A Question of Balanace: Artists and Writers on Motherhood compiles interviews and features of various women artists and writers, such as Rita Dove, Mary Gordon, Sarah Charlesworth, Linda Vallejo, Rosellen Brown (one of my former SAIC advisors), and Dorothy Allison.
In each feature, the artists, literary and visual, recount their creative life before having a baby and afterward. Though they all talked about sleep deprivation and the demands of raising a child or children, they also encouraged female artists to have a baby if that is what they want. Many of them remarked how having a baby pushed their art forward. The key is balance and respecting your time for creation as well as your child's time for healthy development. Bill and I have talked of teaching our daughter that when Mama is writing she is not to be disturbed unless it is an emergency. We hope this will teach her to respect her own time for work as well.
This book is a must-read for any artist who had children or is thinking of having children. The book was written by Judith Pierce Rosenberg. While it is out of print, copies can be purchased through used book stores.
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