I have had this episode on my mind and heart for a while now. Over the past year I have been slowly going through documents in my studio and in my office. Papers, photos, memorabilia from the last 15-20 years of my life… from when I first began doing photography in college to where I am now as an artist.
What I’ve been learning in this process is that I have really come so far. As an artist, a person, a parent. I have taken so many risks, tried so many things, and changed my priorities and my identity many times. Through it all, the tread of artist and parent is evident.
I wanted to create this episode with some prompts to inspire you to do a bit of documenting and reflecting. I’ve created 5 prompts which can be used at any time, in order to record your life and your identity in this season as an artist and/or an artist parent. You can journal in response to them, collect photos that go along with them, use them as prompts for social media writing or reflection or in your newsletter. I hope they help capture a bit of what is going on in your artist parent world these days and I hope someday in the future you come across this documentation and see how far you’ve come.
5 Prompts for Reflecting on Your Season as an Artist Parent:
1. What season are you in as a parent? What does your caregiving look like these days? Identify who you care for and what that care looks like.
2. What does this season look like for you as an artist? Identify what you are working on, what your time as an artist looks like and what you are prioritizing in your practice.
3. What season are your children in? How does this affect your time?
Identify what is happening in the lives of your children and what is important to them. How are you supporting them in their interests and pursuits?
4. What does it look like when you prioritize your art career during this season? Identify what feels good and challenging about putting your art first right now. How is your family affected? Where is there overlap and where are there disconnects?
5. What meaningful moments do you want to remember from this season of artist caregiving?
During this episode I share a bit of my own responses to the prompts. Hope you find it fun to listen.
The Artist/Mother podcast is created and hosted by Kaylan Buteyn. Connect with Kaylan via her website or instagram or follow her substack here!