Working Mom

Would I call my absence the past few weeks a vacation?  Not at all.  But it was a good time to get some distance from work and to reflect a bit on why I do what I do, and why I love to do what I do.

Call me crazy, but now, I am back in the studio (with a little company from time to time). Actually, a lot of people are calling me crazy, and I must admit, it does feel that way at times.  But the truth is, I love what I do for a living and I thrive on it.  The time I spend at work fulfills my creative side, invigorates me, and makes me appreciative of the time I get to sit and cuddle or read books with my girls.  Being a working mom is amazing.  I feel like I get the best of both worlds!

Listen, I respect the heck out of women (or men) who are"stay at home" caretakers for their children.  It is an insane amount of work and takes a patience I will never truly comprehend. I am so lucky that I am able to share in the care-taking with my husband and our wonderful nanny.

I've got to be honest, I had thought that trying to do both might mean taking something away from one to give to the other, that maybe something would suffer.  But I have discovered that being back at work does not make me a bad mom.  And being a mom does not make me less professional or capable. With help, both my worlds balance each other out, and I actually feel like like I am able to give even more to each than I otherwise could.  Each side of my life makes me love the other more.

And I also love that my daughters get to see me at work, and maybe, just maybe, they will feel the same inspiration that I felt from watching my mother work. She had a studio on our third floor where she made draperies and bedding.  I just loved growing up on her studio floor.  My creativity spawned from  the hours of watching her sew.  She gave me my own projects and allowed me to play and create and dream.  I hope to show my girls that determination and a strong work ethic are admirable qualities, and that you can truly create your own dreams.  And who knows, maybe one of them may want to run the family business someday.