Making Motherhood Memories
It’s been brilliantly anchoring to start a project, whilst pregnant in a pandemic, and continue it whilst on maternity leave.
In the midst of a us all managing “a new normal” it’s given me a sense of focus and (at times) of achievement. It’s helped me to navigate and and understand some huge scary too. Giving birth shows us true vulnerability and strips everything we knew away for massive transformation. Usually we have places to put those thoughts, to chat about our birth story over coffee and feeding our newborns. Lots of us haven’t had that this last 18 months…
I went to my first baby group this morning – LJ is seven months this week.
I felt an overwhelming sense of pride listening to everyone’s stories of how they’ve navigated birth and new mum-dom… I realise I’m part of that gang too.
I mean we’re just incredible aren’t we?
It’s been really interesting to see how my research for my project for mums with children under two has shifted and changed.
Living in a pandemic has affected what I want to put out in the world for sure…
I’m super keen it responds to you guys to what your are all thinking, how are you spending your time as mums, and how things feel here in the UK and the rest of the world.
What I’ve really started to understand is that the making of my own Creativity Island came from a place of wanting to carve out time to slow down.
I really believe creativity can be a tool to help us navigate the complicated emotions of being human. I’ve seen it impact positively on our well being and noticed it in myself as I dealt with the trauma of bringing my daughter into the world without the support of a birth partner.
And actually, the space creativity Island allows, and the art of making memories, does the same thing…
it slows us right down.
And so where does making memories come in?.
Being slow, is something that in motherhood, I’ve done, it’s something that (in the past) I’ve also kind of run away from as well.
The fast pace of life offers much distraction to find addiction in.
As we take tentative steps to the summer holidays in 2021 there’s no denying our outside world look quite different.
It also feels really special and precious because we’ve not been out and about in ways we would have.
But there might also be anxiety attached to that?
Either anxiety and the buildup or nerves while we’re in the midst of people who cope with pandemic life differently to us.
So I’d like to zoom in on ideas of how to REALLY SEE the memories that feel precious to us as mothers where-ever we are comfortable.
My theory is it helps us slow down and see them but it’s also for our children to look back on.
Some ideas to get your kids recording memories this summer;
1. Scrapbooking
2. Photo albums – I have a tiny printer that prints photos from my phone
3. Memory boxes
4. Letters to their day/ week/ the summer holidays
5. Recording funny things they say
6. Keeping a diary
7. Talking about what memories feel important
8. Taking short video snippets or voice notes
Being around children puts you slap bang in the present just observing the way that they see the world. It’s beautiful and real and so conscious.
They’re not carrying the weight of the pandemic like we are, as adults that it just doesn’t exist in their little ether…
From what I’ve seen, the kids have pretty much put it down and they’ve just kind of reverted back to having a sort of playful, creative childhood.
What do you think? It’s been very healing for me to see.
So have a little look at my Facebook group and I’ll be posting the challenges both there and on Instagram @creatively.conscious.
Feel free to join in if you need that kind of accountability to join in in real time cool if it sparks something for you. We start now…
And don’t forget that I have an exclusive Northumberland based workshop and mini online space focussed around making motherhood memories for sale RIGHT NOW.
You can read more and book here;
It’s my plan to make it purely digital for September too.
I’m fascinated with how to involve children in memory making so I’ll share all as I discover more.
Sending sparkles for your summer hols
Claire and LJ
PS – You might also like this post by our resident writer Danielle Slade all about capturing memories in the mundane.
PPS – And I’m going to have a guest post by the novelist Emylia Hall who runs mothership writers, so I’m really excited about that.