The Artful Mum - advice, words, thoughts and essays with Creative Artist Mothers. A new book by Rachel Moodie.

Motherhood and maker. Mother & artist. These are intrinsically linked in who I am. People talk often about the balance or the divide of being an artist vs being a mother. I'm not sure there is a balance, and I'm not sure I like the idea of dividing those two aspects of myself. Caring for kids while pursuing creative passions is never straightforward.

I do, by way of keeping some sanity about my work and my self, set boundaries and limits on where and what and how, but by nature of my work, the way I live, my creative outlets and self, as well as who my children are and their own creativity.... well - it's a jumble sort of colour crazy mess some days, while other days it's beautifully combined to create one of those moments that all creative mamas long for. 

Some time ago I met, online only so far, a beautiful woman who was pregnant with her second child. As all mamas, we're reaching out and looking for ways that other mamas work through and around and within this big vast difficult amazing way of being a mother, being a person, being an artist. How we make it work. The real logistics of it, the daily rhythms and rituals and routines that work or don't work to help us out. Rachel and I chatted, via email, about many things... but mostly about being artist mothers. She was curious, as was I, how we each did over. 

Over a few months, we chatted out some ideas. And Rachel told me she was wanting to write down, in book form - that other mamas could hold and reference and connect with - about artist mothers. And she has. I am so honoured to have been involved in this project, and to be asked to be included as one of seven mamas in the book The Artful Mum. 

In this self-published book, Rachel has asked different Australian creative mamas about their life, their practice, their mama-ing... and how they somehow make it all fit together. There is so much inspiration and information, little snippets and ideas of mothering and arting. 

Rachel has self-published this book, which means as creatives and mamas and makers and artists.... let's support her. While also getting something very thoughtful, beautiful, meaningful, inspiring.

The other mother artists in the book are Fiona Barrett-Clark, Emily Besser, Kirsten Duncombe, Bianca Harrington, Emma Simmons, and Rachel Moodie, and me Ellie Beck. 

*below is just a small snapshot of some of the pages. You can see more on Rachel's website too, or better yet buy the book, support an artist mum.