ARTIST STATEMENT
This work and others in the series address the ways my identity has shifted since becoming a mom. My whole world changed, and my focus shifted to caring for my kids.
Motherhood is magical and has brought me unparalleled joy. And motherhood has brought feelings of isolation and anxiety, often leaving me feeling depleted and disconnected from who I was before.
These artworks show a woman who has stepped into the background, giving of herself despite feeling depleted, perhaps unaware of her power and all that she is able to nourish and cultivate. She is resilient.
For years I have struggled to balance my career as an art teacher and my desire to create my own work, and adding motherhood to my list of roles has only made the juggling act harder. It’s not always easy to see the fruits of my labor, but I am proud of the ways I show up for my own kids and inspire my students daily. Perhaps each one is a seed that will grow in ways I may never know.
Lately I have been carving out weekly time to create artwork when my kids are asleep, and building that habit has given me hope for a season when I may get to know the artist in myself more fully again.
Even creating these collages feels like an act of resilience, an act of commitment to myself. The seeds are planted; however slow they grow, I’m not going anywhere.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Lauren Macklin is an artist and art educator living in Highland Park, IL. She received a BFA from the University of Illinois in 2009 and an MA in Education from Northeastern Illinois University in 2017. Lauren has been a public school visual art teacher for 15 years. Her work is inspired by her ancestry, her connection to nature, and more recently, by motherhood.
© Lauren Macklin