☆ Your Creative Inheritance [Carnival of Creative Mothers]

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Welcome to Week Three of the month-long Carnival of Creative Mothers to celebrate the launch of The Rainbow Way: Cultivating Creativity in the Midst of Motherhood
by Lucy H. Pearce. 

Today's topic is Creative Inheritance. Do read to the end of this post for a full list of carnival participants. 

Join the Carnival and be in with a chance to win a free e-copy of The Rainbow Way! Next week is our final week!
December 11th: The Creative Process.

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a rainbow

Surprisingly I found this really hard to write about, I mean what is my creative inheritance?

Did it come from my family, my friends, my environment? And how important is that my girls have this inheritance?

Logically I know that I am, and have always been creative. And I have always been surrounded by creative people. From my gardening genius Nan, carpentry extraordinaire grandfather, an out the box thinker Mum (who is also an awesome painter), to my husband, who although he would deny it is so very creative in every day life.

I have been nurtured, encouraged + supported in this way my entire life. I am so very fortunate.

But when I was eighteen, my creative spark was crushed, by circumstances + by myself.

I didn't believe I could be that person I was when I was growing up. The child who wanted to be an artist.

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a princess

Fast forward ten or so years, and I very cautiously started drawing again. It was like I was compelled to. But I never shared. I never spoke of it.

I would still tell people I wasn't creative.

Then Bean was born.

Sitting in the hospital bed with that small gorgeous bundle, I realised that I was a mama, holy crap!, and with all the other scary stuff, that motherhood brings with it, that I also had this huge responsibility to make sure that this gorgeous child + her eventual siblings, would never be limited.

Ever.

And in that hospital bed, staring at this gorgeous child, I finally recognised that I myself was limited.

That I had a set of beliefs surrounding my creativity, that I had been telling myself, which were not true.

And that if I wanted her to be a gorgeous, courageous + unlimited person, I needed to lead by example, step up + get over myself.

Ok, so it hasn't been that easy, it has been bloody hard at times, but I have mostly beaten my inner bitch  into submission. And I am listening to my squeak, my inner voice of creativity, my spark.

THIS is the environment I want my children to grow up in. A nurturing, supportive and encouraging home.

If it was that easy, I would be a millionaire by now, and there are so many challenges + different personalities, which make this complicated. From the kids themselves, to their friends, teachers and family members.

But in writing this post, I realised that I appear to have five rules when it comes to creating with my kids. And they are five rules which we don't break, bend or cross.

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a mermaid

1. NOTHING IS OFF LIMITS….in regards to being creative. 

NOTHING. They want to cut up magazines, they want to have a purple sky, they want to colour their princesses all in green well that is ok, if there a square flowers that is ok to.

2. YOU DON'T HAVE TO COLOUR IN THE LINES…ever.

Now this may get me in huge trouble next year when Bean goes to school and she defiantly tells the teacher she doesn't have to colour in the lines, but I am willing to take her back with this one.

3. THERE IS NO JUDGMENT TO BE MADE… by anyone.

We never, ever comment on another persons art in a negative or judgemental way.  I don't care if it is the Pope.

Do. not. go. there.

purple mermaids are perfectly acceptable

4. PERFECT IS… Perfectly Boring.

Mistakes can be beautiful + nothing in this world is perfect. (Including their mama!)

After knock down tantrums about being perfect, we have banned that word + any perfect like behaviour.

5. I WILL ALWAYS CREATE WITH THEM…but they have to try first.

Along with the perfect tantrum, there was the "I can't do it + I want you to do it" tantrum. I tried to negotiate with Bean, cal joule + even bribe. In the end I put my foot down + refused to draw anything if she didn't try first.

After more tears, thrown journals + time outs, this was the best idea ever.

colouring in the lines. never!

In making it her decision to draw first, she realised that it drawing wasn't just something Mama could do + it was instrumental in building her confidence as an artist. She wants to be a painting teacher when she grows up!


My hope is that in by living by these rules, it will help my kids will have the confidence to ignore those who try to limit them.

So what is your creative inheritance? What will you pass on? How has this influenced you? And do you have any set rules for creating in you home? 

I would love to hear from you + your stories with us.

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25% off ALL Lucy's books, 4th Dec only. Use code RAINBOW25.

ORDER YOUR SIGNED COPY of 

The Rainbow Way direct from the author and receive:

• exclusive access to a private Facebook group for creative mothers
• a vibrant greetings card and book-mark of one of the author's paintings.

Kindle and paperback editions from Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com Book Depository, Barnes and Noble

Or order from your local bookshop.

• Carnival host and author of The Rainbow Way, Lucy at Dreaming Aloud celebrates her creative fairy godmothers, and gives thanks for the creative blessings that each has gifted her.
• In 'From Trash To Treasure: Christmas Decoration' Laura from Authentic Parenting shares fond memories crafting with her mom and a little project her mom did recently. 
• Lucy Pierce from Soulskin Musings celebrates the rich creative inheritance of her mother's poetic soul and artful ways. 
• Is thinking differently a curse or a gift? Zoie at TouchstoneZ susses out whether her family legacy might hinder or encourage creativity.
• Dawn Collins at TheBarefootHome Dawn thinks we're all born with a creative inheritance from the mother we all share…Mother Nature.
• Licia Berry at Illumined Arts looks at the creative inheritance passed on by our ancestral lineage, discovered through sexuality and the Sacred Feminine within in "Sexuality and the Sacred Feminine"
• Alex at The Art of Birth explores the nature of creativity. 
• Handcrafts are prayers, that's what Corina from PatchScrap learned from grandmother.
• Jennifer at Let Your Soul Shine retraces her creative inheritance from her childhood and all the way back to the 19^th Century.  
• Kirstin at Listening to the Squeak says "I have always known my creative inheritance and it is so very important for my children to know theirs."
• Becky at Raising Loveliness reflects on her experiences of creativity.
• Creative Inheritance is a Beautiful Thing, says Aimee at Creativeflutters and discusses where her creativity comes from and what influences in her family have helped her on her artistic journey. 
• Georgie at Visual Toast shares her creative inheritance.
• Esther at Nurture Workshop expresses the gift of a creative mind and the doors that are waiting to be opened for those who are willing to explore.
• Whitney Freya at Creatively Fit is inspired by the sacred spark within each of us, a spark that transcends time and is infinitely creative.
• Denise at It Begins with a Verse  looks back at her family's creative inheritance.
• Womansart shares her reflections on creative inheritance.
• Lys at Stars and Spirals looks at the creative inheritance as described by the astrological chart, drawing on her personal journey into motherhood and reawakened creativity.
• Biromums wrote poems about their creative inheritance.
• Kae at The Wilde Womb reflects on the various artists within her family and how it has shaped her identity and what impression she wishes to leave her own children. 
• Marit's Paper World shares her creative inheritance.
• Lucy at Capture by Lucy  reflects on her experiences of creativity.
• Knitting blankets and the inner landscape--my mother's life's work, writes Nicki from Just Like Play. 
• Something Sacred - Sadhbh at Where Wishes Come From writes about how the creativity of the women in her family has influenced her.
• Mamma Bloom at Breathe and Bloom writes about her creative inheritance.
• Mama is Inspired shares how she loved to make holiday ornaments as a child, and now is continuing that tradition with her own child.
• Ali Baker is a creative mama to twin girls who reignited her creative energy and sense of who she used to be by just doing it and creating whatever needs to be created in an imperfect way. 
• KatyStuff hopes inheritance is a long way off, but, when the day comes her woodworker father has already said he is comforted by knowing his work is in so many homes.
• Jasmine at Brown Eyed Girl realizes that the creativity she craves for so deeply may actually be something that runs deeper than just her imagination.
• Darcel at The Mahogany Way shares her creative journey.
• Rising on the Road shares her experiences at Finding Life in a Death.

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