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Babiekins Magazine

A Trendsetting Magazine & Online Community For The Trendsetting Child + Parent

Art & Motherhood: An Interview with Krista Coons

By Leslie Schor, Senior Fashion Editor Leave a Comment

When thinking of this series a few months ago, I realized that I had never included a ceramicist. I dug into my bookmarked sites and saved instagram posts and came across an artist I had been admiring, Krista Coons. Krista’s work is earthy and approachable. See more of her work on instagram @hername_ismud. Do you know any creative mamas that you think would be a good fit for this series? If so, drop a comment because I would love to check them out.

BABIEKINS MAGAZINE | Art & Motherhood: Krista CoonsBABIEKINS MAGAZINE | Art & Motherhood: Krista CoonsBABIEKINS MAGAZINE | Art & Motherhood: Krista CoonsBABIEKINS MAGAZINE | Art & Motherhood: Krista CoonsBABIEKINS MAGAZINE | Art & Motherhood: Krista CoonsBABIEKINS MAGAZINE | Art & Motherhood: Krista CoonsBABIEKINS MAGAZINE | Art & Motherhood: Krista CoonsBABIEKINS MAGAZINE | Art & Motherhood: Krista Coons

WHEN DID YOU START CREATING?

I don’t know if I can pinpoint a specific time or project, I think from stories my parents have told me I always seemed inclined to create or at least make messes with my latest project! My mom is incredibly creative and was always coming up with fun projects for my siblings and I, she is especially good at recognizing a talent unique to someone and then celebrating that. My parents told me they would find me as a toddler out in the garden just squishing mud because it felt so good in my fingers, they were wonderfully supportive of my creating and were thrilled when I told them I wanted to go to art school. I didn’t know at the time I would settle on ceramics but maybe all the mud squishing in my early years made a lasting impression on me!

WHAT DOES “ART” MEAN TO YOU?

I think art makes us feel less alone on our journeys which can be such an individualized struggle or celebration at times.  Art allows me to recognize my emotions and make sense of them.  I love when I’m making art and my hands are busy but my mind is free to wander, its usually then that I can think about certain situations or the people in my life and recognize the value of who each of us is and what we can offer to each other.

WHAT IS YOUR MEDIUM OF CHOICE?

CLAY ALL DAY! Ceramics is my love, there is something about that squish in my hands and the thought that what I’m working on will begin so humbly (it’s essentially mud) but then as it passes through fire it becomes glass like and so beautiful! I also love that the things I make can be used in people’s every day life. I’m always so thrilled when my ceramics find new homes!

HAS MOTHERHOOD ALTERED YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS? IF SO IN WHAT WAYS?

Oh most definitely! I think that motherhood has helped me to feel emotions more deeply and more fully observe beauty in the world around me, especially as I experience things with my children. I think motherhood has made me feel more like myself and I have a better idea of the art I’d like to make because of that.

I just had a baby about three months ago, her name is Rosie Mae, and having our new baby has reminded me about the ever-changing pace of life and the cycle of creating that comes with motherhood. I’m not able to get in as much work time as I once was, I have to be more efficient when I do finally get some time to create which with the exception of a few day time bursts in now done primarily at night after all three of my kids are in bed.  I have to prioritize. I have to say no to certain projects. I have been settling small, manageable goals for myself through the day and I’ve found a little prep work really helps make things happen.  For instance, I’ll begin the day by making breakfast, packing lunch boxes, and hurrying to my studio while my husband is still home to roll out a slab of clay I can then work on if ever I find a moment during the day.

For me, I realized that I can’t be in full blown maker mode in this season of my life, I tried that, and I didn’t feel balanced or happy because I always felt pulled.  It was as though I wasn’t doing my mothering, wife-ing, or creating particularly well.  By trying to do it all and be it all I felt like I was 

missing it all. I’ve scaled it back and I’m spending more time with the process; researching techniques and colors I’m interested in, sketching in my sketchbook and working on new ideas. I’m finding beauty and inspiration in new places, much of that coming from my experiences as a mother. I’m enjoying different parts of the ceramic process I once skimmed over.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER A CREATIVE BLOCK?

Creative blockage can come at the absolute worst time! I usually begin by taking inventory of what’s going on in my life that might be the source of this little trouble.  I often start at the beginning again.  I run tests and experiments without them intended for anything specific and find joy in the journey of creating. Ceramics can be particularly wild because you don’t always know what will happen inside the kiln (my husband Steve surprised me with my kiln for Christmas three years ago and I named her Betty. I always tell her to be kind to Mama, she doesn’t always listen).

There are times I recognize I might be over stressed or stimulated and an adventure or change of pace is what will do me good. I sometimes consult my sketchbook and see if there are any new ideas lurking in there that I may have passed over, waiting for the right time or technique. One of my very favorite ways to bust through that creative block is to work on a collaboration collection with another artist usually in a different medium. I’ve found it so helpful and inspiring to admire others at work, so nimbly doing what they love and are gifted at and bonus we usually end up with a beautiful friendship!

F YOU COULD GIVE CREATIVE MOTHERS ANY PIECE OF ADVICE, WHAT WOULD THAT BE?

I think it’s incredibly empowering and important to have something to call your own as a woman and a mother, a creative avenue that helps you to be inwardly attentive. We as women and mothers offer so much of what we have to those that we love and care for, there often isn’t anything left in our reserves. I have found it incredibly important to bless myself with time where I can still my mind and have quiet, reflective moments in which I can reaffirm how beautiful life is.   I think amidst our quest to accomplish it is equally important to remember that which brings us happiness, and contentment, and challenge will always return value. Guard your creative moments and welcome them whenever you can.

DO YOU INVOLVE YOUR DAUGHTER IN YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?

Rosie is still pretty tiny, just three months so we haven’t had much studio time together but I will say the anticipation of her joining our family has made me feel so inspired and I’m allowing myself to feel all the feelings that come with a new baby: joy unlike any other, love that practically beams out of me, pride in doing something that was so incredibly difficult for me and scary and selfless. I also welcome feelings from the other side of the feeling spectrum, I tell them that they can sit with me for as long as they need to but then they need to be on their way. Working with clay and being very aware of the many beautiful metaphors contained in the ceramic process help me to work through all these feelings when I have moments of solitude.

I’ve also noticed that expecting a girl after two boys has me working in a new color palette. I feel drawn to warm colors; many of which have pink undertones.  I recently remodeled my studio and I chose a rosy shade of penny tiles for the floor! I can’t wait for her to work on little art projects with me just like my two sons Lincoln and Hudson do. I want to teach all my kids that creativity, self-expression, cultivating a searching mind, and being kind to themselves as well as others will serve them well as they come into their own selves and find where their own talents lay.

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: art and motherhood, artist, babiekins magzine, ceramicist, female artisans, female creative, kids fashion Posted By: Leslie Schor, Senior Fashion Editor

Momkins // Art & Motherhood: What My Daughter Wore

By Leslie Schor, Senior Fashion Editor Leave a Comment

I’ve neglected this series a little, but I am always making notes of female artists that I want to chat with. Jenny Williams has been on my radar for some time now. Jenny is a Brooklyn based artist with a BFA from Cooper Union. Jenny documents her daughter’s fashion choices in a sketchbook. Her daughter (and her friends) have some pretty rad style, too! What I love the most about her work is that isn’t contrived or forced. It is casual and relatable and doesn’t feel out of touch.

BABIEKINS MAGAZINE | What My Daughter Wore

When did you start creating?
Since I could pick up a pencil! I’ve always loved to draw.

What does “Art” mean to you?
My favorite art gets me in the heart more than the head.

BABIEKINS MAGAZINE | What My Daughter Wore

What is your medium of choice?
For What My Daughter Wore, colored pencil. I also paint.

BABIEKINS MAGAZINE | What My Daughter Wore

Has motherhood altered your creative process? If so, in what ways?

Absolutely. I’ve been a stay at home mom, so when my kids were young, opportunities that once existed for large blocks of time to make art were limited. I would always carry my sketchbook around and draw when I got the chance, using the inspiration at hand, which was mostly the kids.

What do you do when you encounter a creative block?
I almost feel like I don’t have the luxury to be creatively blocked, my time in the studio is so precious. But it happens. In terms of What My Daughter Wore, happily the inspiration is always all around me. When it comes to other projects, I’ll put them aside, and spend some time drawing from life or reading or looking at art that I love.

If you could give creative mothers any piece of advice, what would that be?
You aren’t going to get as much of your own creative work done as you did when you didn’t have kids – don’t even try. But don’t let it completely leave your life. Find ways to work it in, even small ones. This also gets a lot easier as the kids get older, which happens so much faster than you think it will.

BABIEKINS MAGAZINE | What My Daughter Wore

Do you involve your daughter in your creative process?
Clementine is absolutely my muse, but she is an artist herself and likes to preserve a separate identity as such. She has staked out a corner of my studio and we often work in tandem if not collaboratively.

Jenny Williams | Website | Book | Instagram

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: Art, art and motherhood, Babiekins Magazine, fashion sketches, female artist, jenny williams, kids fashion, kids fashion magazine, leslie schor, teen fashion, teen style, tween fashion, tween style, what my daughter wore Posted By: Leslie Schor, Senior Fashion Editor

Momkins // Art & Motherhood: Brooke Smart

By Leslie Schor, Senior Fashion Editor 2 Comments

When I came across Brooke Smart’s #100daysofbriningupbaby series on Instagram, I was immediately smitten! Brooke depicts the daily scenes with her little girl in such a whimsical, yet modern manner.

BABIEKINS MAGAZINE | Art & Motherhood: Brooke Smart

At what age did you start creating?

My dad was an artist, so creativity and art were always a part of my childhood. I was drawing from the time I was old enough to hold a pencil, and constantly making things with my hands, including quilts and crafts. I’ve always been happiest when I’m making something beautiful. Art was always encouraged by my parents, so it continued to be a big part of my life through high school, into college and beyond.

BABIEKINS MAGAZINE | Art & Motherhood: Brooke SmartBABIEKINS MAGAZINE | Art & Motherhood: Brooke Smart

Tell us what “Art” means to you.

Art is such a loose term. I think we immediately think “painting” when we hear the word art, but so much in this world falls into the art category. Art to me is bringing your inner self out of yourself by creating something from nothing. It’s not being afraid to try new things and make yourself vulnerable by visually expressing yourself. There is no right way to create and there are so many avenues to creating beauty.

What is your medium of choice?

For my illustration work, I work primarily in watercolor. I love the subtle paint textures that are created when the water and paint mix. For my fine art work, I use oil paint. It is what I was trained in and still, every time I start an oil painting, it makes me feel at home. The smell and the shine and the bold colors that can be created with oils are heavenly to me.

Has motherhood altered your creative process? If so, how?

Oh, it definitely has. It wasn’t until I became a mom that I really focused on being an illustrator. I went to school for illustration, but before I had Remy, I mainly focused on my fine art and graphic design work. Oils seemed tricky to have around with a baby crawling through my studio and putting things in her mouth and graphic design just didn’t make me happy, probably because I was mostly working digitally and I missed painting. So, at first, illustration was a solution to a problem: working in the company of a child without a lot of set up or clean up and without the toxic and hazardous materials that go along with painting with oils. I made a switch to watercolors and started to develop a stronger and more distinct illustrative style, which was completely different than my fine art style. And I have fallen in love with illustration. Being a mother and reading all of the beautiful picture books that are available and learning more and more about my illustrator heroes has changed my career path. Well, truthfully, being a mother has changed my entire life. I feel the need to express myself as a mother through my art. It’s who I am now and it’s hard to remember who i was before she joined me. So much of my inspiration for my work comes from my daily life with my daughter. I make mental notes all day about aspects of our life together that affect me in beautiful ways. It’s such a pleasure to do what I love and have it connect with being a mother so well.

BABIEKINS MAGAZINE | Art & Motherhood: Brooke SmartBABIEKINS MAGAZINE | Art & Motherhood: Brooke Smart

Do you involve your child(ren) in your process, or is it a personal experience?

I mainly work while my daughter is sleeping or at preschool, but I love when we can draw and paint together. Creating is such a sacred thing to me and being able to share that with her is such a pleasure. And she actually loves to create things as well! It has surprised me how much that has meant to me so far. It feels like an invisible rope that connects the two of us and I hope to be able to collaborate with her more in the future as she gets older.

What do you do when you encounter a creative block?

Something that has worked miracles for me is just painting when I have absolutely zero motivation. It seems like once I get going on something, my eyes are eventually opened up and ideas start to flow. Sometimes I create ugly, terrible things, but they lead me to new and better ideas that would have never come had I given up at the beginning. Deadlines are also very helpful. If you have one night to create something, then there’s just no room for procrastination. It has to be done, and I’m usually pleasantly surprised with the result. It has taught me to be brave with my work, to trust myself and my abilities.

Is there a particular artist that inspires you?

There definitely isn’t just one. I grew up diving into art history and some of my favorites will always be John Singer Sergeant, John Waterhouse, Mary Cassatt, Gustav Klimt, and Toulousse Lautrec. But going to school in illustration really opened my eyes to some amazing illustrators including Alphonse Mucha, Lizbeth Zwerger, N.C. Wyeth, Beatrix Potter, and the list goes on. Some of my favorite current artists include Oliver Jeffers, Jon Klassen, Richard Schmid, and my mentor, Jeffrey Hein.

If you could say something to creative mothers that are struggling, what would you say?

I am far from perfect at balancing my creative career with my role as a mother, but my advice would be to not put it off. It seems so difficult to do your creative work, while still being an involved mom, but it’s possible. Even if it’s small, do something creative every day. There will never be an easy time to start painting or sewing or sculpting or whatever you love to do, so find a way to integrate it into your life now. The rewards come in unexpected ways. I’m able to share my love of art and making with my daughter and it’s a lovely and special part of our lives that wouldn’t be there if I pushed it aside until later. Also, if it’s in you, let it come out. I know that I’d be letting myself down if I didn’t do something with the gift and drive to be creative that I was born with. It’s in me. And if it’s in you, let it out. It will make your life happier and a happier you equals a happier mother for your children.

BABIEKINS MAGAZINE | Art & Motherhood: Brooke SmartBABIEKINS MAGAZINE | Art & Motherhood: Brooke SmartBABIEKINS MAGAZINE | Art & Motherhood: Brooke Smart

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: Art, art and motherhood, artistic mothers, Babiekins Magazine, brooke smart, creativity and motherhood, female artists, kids fashion magazine, leslie schor Posted By: Leslie Schor, Senior Fashion Editor

Momkins//Art & Motherhood: Amanda Jane Jones

By Leslie Schor, Senior Fashion Editor Leave a Comment

As we explore art and motherhood, we are so delighted by the number of creative women that we get to know. All so different, but all so dedicated to their craft. Amanda Jane Jones is a graphic designer with an organically modern aesthetic. Former graphic designer and co-creator of Kinfolk Magazine, Amanda has now ventured off and started another inspirational magazine, Define Magazine.

BABIEKINS MAGAZINE|Amanda Jane Jones

When did you start creating?
My mom was the best at always having ways for my brothers and I to be creative. She had a whole closet full of fabric, sequins, markers and paints – all at our disposal! If I was ever bored, I could just head to the closet and get creative.

What does “Art” mean to you?
What a question! I think art can be so many things – from the food we eat, to the clothes we wear, to the chairs we sit in, to the paintings on my walls – I think you can find art in most anything. I think art makes you feel something – it moves you and inspires you.

What is your medium of choice?
I’m a graphic designer, and I love to see my work printed – so much of my work is online, once it hits the paper, it’s so satisfying. The smell, the texture, the weight…

Has motherhood altered your creative process? If so, in what ways?
SO MUCH. For one thing, I’m much faster. Before kids, I could take days to think up a new idea, but now my time is so limited, it almost makes me more creative. My brain works quicker because it has too.

Do you involve your child(ren) in your process, or is it a personal experience?
I try to keep my computer time away from my kids. My husband has a flexible schedule, so he and I get to trade off. When I work, he’s with the kids – when he’s in school, I am. We love it! Sometimes though when I’m editing photos, I’ll let Jane sit on my lap. for some reason, she finds it fascinating.

BABIEKINS MAGAZINE|Amanda Jane JonesBABIEKINS MAGAZINE|Amanda Jane Jones

What do you do when you encounter a creative block?
I go for a walk. We live right along lake Michigan and that fresh air does wonders. I usually get my best ideas while I’m walking. I also have a large selection of books at home that I like to flip through if a walk isn’t an option.

If you could give creative mothers any piece of advice, what would that
be?

Collaborate – meet with people, talk with and learn with people – be a sponge! I’ve done 4 internships – and two of those were after I’d already begun working full time. They were amazing opportunities because I was able to learn the ins and outs of running your my business, designing for clients and creating professional work.

BABIEKINS MAGAZINE|Amanda Jane JonesBABIEKINS MAGAZINE|Amanda Jane Jones

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: amanda jane jones, Art, art and motherhood, creative mothers, creative women, define magazine, design, graphic design, interview, kinfolk magazine, leslie schor, motherhood Posted By: Leslie Schor, Senior Fashion Editor


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Copyright © 2023 · Babiekins Magazine | A Trendsetting Kids' Fashion Magazine and Online Community for Parents and Children Alike · Since the Southern California birth of Babiekins in 2010, the magazine has grown from into an internationally-recognized print publication with a global circulation and now a thriving online community. We are more than a kids’ fashion magazine. We search everywhere for inspiration, and go beyond trends to bring you fashion, style, decor, design, books, DIY, parties, and playthings. Our readers look to us to keep up with the best and most up-to-date concepts in the children’s market worldwide. We have an eye for quirk. We’re high-fashion, but we value whimsy over tradition. Playful childhood is more important to us than making kids into copycat adults. We believe life is beautiful, life is valuable, and life changes when you see it through the eyes of a child. We seek to transcend skin color, language and zip codes and bring out the real, wild, magical creativity inherent in every child. And behind Babiekins is an optimistic team of mothers-turned-editors, working from home, often with our own little babiekins climbing on, under and around the desks. We want to encourage you, and challenge you to see something different — something special — in yourself and in this world we all share. Welcome to Babiekins!

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