Mother/worker/creator
May. 26th, 2002 09:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pegkerrLiz and Josh called us up on the spur of the moment and invited us over for dinner. Well, actually, their daughter Cayla initiated the invitation. They have two daughters, like us (a little younger than ours) and we were in the same Early Childhood Family Education for about four years. We've socialized with them quite a bit--we're all part of a potluck group that meets regularly--well, semi-regularly, since we've all gotten so busy.
It was pleasant evening. The kids played together well, and the four adults enjoyed adult conversation over pasta. I've always felt a strong affinity for Liz because there are a number of similarities about our lives: we're both mothers of two daughters, and like me, she's interested in issues of creativity. She used to do her own art, but now she runs an arts organization called Articulture, which holds classes, events and workshops. (She's going to graduate school, too; this is a truly busy woman).
We talked a little about the fact that I'm blocked at writing fiction and she isn't producing any art personally. Like Karen (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
minnehaha), Liz pointed out that I am writing--it's just that I'm writing non-fiction (these LiveJournal entries; essays). She doesn't seem as tense and unhappy about not producing work as I am. Perhaps she's simply more realistic about what she has the energy to do.
I don't know too many women like me who are 1) raising kids AND 2) working full time outside the home AND 3) trying to work at their creative outlet. Most of the writers I know locally don't have kids. (Lyda Morehouse's partner is expecting; it will be interesting to see how that works out for Lyda). Naomi Kritzer has a daughter, but she stays home with her. Lois McMaster Bujold had two kids; she's thought a great deal about parenthood--examined it in her fiction, too (see, e.g., Barrayar and Diplomatic Immunity--but she never tried to juggle writing with a full-time job.
I need to re-read Tillie Olson. It's been years since I read "As I Stand Here Ironing," but I think her fiction dealt a lot about the tension between mothering and self actualization, whether as a writer or otherwise (like I said, it's been years since I've read her; am hazy on the details).
Damn. Another reason to be sorry I'm not at Wiscon this weekend. (Feminist Science Fiction/Fantasy convention held in Madison, Wisconsin on Memorial Day Weekend). I'm sure there'd be any number of women there who'd be delighted to talk about balancing creativity with motherhood.
Sleepy. Had two glasses of wine with dinner; that's usually enough to shut me down for the night.
We're going to paint the girls' bedroom tomorrow (or at least, we SAY we're going to. We'll see).
It was pleasant evening. The kids played together well, and the four adults enjoyed adult conversation over pasta. I've always felt a strong affinity for Liz because there are a number of similarities about our lives: we're both mothers of two daughters, and like me, she's interested in issues of creativity. She used to do her own art, but now she runs an arts organization called Articulture, which holds classes, events and workshops. (She's going to graduate school, too; this is a truly busy woman).
We talked a little about the fact that I'm blocked at writing fiction and she isn't producing any art personally. Like Karen (
minnehaha), Liz pointed out that I am writing--it's just that I'm writing non-fiction (these LiveJournal entries; essays). She doesn't seem as tense and unhappy about not producing work as I am. Perhaps she's simply more realistic about what she has the energy to do.I don't know too many women like me who are 1) raising kids AND 2) working full time outside the home AND 3) trying to work at their creative outlet. Most of the writers I know locally don't have kids. (Lyda Morehouse's partner is expecting; it will be interesting to see how that works out for Lyda). Naomi Kritzer has a daughter, but she stays home with her. Lois McMaster Bujold had two kids; she's thought a great deal about parenthood--examined it in her fiction, too (see, e.g., Barrayar and Diplomatic Immunity--but she never tried to juggle writing with a full-time job.
I need to re-read Tillie Olson. It's been years since I read "As I Stand Here Ironing," but I think her fiction dealt a lot about the tension between mothering and self actualization, whether as a writer or otherwise (like I said, it's been years since I've read her; am hazy on the details).
Damn. Another reason to be sorry I'm not at Wiscon this weekend. (Feminist Science Fiction/Fantasy convention held in Madison, Wisconsin on Memorial Day Weekend). I'm sure there'd be any number of women there who'd be delighted to talk about balancing creativity with motherhood.
Sleepy. Had two glasses of wine with dinner; that's usually enough to shut me down for the night.
We're going to paint the girls' bedroom tomorrow (or at least, we SAY we're going to. We'll see).
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(no subject)
Date: 2002-05-26 10:02 pm (UTC)Writing takes so much energy -- and so do kids and a full time job. I don't know what your situation was while you were writing The Wild Swans, but from the amount of effort that you said you put into it, my guess is that you had more time than you do now. And you'll probably have more time as your kids get older -- it might take awhile, but I know that my sister and I are home a *lot* less now than we used to be. It might just be that this is just not the best time in your life to produce a novel, and that's fine. It certainly doesn't mean that you never will again.
Stacy