Inspiration and Support for Creative Moms

Sharing all my favorite resources in one spot!

Finding time to be creative isn’t easy, but it’s so worth it. I hope by sharing a little bit of my own experience and introducing you to other mothers who make, you’ll get inspired to make space for creativity in your own life. This post is one to bookmark for moments when you want to feel more creative but don’t know where to start. These are the resources that I find myself recommending again and again. Everything is very doable. (I’m not sending you to a MFA program, and you don’t need a nanny!) I chose these resources because they made me feel alive and happy to be in this phase of life. I hope they inspire you too!

🌸 7 Days of Inspiration is my free guide for anyone who is reading this and has no idea what it even means to be a creative person. Maybe you feel like the least creative person on Earth or you have an idea for a project but can’t imagine how it would fit into your life. Maybe creativity feels like another“should” on your to-do list but you keep wanting to give it a try. Download the guide to reconnect with your creative spark. It’s fun and easy!

🌬 Exhale Creativity hosts online and IRL meet ups and workshops that help creative mothers feel less alone. There are an abundance of photographers and writers in this group, but I’ve also met jewelry makers, voice actors, and bakers there. Everyone is friendly, and it’s nice to meet people at all different stages of motherhood and with various experience levels and interests. (You might notice some religious undertones in the marketing, but I didn’t feel excluded in any way as a non-religious member.)

👯‍♀️ If you can leave the house, IRL connections can be incredibly valuable. Creative Mornings hosts gatherings around the world (and online). If afternoons are easier, you can try the Creative Lunch Club. There are workshops and classes and more casual meet ups for artists of all types. Many creatives talk about Alt Summit as being life changing too. (None of these groups are specifically for parents, but they tend to attract women who are out of their twenties and deeper into their careers.)

📱 Nothing replaces real-life connections, but my whole life is asynchronous these days. If you’re a new mom, you probably already know about Voxer and Polo, but if you haven’t tried them yet, these apps are life giving and super easy to use. Polo even hosted a conference for moms, because so many moms use it to connect, especially if their kids need extra support or they don’t have family support nearby.

🌈 Elaine Lee isn’t a mom, but her online art classes are very mom friendly. They’re easy to digest and set to calm music. I always walk away feeling accomplished and relaxed.

📒 I was a philosophy major, not an English major, so it never occurred to me to read lit journals, especially post college! But some of the most thoughtful, creative writing about motherhood can be found in lit magazines like Literary Mama and MER Literary. Whether you’re a writer or not, there’s something so powerful about hearing someone articulate your experience in an unforgettably poetic way. (I still hear from readers expressing their appreciation for my Literary Mama essay “Love in Translation.”)

👩‍💻 The Power Pause (Formerly Mother Untitled) was one of the only “mommy blogs” I read when I became a mom, and it has grown into so much more since then. Along with writing a book, Neha Ruch has developed a movement for embracing the gray areas that so many of us are in. She hosts a job board with mom-friendly (read: flexible and often creative) jobs, speaks on blending work and family, offers workbooks and practical guides, and connects women with similar interests.

🌊 Wild Words by Nicole Gulotta is the first place I heard someone say, “Becoming a parent might affect the way you write, and that’s ok.” Accepting that there are seasons to living a creative life was incredibly reassuring when I was struggling to find my footing with daycare germs and pandemic life.

🤩 I’ve been following Ingrid Fetell Lee’s work for a long time, and she is always inspiring. Right now she’s hosting joyful, inspiring conversations in her community The Commons. It’s a place to meet other people who care about color, creativity, and having fun. I’ve taken several of her classes and always walk away feeling more alive and at peace.

🎨 Make Art No Matter What by Beth Pickens is not written specifically for parents, but it is empathetic and practical in a way that I found encouraging. Creatives of all genres and experience levels will find this handbook clarifying.

🎧 Andy J. Pizza talks to artists of all kinds on his weekly podcast Creative Pep Talk. Andy brings a ton of personal experience to his interviews, so it’s clear he truly understands what it means to be an artist. Listening to an episode can help you recharge your creative battery, whatever stage you’re at and whatever genre you’re working in, and the show art is top notch.

👩‍🎨 Not all the women Katy Hessel profiles in her Substack The Great Women Artists and her book The Story of Art Without Men are mothers, but many are, and it is SO powerful to see someone doing the thing! Danielle Krysa also recommends a lot of women artists in her Substack Art Delivery.

🧙‍♀️ Sometimes all you need to feel more creative is to remember you’re a person beyond being a mom. Claire Zulkey’s Evil Witches Substack is a community of cool, interesting women who happen to be moms, and many of them are delightfully creative. The conversations are honest and funny, and witches tend to connect with each other in surprising ways.

✏️ Nancy Reddy of Write More/Be Less Careful has been interviewing creative caregivers for a few years now and the conversations are poetic and heartfelt. You can read my interview about enjoying the writing process if you are looking for somewhere to start. I always walk away feeling inspired and connected to the other creative moms who are making it work someway, somehow.

📝 While I’m talking about Substacks, I like everything grace gulley writes about creativity and motherhood. Her essays over at Proof of Life are thoughtful and honest, but also encouraging and filled with light and possibility in a way that a lot of books and essays on these topics aren’t.

💡 I downloaded the Braid Method Branding Workbook about 10 years ago, and I’m still applying the lessons and insights from it. More than a guide to marketing your work, this workbook teaches creatives how to articulate what you do and share it in ways that help you feel more confident. I recommend this workbook to anyone who is thinking about selling their creative work.

🪩 When I became a mom, one of the first things a writer friend sent me was a link to the Artist Residency in Motherhood. Originally conceived by visual artist Lenka Clayton, it has been replicated in over 1,200 locations around the world. The format is intentional and focused, but also highly flexible, and meant to reframe “parenthood as a valuable site for creative practice, rather than an obstruction to be overcome.” Maybe you’ll be inspired to give it a try too? (Friendly reminder from Amy Stewart, “You can be the unofficial artist in residence of anything!”

👩‍🎤 Mother Magazine isn’t specifically for creative moms, but I find they tend to feature creative mothers in their profiles (although I would love to see an astrophysicist!), and the aesthetic feels fun and modern, like that art-teacher vibe we’ve all been going for.

🎧 The Artist/Mother Podcast interviews artists who are also caregivers, and they speak to mothers at all different stages and backgrounds. I’ve discovered some incredible artists through this podcast, and one of my takeaways is that there are so many different ways to combine creativity and motherhood.

✨ My book Quickening: The Art of Being a Creative Mother is a collection of personal essays and fresh exercises that will help you reconnect with your creative spark at any stage of motherhood. Creative mothers are protective, hungry, patient, curious, playful, imaginative, rebellious, loving, and supported. Each chapter will show you how you can cultivate these qualities in your life. This book is for the long-lost art major, the friend who crafts poetic Instagram posts but hesitates to call herself a writer, the mom who secretly loves glitter and Playdoh, the singer who found her voice with lullabies and nursery rhymes. This book is for you.

What would you add to this list? Share in the comments, so we can support each other.