Lauren Barber: Living Daily Life as Sacred Art

How did motherhood change your creative practice?

Motherhood obliterated what my creative practice used to look like… and then allowed me to totally re-write it in a very different way. There was definitely some resistance at the start and I experienced many feelings of frustration and grief as I needed to let go of how things had previously looked. But then, when I started to find new ways to bring creativity into my days it actually made it more potent, more focused and more fulfilling. 

Both of my Matrescence experiences have shifted things differently in terms of my creativity. With my first daughter, who was born in 2019, I had to shed so many more layers and ended up totally burning down what my previous business had looked like in order to find a new way to bring creativity into my work. 

With my second daughter, who was born at the end of 2022, she has actually been a catalyst for more personal creativity, and specifically a renewed confidence and desire to pour myself into my writing after stepping back from it for several years. In fact, it was just a few months into postpartum with my second that I started my Substack here and it has been a huge activator of my creative spirit. 

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

Everyday looks very different to be honest. I have more of a weekly rhythm than a daily rhythm. 

My creativity varies depending on what childcare support I have! On days when I am with the girls, creative moments look like making food together, dancing in the kitchen, crafting with my eldest or going out into nature to collect ‘treasure’. 

On days when I have childcare support, creative moments looks like working with my clients in a mentoring or design capacity, it looks like creating inviting graphics for my offerings and working on my website, writing my Substack, recording meditations, writing poetry, making my lunch, creating spaces for people, moving my body for a few minutes to music, perhaps even lying down and doing a Yoga Nidra to give my nervous system a rest and my creativity a chance to come through. 

Something I truly believe is that our entire life is sacred art… which means we have the opportunity to create within it at every moment, so I truly try to infuse these feelings of artistry into as much of my daily life as I can. 

What helps you make time and space for being creative? How do you avoid burn out?

Having the support of childcare is crucial to me for carving out creative time - this also gives me some regular rhythm which I feel is important to me. I also like to make sure that I have chunks of time on the days where I do have support that I don’t have calls or appointments booked in - this allows me to flow a little with whatever desire is coming up. 

I am very much in tune with my cyclical nature - and over the years I have found that in order to avoid burn out I need to honour my internal rhythms fiercely. This looks like resting - even when I feel like I shouldn't - and it also means that sometimes when the energy is there I have to ask for extra support in order to move with it. Asking for help has been a huge lesson from Motherhood for me! 

I also find that my creativity thrives on creativity! Which means - that the more creativity I weave into my everyday moments… the more it feels witnessed and the more it flows. When I ‘forget’ or get too busy to tap into those little creative moments things get a lot more stagnant, and when that arises I feel a lot less alive. 

How would you like the world to see artists and mothers?

As deeply, deeply valuable. To be honoured and witnessed for the magic-makers that they truly are. 

What’s your favorite super easy creative practice to do when you’re looking for fresh ideas?

Pauses and space! When I give myself space - especially in nature or during meditation - it always allows the ideas to flow. When I get stuck it is always because I am rushing too much, or not giving myself enough time to pause and receive insights. That isn’t always possible in the humdrum of daily Mothering but actually I have found that when I am walking the baby while she is napping, or sitting giving her milk at bedtime, or just watching them play for the few minutes they are content without me… those little pauses, a few slow breaths… never fail to top up my creative juices! 

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

I hope they will grow up feeling fully connected to their creative spirits - even if that doesn’t look like the conventional ways that society sees art and creativity. My wish is for them to find creativity in everything they do - from the way they choose to dress, to the food they eat, and to always stay tuned into the magic of possibility. 

If you could give everyone a small treat, what would it be?

An hour of Yoga Nidra! Honestly - this practice has changed my life in so many ways and is the ultimate body and soul medicine. If I could gift everyone that time to rest and refuel themselves - I think that would be just wonderful! One of the greatest gifts I have within my work is being able to hold space for others to rest their bodies in this practice - it absolutely makes my heart sing. 

If you had a free hour, how would you spend it? What about a free day?

If I had a free hour I would do a delicious movement practice, followed by some lying down restorative meditation, and then some journaling with a deck of Oracle cards. 

If I had a free day I would pack up a rucksack with a hot flask of cacao, some yummy food, my journal, pens and a deck of cards and head off into nature for the entire day - from sunrise to sunset. Walking, pausing, sitting, being… and it would be even more magical if I invited a dear friend along with me so we can have deep conversation and share that magic together. 

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Lauren Barber

is a Sacred Business Mentor, Heart Centred Coach and Soulful Branding & Website Designer. She works in the realms of Motherhood and Holistic Business to support others in bringing their creative visions to life. A Mother of two daughters (Sophia who is 4 and Vesper who is 10 months), a Sacred Space Holder, Writer, Speaker, Human Design Guide, Yoga & Meditation Teacher and Creator - Lauren is a true multi-passionate human. You can find her on Instagram, at www.theheartworkstudio.com and www.laurenbarber.co or on Substack.

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Hi! I’m Heidi. Writer. Editor. Mother. I’m interviewing 100 creative mothers, because I believe the more we see other mothers making beauty and meaning in small moments, the more we will be inspired to make our own kind of art, whatever that may look like during this intense season of life. Support the project by sharing with a friend.