I always find it fascinating to read about these 'real big artists' and their lifestyle. You know, the Picasso kind of (usually male) artist, who is a creative genius that lives for his -Uppercase- Art in a ruthless and totally uncompromising way. Usually there are some children and several (ex-)partners around, but the artist doesn't really have the time and interest to look after them properly because hey, l'art pour l'art. Which often results in brilliant art, but also in complicated personal relationships, and children who deeply admire their father's (or mother's) genius, but also: 'they were never really there'.

I guess we all sometimes wonder what it would be like to live the life of a creative genius, defined by art and continuous inspiration. Since I have children it's often particularly the part of having (lots of) children while also living this uncompromising artistic lifestyle that fascinates me. Is the desire to create art so much larger and more important than the wish to care for your children and give them the attention they need? Writing it down like this it seems like a rhetoric question: who would have children these days and say openly that his (creative) career and personal goals and interests are much more important than taking care of their children's upbringing and happiness? I guess no one would, because obviously it sounds -and is, if you ask me- quite wrong. So we all happily say that one doesn't have to exclude the other, and just call it life's rush hour.

Yet the uncompromising lifestyle certainly has it's attractivity, or maybe a lifestyle that's just slightly less compromising than mine sometimes seems these days ;-). Also when you're not a creative genius but just someone who tries to get some work done, wouldn't it be great sometimes to just keep doing what you do, all day and night if you wish, without worrying about kids and daycare and their sleeping and crying and picking them up at the right time and cooking and breastfeeding and pumping every three hours and them being sick and not sleeping and... just all of that. The caring and the interruption, the constant caring and interruption. Wouldn't it be nice to just don't care at all and let other people take care of it, while you just keep making art? I'm not the super-holy-ever-self-sacrificing-with-a-smile mom, who jumps on her bike happily when she's called to the daycare centre for the second time a week because her baby refuses the bottle or refuses to sleep. I'm jumping on my bike feeling a bit frustrated, because I was enjoying what I was doing, and because it is important that I get some work done. But at the same time nothing feels more important than making sure my kids are happy and at ease, and when my upset baby is put in my arms and instantly relaxes that's all that matters, as corny as it sounds, but it is.

Ah well, as the Family first artist that I obviously am these days I can sometimes dream a bit about just finishing something without being interrupted all the time. But even with interruptions eventually things get done. Like this large set that took me quite a few weeks and lots of small steps to complete, but well... it's done!

Never thought I'd needed a cheese tray plate, but now I think I do ;). These glorious ones are by mbartstudios and can be purchased through their etsy shop.

Though it's still with a small hiccup every now and then, my baby has started going to daycare these past few weeks, and that means that the shop is fully open again. Most custom order items are available for ordering again, like the name plates, name tiles, the love plates and everything from the folklore & fun series.

Having a break like this maternity leave that I had always makes room for lots of new plans and ideas, and I can't wait to really start working on some of those new ideas for the shop. I really hope I'll be able to accomplish at least a few of them in the near future!

A few months before Julie was born -when I still had a lot of time and energy on my hands! ;)- I started working on a new series of tiles. There was no plan, goal or idea, it was just a bit of playing around with shapes and colors in between my regular work.

Somehow it became a little series that I finally based the design of Julie's birth announcement card on. I originally thought I'd put these in the shop, but ever since Julie was born I find myself hesitating: aren't these Julie's birth tiles now? And just like that our house is slowly but surely becoming a big warehouse... ;) (I always have about a hundred reasons for keeping every little thing, especially when it's related to Rosa and Julie. Though I must say so far I have been throwing away most of the completely nondescript little 'artworks' -like three randomly put lines on a piece of paper- that Rosa has been bringing home from daycare...)