Dear friend,
I’ve been thinking a lot about my mom. It was recently Mother’s Day (here in the U.S. at least), and my mother’s birthday is little after that (Happy birthday, Mama!).
Let me brag on my mom for a second (I promise I have a point).
My mom was the first person to give me finger paints. She’s the one who gave me crayons and markers and watercolors. She dug through my dad’s old white undershirts to turn into a painting smock so I wouldn’t get stains in all my clothes. Mom found me How To Draw books from the library when I was learning about something in school, and walked me through each drawing. When I was older, she’d get excited whenever I showed her my art and give me tips on how to get better. She’d put crafts together to decorate for different holidays, and she’d show me the drawings she’d done in high school and college.
The thing is, I never saw her create anything unless she was doing it with or for us kids.
And then one day, she said something that flabbergasted me.
“I’m not creative.”
I was speechless. What about all the crafts she had done with me? Or the art she’d done in high school and college?
She was wrong.
My mom is right about a lot of stuff (as are most moms), but it turns out she wasn’t right about this.
I’ve been around a lot of moms in my time (it’s a hazard of being a homeschool kid), and it seems to be a theme.
A woman does creative stuff growing up, then gets married, has kids, and thinks that she’s not creative. Or at least, not as creative as a real artist.
To the woman who thinks that, I have one thing to say to you.
Stop it!
Dear mothers, you are creative. If you’ve done a craft or painted a picture or made something at any point in time and had fun doing it, YOU ARE CREATIVE.
Stop talking nonsense about how you used to be creative, but aren’t anymore. Creativity isn’t a favorite toy that you lose when you get older. It’s part of how God made you.
So what, if you haven’t had time to do the art you want? You spent your time raising your kids and loving your husband. That’s a good thing. As the kids grow up and you find yourself with more time on your hands, you can rediscover that creative streak God created you with. Whether that means doing it in little bits as free time allows, or teaching your family so you can all do it together.
She’s doing it.
The past few years, once my siblings started to move out of the house, my mom has picked up more and more creative things to try. At first, it was oil painting while watching Bob Ross. Then it was a few poems. Then a vegetable garden.
Last year, she asked my grandma to teach her how to quilt. This year my mom handed me a short story that she wrote. I can’t tell you how excited she looked!
It’s okay if you don’t have time to be creative in the season you are in. That doesn’t mean you aren’t creative. It just means you have another priority.
So–
To the middle-aged mothers out there. Take heart. You haven’t lost your creativity, just the time to be creative.
Sincerely,
R. J. Catlin
This is so sweet! I’m with you R.J. My mom is full of creativity, but she put so much of it aside to help us in our dreams. I think the greatest gift a woman can give the world is creating children who she sacrificially raises and nurtures into future creators. Moms are the best!
They really are!
Many thanks for this article from one middle aged (creative) mom:)
You’re welcome! I’m glad you found it inspiring :)