Kristen Riggle: Painting in the Cracks

Did you think of yourself as a creative kid? What did you do for fun?

I did! My sister and I were always making something. I remember going through a huge stamp and embossing phase, papier-mâché, playdough, cake decorating, always drawing, painting, and we put on A LOT of shows (still on VHS tapes at my parents house!)

We used to make a Christmas variety-style show every year to send to our family in Wisconsin. One year we did a cooking show and handmade cookbooks that had the corresponding recipes to go with it.

My mom taught us how to sew. My auntie from the Philippines taught us how to crochet.

We also loved playing with our friends on our block, rollerblading, getting ice cream at Thrifty’s, playing “Super Market Sweep” at the grocery store, going to the Hello Kitty store at the mall, watching I Love Lucy, and playing nintendo (especially Paperboy and Jeopardy!)

Tell us about a day in your life, how do you fit in creative moments?

I have a 4 year old in Pre-K and an 18 month old who I stay home with all day, every day!

So most of the day is mom mode…during winter, it’s a lot of storytimes at the library and during summer, we spend a lot of time at the park.

I can usually count on a quiet hour or two during nap time and then after bedtime by about 8pm.

In order to get big projects done, I usually work in pushes where I stay up late and just don’t get a whole lot of sleep and the house usually gets really messy, then when I finish I switch my focus to rest, cleaning, and family time.

Other than that, I pretty much use whatever little crack of time I can get! It’s all about stripping away everything non essential and doing the one thing that gets to the core of what I’m trying to accomplish.

Some things that I do to lower the barrier to entry is carving out a space where I can leave my supplies out to minimize prep and clean up. (For a long time, before I had a dedicated space, I just worked on a card table in the corner of our living room and blocked it off from grabby little hands with a broken down cardboard box!) One other game changer has been my wet palette which keeps my acrylic paints wet and ready for use for up to a week!

It’s definitely not a perfect science. I’ve realized that this season of life is just extremely full! Things are smoother when I just accept it so if I notice any resistance I try to take a step back and look at the whole picture and remember how fleeting this time really is.

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Use the code MOTHERS10 at checkout to get 10% off!

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What do you do when you feel burnt out or filled with doubt?

This one hits home! Burnout and all the doubts have hit me all at once a couple times this past year. Each time I spiraled for a while until finally figuring out what I needed…

I print out a new calendar, start pushing back all the deadlines I’ve set for myself, and lower all my expectations! If there are any other non essential commitments, I practice my “compassionate no.”

A huge weight is lifted the moment I start taking things off my plate and give myself permission to move through my goals a little slower.

What’s your favorite super easy creative practice to do when you’re looking for fresh ideas?
Working in my sketchbook!

I find it’s always best to lower the stakes when getting the creative juices flowing. I love that a sketchbook is small and less precious than breaking out a big new canvas.

This helps take the pressure off and I love that it’s also easy to bring with me anywhere!

What mothers inspire you? Who should I interview next?

Ever since I had my own kids, I’ve had a whole new appreciation for what my mom did for me. I’m inspired by the amount of time and effort she put into raising me. I never wanted to grow up because I just had so much fun being a kid!

I’m also very lucky to be in a community with creative, intelligent, supportive, and compassionate mothers (and makers!) Casey Lamont, Ashley Paggi, Lindsay Gilmore, Jennifer McCaffrey, Alyson Brown…each one of these artists are amazing mamas while bringing so much beauty and magic into this world with their art. I would love for every one of them to be interviewed next!

What do you hope your kids will learn about creativity from you?

I hope that they learn that being creative is fun and important and different for everyone. I hope they enjoy infusing creativity in everything that they do, finding their own unique voice, and loving who they are : )

What would you bring to a favorites party?

Cozy slippers
Boggle

Fried eggs
Coffee
Calvin and Hobbes

Pastries

And of course my family!

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Kristen Riggle is an artist, children's book author, and educator based in Bend, Oregon. Aside from running her creative business and always trying to find time to paint, she loves spending time with her husband and two daughters (4.5 year old and 18 month old). Her latest project has been a labor of love putting all of her self-publishing experience into an ecourse, called Publish That Picture Book, to help other aspiring children’s book authors get their own stories into the world. If you want to stay in touch you can find her @thebusybirds and thebusybirds.com.

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Nebula Notebook is a place to meet kindred spirits, get inspired, and learn how to find ease and joy in the creative process—even when life is bananas. 🍌🍌🍌

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✏️ PS—The fastest way to grow as a writer is to book a manuscript critique or a creative coaching session with an expert. My clients get agents, sell books, and win awards. They also learn how to enjoy the creative process, so they can keep going when life gets hard. 👏