Life became abstract, and so did my art.

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Having spent most of my life focussed on portraiture, caricatures and realism, I have drawn inspiration from an unparalleled shift in identity - becoming a Mother.  ​

 

'Matrescence' is the physical, emotional, hormonal and social transition to becoming a Mother. Think of it as going through adolescence - which is actually an accurate scientific comparison; but chuck in a newborn baby for shits and gigs. Literally.​

 

The intensity is something you could never have imagined. It’s often filled with grief, relief, disappointment, surprise and the kind of bittersweet knowing that this is it for the rest of our lives.​

For some, this process can last ten whole years. TEN! And that can be amplified for those who have experienced ordeals such as birth trauma (*ticks box*). This correlates with the timeframe of adolescence which generally happens between 10 - 19 years of age.​

 

So why don't we recognise that becoming a Mother is a comparable change for a woman? Why do we just expect her to grow an entire human being, birth the child, then as Beyoncé said: "get back to business"?!   

 

The process of becoming a Mother has been largely unexplored in the medical community as the focus remains mostly on the baby. We ask about the baby's feeding or sleeping schedule; we deliberate over which parent they look like; but we don't spend enough time supporting the Mother and her needs: 

 

How are you feeling about the shift in identity?

What does your routine look like now?
What support do you have/need/want?

 

'It takes a village to raise a child' they say - So is there a map to this place? A number we have to call or what?! I know first hand what raising kids without family support is like, and holy heck, it's tough. ​

We have almost weekly appointments during our pregnancies and approximately three following births. There just simply is not enough space to explore this process of becoming a Mother. A process. Not an overnight change of title.​

 

There is the assumption that once the baby arrives we are done. But after the birth, parents feel as though they've become undone.

 

I could go on... (I will, just a sec, I'm getting to the point) 

 

The years that I've navigated, through raging hormones, a changing body, new brain circuits (yep, our chemical makeup actually changes); confusion, frustration, sleep deprivation, loneliness, joy, self-doubt and god damn brain fog (argh the brain fog!) have brought me here.

 

This collection is about movement.

 

The changes that I've made, in many directions, under many hats, through many challenges, since becoming a Mother; It's about adapting, rolling with the changes, swimming with the tide; conforming, battling, struggling, letting loose, giving in, giving up; complying, embracing, accommodating, breathing, moving, loving, laughing...

 

Don't get me wrong - some days I amaze myself with what I can achieve. Other days I put my glasses on to hear if the colour purple is 7 or false. 

 

Enjoy!