan page: www.facebook.com/wellofcreations.myetsyshop
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I just found this site and I am excited about exploring it more!
great! welcome, dee!
thank you, Miranda! so nice to be here. and welcome, Dee!
So glad I found your site. Sounds like a wonderful place to get connected with other artistic moms. Thanks so much. Look forward to reading and learning more about “Studio Mothers.”
I love this and I will be visiting more often! Thank you for blogging. I hope you can take the time and read my blog if possible. I created the blog about a month ago and I relate so much to what you wrote about being a creative mom how our creativity gets put at the bottom of the list! I always try to use what I believe to be my creative talents on a day to day basis.. as a tool to keep myself sane and to show my son that things don’t always have to be so glum and boring!
http://blogaboutsomethinglady.wordpress.com/
Life is beautiful and we must live it to the max!
Best Regards,
Eve
Just found you guys on Twitter and am psyched! I am a sculptor and artist who has been a stay at home mom to two kids for the past 3 and a half years. Have started a home business and a blog and really look forward to reading your blog and getting connected to a community such as yours. It’s very important to continue our pursuits as creative people even while we change diapers! Here are my creative outlets in case you are interested.
http://www.abillionhellions.com
http://www.freakcycle.wordpress.com
I’m sending you a Kreativ Blogger Award. Go to my blog to read about the details:
http://DamianDaily.wordpress.com
WOW, I am so delighted to have found this blog! I love the vision and your quote ‘mothers are full of plans and creative dreams. ‘ so true.
I have bookmarked you, so I will be back
Shona Cole
http://shonastudio.blogspot.com/
I have just discovered this blog too, via someone (?) on twitter. Now following too and will hopefully have time to read often. I am always trying to find more time to balance my creativity with mommyhood, work, home duties, etc. Going to go channel some of that spark into Valentines now
Just found you guys on Twitter and am psyched! I am a sculptor and artist who has been a stay at home mom to two kids for the past 3 and a half years. Have started a home business and a blog and really look forward to reading your blog and getting connected to a community such as yours. It’s very important to continue our pursuits as creative people even while we change diapers! Here are my creative outlets in case you are interested.
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I just came across your site today-at the very time I am having lots of conflict regarding…being a mother plus taking a class, painting, wanting to open an Etsy store…It’s wonderful to be able to get support and inspiration from other working creative moms. Thanks! Soraya
Am thrilled that searching brought me to this site! I am excited to share, read stories, and grow amongst all these wonderful women (and men!) who are growing through creativity and parenting!
Welcome, new friends!
Don’t be shy about submitting a post to Studio Mothers — you’re welcome to cross-post something related to motherhood and creativity that you already posted at your own blog or elsewhere — just send us an e-mail (see link under “How to Join” at top of right sidebar).
Just found you guys on Twitter and am psyched! I am a sculptor and artist who has been a stay at home mom to two kids for the past 3 and a half years. Have started a home business and a blog and really look forward to reading your blog and getting connected to a community such as yours. It’s very important to continue our pursuits as creative people even while we change diapers! Here are my creative outlets in case you are interested.+1
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Love the concept of this blog! I’m looking forward to reading about how other mothers balance keep their creativity alive! I can tell that I am going to get a lot of inspiration from all of you.
Thank you for following me on twitter
We look forward to hearing more from you, Meeks — thanks for the kind comment!
I just found this site, and I love the premise, voices and spirit. Creativity is so important, and I love how this supports those visions held by the ultimate creators – mothers.
Thank you so much, Ali!
I’m thrilled to have stumbled on this blog! It looks terrific and right in line with what I’m trying to do as a professional artist and mother of 7. Quite a juggle:) We mama’s need all the support we can get, especially the ever delicate balance of work and play. Looking forward to learning more…
Great to see you here, Jessica!