A Residency in Motherhood
Yesterday marked the last day of my self-directed residency. It was a busy day of appointments and errands. I appreciate Lenka Clayton and all of the other participants. I am enthusiastic about participating again but with my due date being any day now, I am not going to extend this residency.
I still feel as if rearranging the house was a missing link but am uncertain if its because aesthetics are important in our living spaces or if its a Feng Shui thing. Or if its that my objects, for the most part having been acquired on various curbs and through friend's downsizing/moving never felt like mine?
Initially my projects didn't seem that ambitious when I was outlining them (Kon-Mari the house, acquire furniture that is better suited to our needs, decorate the house with art and plants and then resuscitate long dormant art projects and complete them) but I forgot the natural consequence of being a parent. Uninterrupted time is non-existent for myself right now and the little time I did carve out went mostly to yoga. I was never really drawn to yoga but my body has started making decisions for me like...not moving if I don't stretch. I have tried to arrange some things with other parents where we could trade child care for creative time instead of paying babysitters but so far nothing has materialized. It took six weeks on its own just to partially complete the first 3 tasks. Thank you Buy Nothing Olympia East and generous friends and family who shopped from our registry for allowing us to have a real bed, bookshelf and supportive objects for the upcoming babe.
I have thought more about art in this last six weeks than I have all year. One thing I kept thinking was about this article on attachment. It made me wonder how many of us artists are such because we are working through some dysfunction of our initial parental bond? The point is made that sometimes our strengths actually come from our shortcomings. Perhaps I can learn how to turn this lack of uninterrupted time into some sort of superpower?
I still feel as if rearranging the house was a missing link but am uncertain if its because aesthetics are important in our living spaces or if its a Feng Shui thing. Or if its that my objects, for the most part having been acquired on various curbs and through friend's downsizing/moving never felt like mine?
Initially my projects didn't seem that ambitious when I was outlining them (Kon-Mari the house, acquire furniture that is better suited to our needs, decorate the house with art and plants and then resuscitate long dormant art projects and complete them) but I forgot the natural consequence of being a parent. Uninterrupted time is non-existent for myself right now and the little time I did carve out went mostly to yoga. I was never really drawn to yoga but my body has started making decisions for me like...not moving if I don't stretch. I have tried to arrange some things with other parents where we could trade child care for creative time instead of paying babysitters but so far nothing has materialized. It took six weeks on its own just to partially complete the first 3 tasks. Thank you Buy Nothing Olympia East and generous friends and family who shopped from our registry for allowing us to have a real bed, bookshelf and supportive objects for the upcoming babe.
I have thought more about art in this last six weeks than I have all year. One thing I kept thinking was about this article on attachment. It made me wonder how many of us artists are such because we are working through some dysfunction of our initial parental bond? The point is made that sometimes our strengths actually come from our shortcomings. Perhaps I can learn how to turn this lack of uninterrupted time into some sort of superpower?
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