Oh lovely woman you express it so beautifully always. I still have a smile in my heart knowing we were treading the earth with babes in slings at the same time in those months.
And I adore the way you talk about creativity coming in these different seasons. It’s always there of course but looks different at each phase. I laugh because I was gifted a set of watercolours a few years ago that I had high hopes for... and they remain shut away in a box having been used just once!
It seems sometimes so paradoxical that creative ideas on one hand seems to be wildly unleashed in Motherhood... and yet the space to bring those ideas to form is often so minimal. Perhaps it’s to make us extra discerning with the projects we do tend to...
Anyway... loving your words as I always do. And your tiny poem is so gorgeous!
Thank you Lauren. Ahhh yes, I love that thought of unknowingly walking walking walking together.
Thank you, yes I suppose the ebbs and flows are all part of it. Funny about your watercolours too! I used my paints to create lovely birth affirmation cards and that has been it...!
And yes you’re right, one of my biggest learnings in motherhood is how to sit with the limited capacity despite the abundance of ideas, letting go of things when interruptions arise etc etc. Your post about the gifts of motherhood was a great remembrance of all we are gaining in the midst of the frustrations and sometimes slower progress.
And yes walking the path of creative motherhood is definitely an invaluable lesson in discernment and refinement, apt for autumn too!
“With the seasonal shifts as a point of reference and reminder of my own internal rhythms, I immersed myself in the metamorphosis of matrescence, going gently as my body and mind repositioned themselves in orbit of this sweet, sensitive soul. “ this spoke to me so much! I found that the seasons help me live with more intentionality in my motherhood— as well as my health. So much of this article spoke so deeply to me 🤍
Ahhhh thank you for reading Jennifer and reflecting those words back, I’m so happy to hear they spoke to your experience. Yes the seasons, the beauty and wisdom within them and the shifts between them has become so important in my everyday experiences of motherhood and life. Thank you for being here, I’m looking forward to discovering more of your writing and your work xx
Thank you for sharing this - your words really resonated with me. Especially this:
“I see now that it was part of learning to cultivate the most everyday version of presence, to tune in so deeply that I could recognise what was needed in the moment, without trying to change it.”
I love that idea of an ‘everyday version of presence’ - it’s so absolutely what the early days of matrescence seem to demand.❤️
Ah thank you for reading Jen, I’m so glad you could relate and I loved reading about your small c creativity.
Yes...that everyday presence, something I had been possibly trying to overcomplicate in the past but it really is exactly what is demanded of you in those early weeks/months, it’s like a fast-track course! xx
“Despite finding ways to live creatively, it is only really three years (and another treasured baby) later that I feel I am beginning to find my feet in a new phase of self-expression.”
Oh how I feel this! It took me six years to begin carving out a new path for myself, and almost three years on from that I’m still shifting and shaping. I think motherhood has taught me so much about the power of surrender. And I’m grateful to be in a phase where I can now put some aspects of the journey behind me (fertility and pregnancy) and focus more fully on my creativity ✨
I am glad to hear that you have felt similarly in terms of timeline to find your creative flow again, it’s very reassuring.
So much of us goes into motherhood and the journey to get there that I have often felt that there is little left to give, despite the desire and ideas! That being said, I do feel that there has been a shift recently and a little more space to commit creatively, hopefully setting foundations to build on.
And yes to surrender and softening, absolutely my biggest learning in so many ways. The being ok with not being able to *do*, the patience required and learning to be ok with constant interruptions, letting go of things that won’t fit with the reality of right now etc etc.
Great to hear that you are newly feeling a shift towards more space too. I am so inspired by your work and how you present it all so resonantly and beautifully xx
I love this reflection, thank you so much. For me, I’ve found the past few years that spring and summer invite my presence and activity in the natural world and fall and winter are times to integrate that experience through quiet creativity. But, as you say, each year is different depending on life circumstances too.
Thank you for reading Rachel. Yes, when we take time to notice and observe our inner energy levels, it is so often in tune with, and an expression of our natural surroundings. And vice versa, I find so much more ease in myself when I match my energy to the season. i love what you say about quiet creativity in autumn/winter, that's exactly how it feels...thank you for sharing xx
Oh lovely woman you express it so beautifully always. I still have a smile in my heart knowing we were treading the earth with babes in slings at the same time in those months.
And I adore the way you talk about creativity coming in these different seasons. It’s always there of course but looks different at each phase. I laugh because I was gifted a set of watercolours a few years ago that I had high hopes for... and they remain shut away in a box having been used just once!
It seems sometimes so paradoxical that creative ideas on one hand seems to be wildly unleashed in Motherhood... and yet the space to bring those ideas to form is often so minimal. Perhaps it’s to make us extra discerning with the projects we do tend to...
Anyway... loving your words as I always do. And your tiny poem is so gorgeous!
Big love. Xxx
Thank you Lauren. Ahhh yes, I love that thought of unknowingly walking walking walking together.
Thank you, yes I suppose the ebbs and flows are all part of it. Funny about your watercolours too! I used my paints to create lovely birth affirmation cards and that has been it...!
And yes you’re right, one of my biggest learnings in motherhood is how to sit with the limited capacity despite the abundance of ideas, letting go of things when interruptions arise etc etc. Your post about the gifts of motherhood was a great remembrance of all we are gaining in the midst of the frustrations and sometimes slower progress.
And yes walking the path of creative motherhood is definitely an invaluable lesson in discernment and refinement, apt for autumn too!
Love to you xx
“With the seasonal shifts as a point of reference and reminder of my own internal rhythms, I immersed myself in the metamorphosis of matrescence, going gently as my body and mind repositioned themselves in orbit of this sweet, sensitive soul. “ this spoke to me so much! I found that the seasons help me live with more intentionality in my motherhood— as well as my health. So much of this article spoke so deeply to me 🤍
Ahhhh thank you for reading Jennifer and reflecting those words back, I’m so happy to hear they spoke to your experience. Yes the seasons, the beauty and wisdom within them and the shifts between them has become so important in my everyday experiences of motherhood and life. Thank you for being here, I’m looking forward to discovering more of your writing and your work xx
Thank you for sharing this - your words really resonated with me. Especially this:
“I see now that it was part of learning to cultivate the most everyday version of presence, to tune in so deeply that I could recognise what was needed in the moment, without trying to change it.”
I love that idea of an ‘everyday version of presence’ - it’s so absolutely what the early days of matrescence seem to demand.❤️
Ah thank you for reading Jen, I’m so glad you could relate and I loved reading about your small c creativity.
Yes...that everyday presence, something I had been possibly trying to overcomplicate in the past but it really is exactly what is demanded of you in those early weeks/months, it’s like a fast-track course! xx
“Despite finding ways to live creatively, it is only really three years (and another treasured baby) later that I feel I am beginning to find my feet in a new phase of self-expression.”
Oh how I feel this! It took me six years to begin carving out a new path for myself, and almost three years on from that I’m still shifting and shaping. I think motherhood has taught me so much about the power of surrender. And I’m grateful to be in a phase where I can now put some aspects of the journey behind me (fertility and pregnancy) and focus more fully on my creativity ✨
I am glad to hear that you have felt similarly in terms of timeline to find your creative flow again, it’s very reassuring.
So much of us goes into motherhood and the journey to get there that I have often felt that there is little left to give, despite the desire and ideas! That being said, I do feel that there has been a shift recently and a little more space to commit creatively, hopefully setting foundations to build on.
And yes to surrender and softening, absolutely my biggest learning in so many ways. The being ok with not being able to *do*, the patience required and learning to be ok with constant interruptions, letting go of things that won’t fit with the reality of right now etc etc.
Great to hear that you are newly feeling a shift towards more space too. I am so inspired by your work and how you present it all so resonantly and beautifully xx
I love this reflection, thank you so much. For me, I’ve found the past few years that spring and summer invite my presence and activity in the natural world and fall and winter are times to integrate that experience through quiet creativity. But, as you say, each year is different depending on life circumstances too.
Thank you for reading Rachel. Yes, when we take time to notice and observe our inner energy levels, it is so often in tune with, and an expression of our natural surroundings. And vice versa, I find so much more ease in myself when I match my energy to the season. i love what you say about quiet creativity in autumn/winter, that's exactly how it feels...thank you for sharing xx