My life has seen radical changes since setting up this site. The loss of my mother, and the birth of my son have thrown me into a chaos that has been all consuming. I had no idea where to start with negotiating these feelings, and for using them in my art.
It didn’t even feel right that I should prioritise creating when I have a son to look after, a house to keep clean. What a trap that is!
The thing is, making time to create is making time for me as a person. Not as a mother, not as a homemaker, but as an individual. It is also a very valid way of exploring the very large feelings I have been having of late.
Introducing ARIM – An Artist Residency In Motherhood.
This is a fantastic project set up by Lenka Clayton. Initially, it was her move into creating a way of working with her new family.
“When I became a parent traveling became tricky, money and time were tight, and the residencies I found couldn’t accommodate artists with families. I wondered how I might instead apply the framework of an artist residency to the wild new world that was unfolding at home, one that I usually felt entirely too tired to notice.” – Lenka Clayton
Not only did she create this residency for herself, but she opened the floor for others to create their own, and has been plotting them on a world map.
Today I submitted my plan. I want to take the next year on a residency, to make regular space in my life to develop my skills and create pieces. I aim to create a little something every week, and share here, to hold myself accountable, to keep working and learn to love what I create as is, without the need to be perfect.
Bernadette Pamplin Art 