8AM Thoughts on Mothering, Caregiving and Creativity

Good morning. It's 8am!

Francesca slept through the night and I'm in bed with my laptop on my lap, about to write some stuff. I'm so grateful for this moment for myself, and for my creativity.

Speaking of which… I’m currently on a hiatus from my newsletter and Instagram. Life’s thrown a few curveballs lately. My mom has been unwell and all my energy is focused on creating a sustainable care system for her and my baby without losing my sanity. 

Creativity has had to take a big step back. Understandably.
But I’ve never been able to ignore the creative drive for long, so here I am, wondering: 

how can I still be a creative woman while growing a small human and caring for an aging one?

I want to believe that creativity—and all the projects I’m dreaming up right now—can be a playground. A safe space for fun and learning through play. 

Shaping something out of nothing often comes with a load of strings attached (hello, perfectionism), but this is not the time to get tangled in old patterns. 

The time is ripe for change.

And letting hope and and a sense of play shape the game—so it bends and flows with life's wishes—it's a new imperative. A long-term creative practice can indeed flex, rather than break, in the face of life’s curveballs.

It feels so urgent and so precious to learn to create with joy. And to pass that feeling along through everything I share, so the good energy keeps traveling forward.

It’s the same with baby Francesca: becoming her mom has given me a huge push toward everything that’s healthy and happy—because that’s what I want her to grow up with. A positive model of what it means to be a mother, a woman, a creative human being.

I've always thought that giving—whether through creating, mothering or caregiving—makes for a solid foundation of a well functioning society. But the energy we pour into that giving matters just as much as the act itself.

So I’m reminding myself:

Choosing love and play isn’t just good for me.
It’s good for everyone around me, too.

--

Browse more posts

Find me on Instagram and Substack

--