How many children do
you have? What are their ages?
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| Carry On |
My boys are 8 & 10 years old.
How did your artistic
career begin?
I have always wanted to be an artist among other things :)
doesn’t every artist say that? I started as a designer (in business) but kept doing
art. Eventually, I said goodbye to design and decided to do art full-time.
Being able to work at home was very important to me, even before I had
children.
What is your
Parenting/work/art situation?
During the school year I work in my studio/office while my
boys are at school. I also fit in work in the evenings, sometimes, after they
are sleeping. My time in the studio/office bounces strategically and crazily
from canvas to computer and back again. Working on my own terms is good for me
because I like to bounce from one thing to another when the urge strikes :)
Do your children get
involved with your art?
My boys like to draw and my youngest likes to paint. They
like to create comic books and such and sell them to me from their comic book
studio (closet under the stairs). They help me with my business tasks, as well.
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| Close Knit |
Most definitely. I get very inspired when I spend quiet time
alone with them in the rocking chair or at bedtime. We love to read together
(mama reading) so we get lots of quiet, cozy time together.
How has having
children changed your artwork?
Before I became pregnant I was creating art featuring birds,
nests, eggs, children, nature, bugs and such. After becoming a mother, my
artwork turned to figures and couplets and families. I realize, though, that
even early on there was a nurturing and earthy connection form to my work.
How does making time
for artwork influence other household tasks?
Over the years I have pushed the scales toward artwork and
business and family time being a larger priority than housework. However, I
believe in a tidy home, so that means that over the years I have simplified our
possessions and systems to make cleaning really easy. My family cleans with me
every Sunday (my boys vac their own rooms and strip their beds, put away their
toys and laundry) and my husband and I do tasks throughout the week. I make use
of a basket at the bottom of the stairs for
misplaced toys that need to go upstairs, laundry areas/baskets so things don’t sit around on the floor, a basket for shoes at the entry way, and a basket for books in the living room. Everything has a place, and that makes me happy.
misplaced toys that need to go upstairs, laundry areas/baskets so things don’t sit around on the floor, a basket for shoes at the entry way, and a basket for books in the living room. Everything has a place, and that makes me happy.
Currently I am willing to let a floor not get vacuumed if I
am more inspired to paint. That did not use to be the case when my children
were younger. I was much harder on myself back then. I now realize that no one
is going to die if some dishes sit overnight, or if the garbage doesn’t go out
in the eve.
Have different ages
of your children been more difficult to make time for artwork and in which
ways?
It was tougher when they were younger. Now that they are
older, they are happy to be in the studio with me while I work, and they design
computer games, create things with paper and cardboard, or play together on
their computers.
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| Feed My Soul |
I’ve always kept a bin of “Might Come In Handy” stuff
around, ever since the very beginning. When I would find something curious or
neat, I’d throw it in. The big got VERY big and has since been simplified. But
my boys know they can dig in it for string and plastic bits, craft doo-dads and
such. This bin has been such a great tool at getting my boys creative and
creating. It has been one of my saving graces over the years.
Do you feel extra
pressure as an artist to raise your children to be artistic?
Nope!
In what ways does
being an artist make being a parent harder or easier?
It’s easier because they get to see me living my dream and
doing what I want to do. It raises communication about how we can follow our
gifts and dreams and desires and find a way to make a living doing them. My
boys are both set on being entrepreneurs.
I think being a parent is “hard” all on its own for a
variety of reasons, some of them self-inflicted. Being an artist doesn’t make
it harder, I don’t think. Our creativity and resourcefulness comes in handy in
teaching life lessons and our striving to make a living and work hard can come
in handy in teaching deferred gratification and caring for others.
Do you think being a
parent affects the way you are perceived as an artist?
Nope! But then I have an artistic craft that ties in very
nicely with being a mother :) Being a mom is a good thing for my career. I
suppose some folks might think that since you are a parent you have/spend less
time on your business or artwork.
Katie m. Berggren ~ Could this moment be yours?
Visit the site & blog: http://www.KmBerggren.com
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