Juggling motherhood and any career can be a struggle, but, alone, the role of a female artist is not celebrated equally in the art world. If you add motherhood to the title, we are looked at as doomed. There are – and have been – great artists who were also mothers: Artemisia Gentileschi, Barbara Hepworth, and the one and only Alice Neel. I think the real question should be, why don't we celebrate these women instead of continuing to add to the stigma that it's impossible to excel at both?
I was recently interviewed by Alli Plourde, the host of the Motherly Mayhem Podcast, which focuses on everyday women sharing their mayhem-filled motherhood moments. She asked me to share how the idea of becoming a mother seeded in me and how it impacted my artistic career and practice. This reflection of a mountain that I continue to climb has been a journey of eight years. The interview felt like I stepped into a time machine and brisked over pivotal moments in my life in a matter of sixty minutes! Whoa! I shared how once I felt motherhood was not in the cards for me as a lesbian of the early '90s to holding my first child in a baby pack at my solo show, "Manifesting You" at the Hive in Oakland, California 2012. I shared about the magic of painting and manifesting dreams. It is my story, my journey, and my whole heart that I shared. I hope you take the time to listen and subscribe to the Motherly Mayhem Podcast this Wednesday.
Thank you all for the love and support!
The Paper Boat Den
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