Friday 17 October 2014

Motherhood, Rituals And Sacred Places



Rituals are something you learn to appreciate when you became a parent. Rituals keep babies and toddlers happy. Rituals make sure that parents don’t lose their sanity.

I am not going to write about the rituals involving my son. I will write about my own ritual; about the one precious morning hour that I spend in my studio just by myself. Every morning I wake up at 6 AM when everybody in the house is still asleep. I am literally sneaking downstairs and being very careful not to wake my boy. Did I mention already that we live in an old house with some nasty squeaking stairs? So, I am tiptoeing my way down to my studio. I am not doing any ceramics because I am still wearing my pyjamas. Sometimes I write down my thoughts or sketch some new forms.  Mostly I just sit and enjoy the stillness of an empty and dark studio.

This is the time when I get the most creative ideas. This one hour gives me the necessary energy to go through the day. This way I can start my day as an artist. If my boy is awake before me, I am immediately forced into mama-mode and my day will probably be a mess.

On the days when I don’t manage to be productive in my studio, this one hour makes it up. Do not get me wrong: I love being a mother. I love everything about my son and our life. It is just that once you become a mother you kind of lose your own identity.

So I can spend my days cleaning the mess, visiting playgrounds, cleaning the mess, cooking fresh and healthy meals, cleaning the mess and talking about poop, as long as I have my one precious hour a day as an artist.