Have you see the documentary Who Does She Think She Is? If you are balancing the artist and mother thing, you really must see it. The film touches on the lives of five women artists as they face the challenges of being a mother and pursuing their art. It looks at the impact on their marriages and children as well as the artists themselves.

One of the harder points for me, were the artists who ended up getting divorced as a result of their artistic pursuits. Mayumi Oda talked about her husband complaining about chores and things and how he said, “I need a wife.” She responded, “I need a wife, too!” I feel like that sometimes. I could use someone to take on some of the housewife roles so that I can focus more on art. As the quote by Hayley Foster goes, “Housework expands to fill the time you have for it.“ There is always more to do, and it is a struggle to make time for art.

I identified most with artist Janis Mars Wunderlich who has five children. Her art has traveled more than her, and many people in her local community don’t even realize that she is an artist. When I am amongst non-artists, I shy away from announcing I am an artist. With my youngest heading to full time kindergarten in the Fall, I get a lot of questions from people about what am I going to do now? I know but I tend to say that I don’t. I am planning to focus on my art, but I feel saying this to the average person sounds flaky. Do you have trouble announcing you an artist as well?

If you have seen Who Does She Think She Is?, you might want to check out the artist updates on youtube. If you haven’t seen it, check their web site for upcoming screenings and you can also purchase the film from Amazon.