12 days of Advent: a Substack Community Celebration #12

So, darling. Pausing through the lens of motherhood this (and every) season, with Claire Venus

Hi, I'm Laura, and I’m a multi-passionate mama of 3, excited about demystifying creativity, obsessed with other people’s pivots and delighted by flat whites, long walks and learning.

Photo by Nicolas Lobos on Unsplash

I could look back at a ‘perfect’ photo but my life is far from perfect and it’s definitely not a 24 hour photo shoot so why would I want to look back on a lie? 

- Claire Venus

And so we reach the final day, and how could I not finish with these absolute blessing from 12 days of Advent: a Substack Community Celebration. Today’s gift is from

Claire Venus

, a Creative Consultant and Engagement Mentor.  She lives under dark skies in Northumberland with her family and pet chickens.  She is fascinated with the small, powerful acts woven into the mundane that make us artists and curators of the creativity in our own life, and writes about this and much more besides in her publication

Creatively Conscious

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Claire writes…

The kitchen windows were steamed up when I came downstairs to make my morning coffee. Framing the inside out.

Pitch black dark.

My heart warmed by my daughter’s sure footed footsteps on the stairs. Close enough to hear.

One step, then the next, close behind the kettle boiling.

Good morning Moons! Would you like a cuddle?

She’d found a silver bell.  It lay in the palm of her right hand as she sat on the pink fluffy rug by the fire. She made play, I made coffee.  Together but separate.  

So, darling; what would you like to do today? 

I pause from the first sip of coffee to observe her play.  She’s moved on now. 

It’s curious and often rough.  She moves on quickly.  Tearing through life (and what is has for her) between the open plan spaces of our kitchen, living room and playroom. 

She doesn’t line things up like my son did.  Snaking lines of objects were a one off and (sadly) I didn’t ever pause to photo them.¹  I was just happy he was content so I could do my jobs.  

When I pause to watch her at play, I sometimes take a photo although not always. 

In the moment memories…

`christmas 2020 in Claire’s cottage in Northumberland

An invitation.  

As a mother, I wanted to document my daughter's childhood in a way that is personal to our time together.  It’s an extension of the practise I found in my year long digital exchange with mother artist Sarah Shotts.

I chose to take the photos when there was just her and I together. This way, I was wholeheartedly focussed on seeing her and the environment around us from her perspective.  

The mess isn’t tidied away but I can’t train my brain out of knowing what I’d move and tidy. 

They are all taken on my iPhone.  

The process 

At a time of year where we’re seeing beautifully curated feeds of motherhood, Christmas pjs, perfect days out we all know what’s behind the scenes. I could look back at a ‘perfect’ photo but my life is far from perfect and it’s definitely not a 24 hour photo shoot so why would I want to look back on a lie? 

I have no regret in not posting us in matching Christmas pjs to instagram. I cast no judgement if you do and that makes you happy. This project is simply about recognising the moment is already enough. 

By itself, unfiltered, not curated, just perfect. 

Photography is art and this is something else, well for me anyway… 

For me, it’s a gentle arts activism project against the curated motherhood we’ve become so used to seeing online. It also reminds me to look past the things I want to tidy or delete or move to make my life more aesthetically powerful. 

The collection celebrates the joy and wonder of childhood, and the power of imagination and play. 

It celebrates our beautiful reality away from the frame of perfectionism. 

If you're interested in starting a similar project for your motherhood memories this Christmas, my top tips;

• Follow your child's lead and be open to experimentation. Take the time to observe and document your child's play and how they curate their world. Take inspiration from that, interact with the moment.

• Observe before you photograph. Yourself, them, the whole environment you’re in. 

• Keep clicking even when you’ve captured what you think you want. There is often magic in the 7th or 8th shot you never would have taken. 

• You are invited to create a beautiful record motherhood that you and your family will treasure for years to come. In the moment it’s messy but in memories it’s charming - believe me. 

A simple follow up invite and action to you this season reflecting on 10 years in motherhood and all I’ve learnt observed and embodied about memories…

• post some photos 

• print some photos

• send some photos to others 

• frame some too. 

Four powerful acts, one simple invitation to you to be present in your memories in real time. 

If you want more like this I’ve made my Arts Council Funded creativity project for mums ‘Making Motherhood Memories’ free to you this weekend if you’d like to download it and get forever access to tutorials from other mother makers, artists and creatives. 

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I would say, “wow, what a generous offer from Claire”, but from the bottom of my heart I can confirm that she is one of the most generous, full-hearted people I have ever met. I adore her and know you will adore this piece.

Thank you

Creatively Conscious

Claire.

Sending love,

Laura x