How to be an Artist and a Parent at the same time
Pedro Martin Rojo
Artist | Solo Exhibition during ART DUBAI | April 12th Vernissage RSVP only
There exists this myth in the art world that you can either choose to be an artist, or you can choose to be a functioning member of society––but you can't be both. Because of this stigma, somewhere along the line society decided that raising children is basically the antithesis to creativity. What do you think? Is making the choice to have children a death sentence for one's artistic career?
Well, I am aiming to do exactly the opposite, raising my 15 months old son and my 2 months daughter AND keep on growing my art career, all at the same time. To be fair, I do have my wife on my side helping while on maternity leave, however we are not bringing the kids to? the Kita for now and the maternity leave will not last forever.
Becoming a parent is a life-changing experience. Parenthood is about learning to adapt. You take each moment as it comes.?
So how can I balance being a parent and an artist career? Here some Pro tips:
I moved the studio to my home.? Time management is the big issue. There are no art binges anymore. This disruption of time has made my time much more productive. Time is more valuable… any break is good to jump in to the studio for 30 mins or 2 hours at a time
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Forget about going to shows, you won't make it. Going to openings feels very important to me. I just haven't been able to figure out how to start showing up again. However there are a couple of things you can do.? Be selective and create shorter events, instead of having 1 month show in a gallery, do shorter live events that concentrate all the PR and media in one day. For example a live online gala or a live painting auction for a good cause if done with the right partner can generate a tone more of Media presence than a traditional Gallery exhibition.
My methods and techniques are continuing evolving but now more than ever, the process and logistics around it have to be as straightforward and simplified as possible. I decided using always use the same size of canvas 90 x 90 cm, all with the same frame, a good mid size standard that fits perfectly in my car and in my customers cars and more importantly I? break down each step of the painting process in pieces that allow me to produce in scale. For example, mixing colors for different paintings at once and moving from one piece to next with the same brush once wet.
This very article is part of this strategy, being online, documenting each step of the process and showing it in quality content, adding value to the community constantly sharing. This could be very time consuming at the beginning but if you embed it in your process you will see that it can be manageable. Follow up and engage with your people.
What are your Pro-tips to manage your family-work life?
Innenarchitektin Projektleitung bei Mint Architecture AG, Bildende Künstlerin
3 年I am a mother of two, a part time employed interior designer and freelance artist. I think a very important thing is not to feel guilty about spending time for your art. When you get your first child, you think you could influence the way it is - when you get your second you realize that they are born with full developed personalities and that your education only can help them to handle them better and to show them what might be good priorities in life. That means that we were already born as artists and that we can`t deny that. The challange is to find the right balance between spending energy for your children and for your art. I found my personal peace by reducing exhausting every day life tasks (that are not urgent) to have more quality time for my kids in the evening. That is good for them and gives me the energy to start my art project after kids bedtime. That means I don′t cook hot meals in the evening and my shoes are not always as clean as they could be...