welcome to the feelings -- an challenges -- women have been dealing with for centuries. While raising children can be a creative pursuit, it's also fraught with drudgery and the daily-ness of life. Creative pursuits? Creative passion? Creative process? I've given that away for diapers and early dinner times, bed-times and bandages, playtime and placating tears. There's an aspect of the creative process that's very self-centered, even in a collaborative environment. It's difficult to get "me-time" when there is baby-time, work-time, spouse/partner-time also required. Or to quote a feminist warrior, Betty Friedan: "The only way for a woman, as for a man, to find herself, to know herself as a person, is by creative work of her own. There is no other way." So woman, man, friend, lover: each of us needs ... a wife in the classic, 1950s sense of the word, to mind the child.

Interesting to hear a male struggle with the same issue ... welcome to the 21st century.

Daniel,

I loved this entry... thanks for putting the honesty in being artist and parent out there. It's damn hard. My life is an search for balance between all that you mention in your post.

Reflection time is the genesis of creation for me - absolutely crucial to all new process. You'll find it....

xo
k.k. :)

Hey Kelly,

thanks for the note. I have totally thought of you recently and how wonderful you are with your daughter and integrated she seems with everything you do. I'm sure it is not as nearly easy as it sometimes appears for you, but it is so lovely to witness.

Daniel,

By random chance I happened upon your blog and I hear your struggle. I have an eight-and-a-half month old boy, Nico. It's been rough for the most part keeping everything in balance as I work towards the end of my MFA studies in dance at the University of California at Irvine. The blessing is that my husband stopped working temporarily to stay home with Nico so I can finish school.

My older son, Dion, is six years old. He is much more independent, but he still needs those precious cuddling moments and he loves to tell me about his dreams. It DOES get easier. I remember when I used to have rehearsal and I would put him down in the front of the room so I could go through a traveling sequence without hitting him and he would just cry and run after me. Now he's either jumping around with me or he brings his bike and plays where I can keep an eye on him.

I have to say that I was a single mother when I first had Dion, and two my mentors and teachers were also single mothers. They taught me that having a child is not an interruption nor a hindrance for the dance or movement artist. Having a child is the ultimate act of creativity and is enriching at personal and interpersonal levels. My children have challenged me to be creative in ways I would have otherwise overlooked. For example, choreographing while pregnant!

Also, as a somatic practitioner, I imagine you may have experienced some interesting moments simply observing Adelais grow and develop. My experience is with Topf, Alexander and LMS, and I see that in ways I would have never imagined when I see my kids grow and figure things out. But you probably already knew that.

With care and respect,
Natalia

Hey,

I saw your pic in the express today... awesome! I'm not sure what the weekend holds yet, hopefully seeing you at Round House :)

On integration with single-mom hood and child - well, I basically refuse to accept that she cannot be a part of my artistic world. We are not corporate employees for many reasons - parenthood is one for me. I see my child more often then several of the married, duel income 9-5 parents I know. As do you...

Cheers!

k.k. :)