Creative Work & Motherhood
It goes hand and hand, right?
——————————
Through a Child’s Eyes
I don’t remember another season of life that inspired me more than motherhood has. The wonder in children’s eyes while exploring parts of the world for the first time brings a fresh perspective and renewed sense of creativity to anyone watching. Educator Walt Steightiff put it this way: “There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million”. Their excitement over seeing a puppy, getting just a handful of chocolate chips after dinner, and picking “flowers” known as weeds to some, are just a few examples of hundreds that I can think of that I have witnessed in my own child. The theme across all of the examples that come to mind for me is that none of them are seemingly big things, but rather small blessings or glimpses of hope in a fallen world. Becoming a mom means you to get experience life through the eyes of a child which so often involves giving God glory and praise for the smallest of things that often as adults we overlook, or worse, scoff at as a poor use of time and attention. It looks like being joyful because He and his creation are good, even when life is hard.
Our children are also great teachers of courage and self-confidence. Think of the way your five year old displays their best dance moves they choreographed on the fly with such confidence as a professional dancer or the way your three year old holds up their finger painted portrait of “momma” with as much confidence in it’s value as van Gogh. Are they nervous about what others will think in that moment? Of course not! They’re probably over confident and beaming with pride!
Now, it probably wouldn’t be realistic or even helpful if we acted that way as adults, saying “look at me world” and flashing our creative work with such pride like it’s the best thing since sliced bread. What is true though is that the Lord has uniquely gifted each of us and calls His children to use their gifts, talents, and time He has given them.
I will never be the world’s best writer or author. But does that mean I shouldn’t write?
Sure, maybe you won’t either be the best painter or dancer or bread baker or whatever your craft is, but does that mean you shouldn’t create or dance like no one is watching or bake?
God is the creator of all beauty, and as His image-bearers, I believe each of us (despite what specific gifts we’ve been given) are called to create! As mommas, when we create, we are also reflecting that same child-like faith as our two year old finger painter when we say “God, you’ve given me the ability to make beautiful things because you are the author of beauty! I trust that you can use even my imperfect creation for others’ good and Your glory.” We don’t need to worry about what others think because we know that He delights in our obedience to create and to bless others by using our time and talents to point them to our creative, caring, and loving God.
The Reality of Motherhood
On average, I write about 3 blog posts or at least 1 chapter in my book a week… in my mind. I also come up with ideas for if I ever host a podcast or if I ever start a second or third book, what it would be about. But considering I haven’t been able to consistently follow through in this season with the first, I figure I better not even go down the rabbit trail of the latter.
Whether I’m driving home from the office, running errands, changing diapers, doing dishes, or folding laundry, thousands of words flood my mind with great conviction and passion to share it with others. Sentences flow together seamlessly until paragraphs are formed and then another and another, until… a distraction steals my focus.
Somebody needs a snack.
Somebody is having a meltdown because of lack of said snack.
Did I remember to add bananas to my grocery list? Or blueberries? We can never have enough; they are the snack of choice around here after all.
The dog needs let outside.
On the way to let her out, I walk through the laundry room.
Which reminds me, I forgot to switch the laundry… again.
You get the point. When distraction strikes, the inspiration that so vividly and naturally flowed before, slips away just as quickly and quietly. What was I even thinking about before this? I genuinely can’t remember.
I’ve heard of some writers creating voice memos, instantly recording their thoughts as soon as they have them because let’s face it, we always have our phones in our pocket so it’s easy to whip out. I’ve heard of others writing notes in a little notebook or even something as simple as a napkin at the dinner table when creativity strikes. I’ve tried several of these methods and more just to capture my ideas efficiently thinking, “I’ll get back to that thought later”, but I never do.
The reality: motherhood is hard. (Not bad though, and I’m a huge fan of Abbie Halberstadt’s book “Hard Is Not the Same Thing as Bad” if you’re looking for a good read on that topic.)
In the throws of day to day life, I often feel like I lack the time, mental clarity, and energy to write creatively. I feel that if I sit down to write, I might just fall asleep if I sit still long enough. Or worse, nap time will be over and I will have nothing more than three sentences on a page and a sink full of neglected dirty dishes to show for it. It can be so tempting to think “is this really worth it?” or “maybe another season of life would be better for this” because in my narrow view, I don’t see a way to make this work. And that may be true! This may truly not be a good season of life for you to pursue anything additional outside of your daily responsibilities. We should absolutely be good stewards of our time and need to prioritize accordingly. But maybe allowing yourself to be creative in this season of motherhood isn’t so complicated after all and instead can be much simpler than we make it out to be.
Creativity As An Act of Obedience
Earlier this year, I listened to the Audiobook, Create Anyway, by Ashlee Gadd, the founder of the well-known blog Coffee + Crumbs. It was an inspiring read and challenged me to see creativity in the margins of motherhood as an act of obedience in our call to glorify God. I love this quote from the book:
“Radical obedience, at the heart, is the sheer act of saying, "Yes, Lord." Yes, I'll go there. Yes, I'll do that. I'll give you my best effort because YOU are worthy of my best offering. Radical obedience is a zealous commitment to fulfilling whatever holy work God sets in front of our hands.
This means where God calls, we go. When God calls us to write, we write. When God asks us to sing, we sing. As artists made in the image of the ultimate Artist, we paint and draw and sew and sculpt, not bitterly or lazily, but with enthusiasm, devotion, and a sense of joyful eagerness to participate. Because when we link arms with our Creator to do what He uniquely designed us to do, we usher a bit of the Kingdom into this world--and God gets the glory for it.”
― Ashlee Gadd, Create Anyway: The Joy of Pursuing Creativity in the Margins of Motherhood
In addition to recommending any and all mommas to consider picking up this book from their local library or their go to app for audiobooks, I also want to encourage mothers in my life to start creating today! Set those perfectionist tendencies aside and stop waiting for the perfect season of life to pick up that paintbrush or try that new recipe. I assure you, you likely won’t walk away disappointed you got started with that thing you’ve been putting off, just like I had put off writing for so long.
Maybe you’re not certain where to start or even what to start with. Here, I wanted to share a few simple ways you can get those creative juices flowing in the margins of motherhood. Maybe it involves your children or husband or a friend. Or maybe it’s something you do in the early hours of the morning before anyone in your house awakes. Remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect nor pretty. Just start somewhere.
Creative Activities to Try Today
Try your hand at sourdough or any new recipe! - You know that one recipe you saved over a year ago on Pinterest for brown butter snickerdoodles or strawberry cake but haven’t made it yet? Or maybe your neighbor gave you some sourdough starter that’s sitting in the back of the fridge, never to see the light of day except for the occasional “feeding”. (IYKYK) Trying a new recipe, or better yet, experimenting with a recipe you found to make it one of your own, can be a great way to get creative in the kitchen! This one has a major pro too, it usually has a yummy result your family will be thanking you for!
Color, draw, or paint - Don’t wait until your next Michaels or Hobby Lobby run. Chances are if you have kiddos at your house, you have art supplies! Whether it’s sitting down to actually color a picture when your children do or busting out the sidewalk chalk, don’t wait until you have the perfect pastels and easel to get started. But if you do have beautiful pearly white paper and watercolor paints at home that you can pull out during nap time (or better yet, put a drop cloth down and get the kids involved if you want!), then you do you momma! Either way, creating through drawing or bringing another persons drawing to life by adding color, will certainly only add to yours.
Write about anything - I know I’m a little biased with this one, but there’s nothing like being creative with words! Something about telling a story or sharing your thoughts or experiences with the world through creative writing is really so life-giving! Maybe you write something that no one reads (I’ve certainly written a number of things that I later decided not to share) or you write something that maybe only a small handful of people read. Maybe you write a note to a friend or your own mother or grandmother. Maybe you write future letters to your children for them to read on their graduation day or wedding day. Maybe you really get creative and write the plot for a fictional story you’ve had in your mind for years! No matter what it is and whether it’s on a keyboard or with old fashioned paper and pencil, just get writing and you’ll be glad you did.
Do something different - Okay, okay, so maybe this one is a little vague. But I realize that the above three may not interest everyone out there, and besides, I don’t want to put creativity in a box. Creativity after all is the use of your own skills to create something new or original. Maybe that’s developing a new workout routine as compared to following that Peloton instructor for the hundredth time. Maybe it’s photographing the sunset tonight from the view only you have in your own backyard. Maybe it’s doing something you’ve never done before, like signing up for a pottery class or pulling out your grandma’s sewing machine that got passed down to you. I want you to see that the possibilities are truly endless, you can go big or small, and you don’t have to wait until someday to do something different, for you.
I hope this inspires you to start creating with the talents and time the Lord has entrusted you with today. May you paint, bake, or write like that of a child - with no hesitation or reserve. God is in the business of creating beautiful things, and I’m so thankful He invites us to be co-laborers with Him in this way, especially as mothers. Happy creating my friends!
