Annabelle and her family found there way to my studio over 10 years ago with there first baby and we have run into each other many times since. Once, following the links as you do, I found my way to her website and fell in love with her gorgeous illustrations and beautifully haunting paintings. For me it was a surprise as I knew her to be a scientist and was delighted when she agreed to answer these questions and get a peek into her journey. Her new book Noah's Garden is worth checking out, as is her website. And if you are looking for something special (on top of stunning photos of your baby) to decorate your nursery, she is available for special commissions. Please enjoy reading how motherhood changed her.
How has becoming a mother influenced your working life?
Becoming a mother has helped me consider what mattered most, both for my family and for me. I had been made to believe I was a smart executive woman who loved it, when I wasn't.
I wasn't that smart because, it took 2 children to make me realise how fast they were growing and how much I was missing out. By my 3rd pregnancy I had made the decision enough was enough and they would come first. I had to find a way to organise work so I could spend more time with the kids.
I have since stopped work in R&D and I am trying to complete my shift toward working as an visual artist and illustrator (that is, try and make a living of it).
Where do you draw inspiration from?
Illustration is usually subject to a brief from a client (publisher of a picture book or commissions for families). I try and find a common ground between what the client needs or want and my own expression. I often find inspiration in my own childhood: I love to revisit the feelings and wonders I remember as a child. I had a very happy childhood, loving parents and grand-parents, rich and diverse experiences, living on a "hobby farm" with lots of farm pets.
Then I translate these feeling into my illustrations.
When it comes to the artworks I produce on canvas or paper (without a brief)...these works are very personal and represent me as an individual adult.
I am very conscious of my own mortality and the passing of time (and having children makes you sooo aware that time is flying so fast); so painting, creating works is my way to dealing with the feelings, and particularly sadness, I often feel about it.
Luckily, been so involved with my family helps me stay sane and in touch with the reality and the positiveness of life.
How do you resolve the double-sided guilt of not spending enough time with your children (when you’re working) and not being at work (when you’re with your children)?
I have 2 responses to this "evil" issue of the unavoidable "working mother guilt"....
First: practice being in "the moment". Focus on what you are doing now, do it well and enjoy it. I find that worrying about what else I could be doing at any given time is wasteful of my emotional energy. It does take practice and requires constant conscious effort though.
Second: It helps to do work that is meaningful to you:
I used to suffer a lot more from the "working mother guilt" than I do now...when I was working away from home, in a large corporation. I liked the job but I remember a particular day, I was looking through the windows of the meeting room where I was part of a training session on statistics applied to R&D...and thinking I was wasting minutes of my precious life for something I couldn't see any value in, while I should be with my babies...
Being able to enjoy what I do and find meaning doing it significantly reduces the guilt.
When my third child was born, I spent the 1st month of her life (when newborn sleep so much!) reading self-help books about finding my own values and what mattered most to me.
Research what you value most and then find a way to spend most of your working time in an area that has something to do with your values. This is the secret to a happy working life.
But in the end, no matter how much time you have with them: Savour the time you spend with your children, focus on them, NOW, they will only be with you for a few years of your life.
How do your children feed into or inspire your work?
I love the way children see life: they see it in a more simple and fresh way than us, adults. We have forgotten.
I often have to draw children for illustration so observing them (not only mine but children in the street, at the pool, at school) has become a very enjoyable habit. Find the little things, words, movements, that make them children.
Describe a typical day in the life of your family.
I find it very difficult to get up early enough in the morning because I have often been up late the night before (I am currently studying), so I am usually not up before 6:45.
This part of the morning is a race to get the 3 girls up (the younger one has the head glued to the pillow), dressed, fed, hair and teeth brushed (that last part often gets missed), sandwich made (they have pretty different tastes and I more often than not have to tailor their menus every morning if I want some decent food pass their lips).
I usually find myself through the door without having had my own breakfast, barely dressed (forget the make-up), and with half what I need for my day at Tafe (on the days I study).
After the drop-off at school (usually 8:30), I rush to Tafe so I can get their by 8:55 to get a parking spot, which only happens 2 times out of 3).
Then, the time slows down a little, I am in my element, in the studio where I study and paint with a bunch of great artists and fellow students of all ages. The few hours I have there are precious and I am so conscious of it!
2:40, the "pick-up the kids" alarm goes off on my phone, I pack up my art things and rushes to school to pick up the girls. I am very happy to get them back because I love listening to the stories of their days, all the small details that remind me of my own childhood and time at school.
The rest of the afternoon and evening is "family time", with all the small but important things a parent must do: afternoon tea, help with homework (I hate that part), empty the girls school bags, tidy up the house (left in a mess in the morning), hang up a wash load, then cook dinner, welcome the husband, dinner and bed time routine....I often find myself watching a silly TV program from 9:30 pm for an hour, as I need to rest a while. Finally, around 10:30 or 11pm, I prepare my bag for the next day at Tafe, then sit at the computer to email, do assignments, pay bills, .... often until pass midnight.
Do you have any little anecdotes about life with a newborn that you would like to share with us?
Rather than anecdotes, I mostly remember the overall happy, fulfilled feelings of closeness and tactile emotions, when these tiny lifes depend exclusively on you (particularly if you are lucky enough to be able to breastfeed). I loved the skin to skin contact, having them asleep against my chest, early in the morning, small tight fists, elusive smiles on their face.
How has becoming a mother changed you?
Becoming a mum has made me so much more conscious of my impact on the world and how the world has changed so much compared to when I was a child. Seeing my children grow so fast has made my immensely aware of the passing of time. I want to appreciate every second of the time I have on this earth and try and make a difference, at my level.
How has your relationship with your body changed?
The relationship with my body is a long love-hate relationship (I suffered from eating disorders as a teenager until I was a young adult). While I overcame the illness long before I had my children, I remained very self-conscious and tried to maintain a good physical shape by eating well and exercising regularly (that last part has somewhat declined to nil over the past 12mths, I have been too busy juggling other things but I now I will return to exercising a little, some time soon. But no crazy running around, Yoga would be great).
Funny enough, having children has been a blessing because I have become kinder with myself: pregnancy completely changed my acceptance of my own body. Yes I wish I had a thinner waist these days but hey! there are more important things in life and I am overall in good shape so, so be it!
What advice would you give to women expecting their first child?
While I can think of so many things I could advice a new mother, my only important advice would be "be kind to yourself".
There are many things that can be done in many different ways, try and do is the easiest, kindest on yourself, while satisfying for you. Children are very resilient, you only have that much energy, don't stretch yourself too much to be perfect for them in every way. You have to last the distance!
What do the beautiful photographic memories of the special, yet brief, time of the newborn mean to you?
They represent happiness, frozen in time! Every time I look at the photos of my babies asleep on my hand or my husband arm, I find myself back to where it started, at the beginning of a wonderful journey alongside 3 beautiful children. I had no idea back then!
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