Since I am on the road today, Kim Morin Weineck is my guest. I love how she parents and we recently had a multi-coffee session and I asked her to share her thoughts on how she shifts from serious creative work to regular mom-life stuff.
As a creative and a mom, each day is about my quest for balance, and I’m sure many artist-moms can relate. Apart from being me – an important part of the whole that is not to be neglected – I’m a wife, mom, house cleaner, laundress, sewist, nutritionist, cook chef (giving myself airs there), bookkeeper, taxi driver, counselor, advisor, teacher, nurse, coach, motivational speaker, and artist. Creative folks know that artists don’t simply create, an especially tall order; we also plan, organize, market, and sell. Add a part-time job or other time commitment to the mix and yikes!
In the past, I had operated under the assumption that other people “had it all figured out,” with the elusive “it” being some way to juggle all that needed to get done. What was this magic possessed by this cadre of amazing super moms? How could I get them to share their insight with me!?
Watching interviews on Smart Creative Women and reading about the lives of other creative moms have brought me to one common conclusion: the magic formula is as simple as living a life in balance. When I figured out how to live life as an artist 24/7, I began to feel more fulfilled as me, a wife, a mom, a house cleaner, and so on. When you share your creative life with your kids and family, you can accomplish amazing things and share your knowledge and insight with them along the way.
Then along came the Facebook post from Artify with this quote which seemed to make it all clear:
The day-to-day routine in my family isn’t about rushing through so I can find time to create. Instead its focus is on making most of it an artistic expression. It’s about realizing that my choices matter and make an impact. Rather than waiting for the perfect moment to paint in an ideal that doesn’t exist, you’ll find me painting outside on the patio now while my girls are playing in the sandbox. All of it is a reflection on my artistic self and I’m proud of the balance that I’ve created.
