One of the strangest sensations is to feel your impending deadline. I don't mean that figuratively. As I sit at my drafting table, working on final art for my second picture book, I am getting kicked constantly from the inside. I'm 25 weeks pregnant with a little girl. I am thrilled to welcome her into the world mid-March or early April. (Due date is April 1st–April Fool's Day, of course!) But as I rush to complete my work, I am aware of the joyous upheaval awaiting me soon.
I'm already mom to a wonderful and funny 14 year-old son. He has been so much fun to raise–and gave me the idea for my first picture book, RENATO AND THE LION (Viking, June 2018). But I clearly remember the sleeplessness of the first six months of his life. Because of this, I am starting to panic a little. I want to give my agent a few more book dummies in decent shape before my daughter is born, before I lose track of day and night. As I write this, I'm feeling my daughter's tiny feet kicking with surprising strength. 2017 is the year of the Fire Rooster on the Chinese Zodiac calendar. And in the general due date timeframe, it is likely she will be born an Aries. I'm in for one strong little girl-if you take stock in that sort of thing. Thank goodness, of course. But... there's still so much more to be written and drawn before she arrives.
On twitter yesterday, I came across an illustration by (below, center) that I loved. She drew a baby asleep in a carrier as she continued to sketch. It struck me that there are probably a lot of artists and writers out there trying to continue there work while providing childcare to young 'uns. It gave me hope that although my son was a firecracker and needed to be on the move constantly, there are babies that might just sleep and allow for an hour or two of work. *crossing fingers!
So I'm opening this blog post up to the parents who juggle care with their careers. Any tips, tricks or advice to share? I have parenting experience, but not with books to make and promote at the same time. So creative community, what's your secret to nurturing both?
