The Few Things.

After 5 months of juggling picture book-making and mothering, I’ve discovered my life only has room for a few things at once. Before Heyward, my weeks typically looked like this:

Nowadays, it's more like this:

If you've been here awhile, you know I'm a big fan of creative constraints– one of my favorites being routines. Routines are the backbone of your day/month/year, and eventually life. They get you where you want to go, and make large tasks feel a lot more manageable.

Pre-baby, I knew the way I spent my free-time would have to change. Sure enough when my son came, scrolling Instagram, watching TV, and surfing the internet gave way to breastfeeding, changing diapers, and playing with my baby. What I didn't anticipate however, was that even though mothering is a round-the-clock job, I manage to get more creative work done. Putting my baby down for two naps a day is the perfect creative constraint for productive bursts of work.

Though I'm not sure why, it turns out I make the most of my time when it's preciously scarce, rather than infinitely abundant. I savor the seconds with my baby more, knowing they'll end painfully soon. "Don't blink, or you might miss it."

Thanks for reading!