This is not your typical artwork-in-progress blog post. My current "project" brings with it a lot of exciting changes, hard work, unexpected adventures, and unconditional love.
My husband and I are expecting our first child the end of October! Needless to say, we are very excited about our growing family and our little bundle of joy.
Though this is a planned addition, I must admit that I have had my moments of panic and uncertainty. How in the world can I be an artist and a mother at the same time!? Or a mother and an artist? I already feel that there aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done!
Being the type-A personality that I am, I was hungry for answers, advice and information. So to ease my fears and concerns, I started my "research."
In addition to reading the usual pregnancy and child rearing books, I dove into The Divided Heart: Art and Motherhood by Rachel Power and I highly recommend it to any artist-mother with questions or concerns about work-life balance.Here's a little about the book from the publisher's website.
"Do women still confront the attitude that a dedicated artist will avoid having children for the sake of her career? In The Divided Heart, Australia’s most respected artists, writers and actors speak frankly about the wrench between motherhood and their artistic life.
Rachel Power navigates through the divided heart of the artists to reveal the shocking, funny and moving truth of the overwhelming demands of motherhood and the undiminished passion for their work.
This book will resonate with anyone who has ever wondered, ‘Who will I be when this baby is born?’"
Clay Parent - Mud Mamas and Papas
Studio Mothers: Art and Life (just found this one)
Our growing "bean" at 18 weeks. Boy? Girl? Time will tell. We're keeping it a surprise.Thank you for reading and sharing our excitement with us!
Cheers!
Meagan
7 comments:
Congratulations! That's so exciting. Thanks for the book link as well. My son is now 6 months old and it's been a little bit of a struggle trying to find a balance.
good luck with your pregnancy!
what great news!
We raised two through clay!
It will be a challenge but one you will be up for.
There are others out there who are doing the same.
Best!
M
PS I just became a grandmother! and that is pretty awesome too!
Congratulations & all that! It is definitely something else going through the whole pregnancy process...and I am just the dad! My wife and I are expecting our first child at the end of July. I haven't done much research on the parent/artist issue, but I will be checking out those links for sure. God luck!
heyyy congrats...
Monica - Congrats on your 6 month old! Just popped back in on your blog. Looking forward to going back and reading your posts about the changes you made after Hunter was born. And I think we only live about 2 hours apart. Maybe we should get together sometime??
Meredith - Thank you for your encouraging words! It's been amazing to receive support from other successful, professional artists. And congrats on becoming a grandmother!
Rob - Congrats on your upcoming addition!!We'll have to compare "notes" and share stories.
Ang - Thank you as always for your thoughtful, energetic comments!
Many thanks for the shout out to Studio Mothers, Meagan! We send all best wishes for a smooth pregnancy. Please keep us posted on your transition into motherhood, at our blog or at facebook :-)
Thanks for the well wishes Miranda! I'll be sure to check in with Studio Mothers. Cheers!
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