Creative with Kids? How to Channel your Creative Side Post-Baby

Firstly, I want to thank Gemma and Elise for offering me the chance to appear as a guest-poster on their fantastic site! I recently wrote about Nurturing Mums and I think the work they do is fabulous!

Secondly, I suppose a short introduction to me and my ‘Mum-Blog’ is in order.  I’m Emma, I’m a Freelance Writer and Blogger and I have a 6 month old daughter named Daisy.  Most importantly, I whole-heartedly believe in every Mother’s right to an identity post-birth.  I started writing Life is Peachy three months ago, as a Positive Message in Parenthood and an antidote to the age-old theory that life, literally, stops for you, once your baby is born.  I love being a Mum and I wouldn’t change my stay-at-home status for the world.  But I also love and cherish the parts of me that make ‘Emma’ – I’m individual, I love crafting, baking, homemaking, fashion, culture and have an eclectic taste in music – and that part of me needs to be nurtured throughout this bumpy journey along the Motherhood Freeway.  I channel my creativity through Life is Peachy with fashion posts, new music, book and film reviews and tutorials in recipes and crafting projects.  All this alongside being a Stay At Home Mum to Daisy and running our home with my wonderful boyfriend.

I often get asked where I find the time to do anything other than ‘mummying’ –and there is no short and easy answer.  I think, where possible, it is important to MAKE time for you – and for me that can mean midnight bed times and often early rises, but also satisfies my creative bug.  The first step to nurturing my ‘creative’ side was definitely time-management.  Any Mum or Dad knows, the majority of your day (and rightly so) is based around what may or may not happen with your children; you are their carers and nurturers, therefore, everything has to be factored around that.  But perhaps that is part of my learning curve, making sure it is FACTORED IN.  My mantra?  Do One Thing Everyday For You.  And, usually, I stick by it!

Start Small: For baking projects, I started to integrate my kitchen creativity with quick-win baking projects I knew I could do confidently.  Easy recipes such as Victoria Sponges or simple and familiar cupcakes, worked wonders for me – less time faffing meant efficient creative channelling and a HUGE confidence boost, when I was able to produce a freshly baked cake to a visiting friend!  From these quick-win solutions, I started to gain my confidence back in trying more challenging recipes and decorating and my Birthday marked my first Neapolitan Cake creation!  You can get my recipe for this HERE.

Always Have a Project Brewing: I make it my duty to have a project on the go – be it knitting, crafting or baking.  If there is an occasion coming up, I like to plan something to handmake for it – though I am about to launch my new online store, Peach and Daisy; which means time for my own crafts will become more limited.  Add to that ‘Always Have Your Materials Ready’ and you’re away.  I designed a Cot Mobile for Daisy’s nursery, though I was never sure how long it would take or when I would be able to do it.  I did, however, make sure that I ordered all the bits I thought I would need to complete it, so when that glorious free Sunday afternoon came around – I was raring to go!

Crafting Should Never Be A Chore: Unless, like me, you’re thinking of turning a hobby into a small business, you should never feel as if you ‘have’ to do something.  A hobby is a relaxant, something you can do in your own time that relaxes you from the stresses and strains of every day.  If you find yourself putting too much pressure on your projects, the ‘doing’ aspect that we creative types love so much will just be missed!  It’s important to enjoy the process, not just worry about the end product.  If you can’t get something done because you’ve suddenly got a child-based emergency, then so be it.  Plus, nobody but nobody, can blame you for wanting an evening in front of the TV from time to time!

Take Stock of Your Achievements: Whether it’s a cake, a scarf, a handmade card or whatever you’ve got up your sleeve; take the time to really appreciate it!  My blog has pushed me to try new crafting ideas and put them to great use for gifts and in creating my ‘Handmade Home’.  But I also love showing a new piece of work to my boyfriend or getting him to try a new recipe I’ve come up with.  Make sure, whatever you do with your finished article – you take time to love it!

Social Media Lovin’: Don’t underestimate the power of social media – if you’re a regular user of Twitter or Instagram, these are great places to show your work and receive virtual applause for your efforts!  It seems so trivial, but I always take time to hunt out other users with similar interests to mine to both inspire and encourage me – doing the same will really spur you on to get creative and bask in the realms of your creative success!

Feeling inspired?  Why not check out my Life is Peachy blog HERE and give it a follow to be kept up to date with the latest news, reviews, recipes and tutorials.

I can also be found on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram (@LivePeachy) and Pinterest.  I look forward to seeing you there!