Restoring Creativity During Postpartum + Life Altering Transitions
What happened to my creative flow? I was between 8-10 months postpartum with my firstborn when I pondered on that question as I noticed a shift in my body mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Not only was I enduring the adjustments of raising my firstborn child in the middle of a pandemic, but I was also learning how to transition into new motherhood.
It was exciting as I tapped into new passions and creative gifts I didn’t know existed. I was blessed to be a new mother and serve my family in a way I haven’t done before. As I ventured into new passions, I was very excited about seeing how it would all unfold. Writing custom children’s books, creating art on my iPad, and making stickers was something I was enjoying for months until I felt a shift in my body. I figured that by eight months postpartum, I would be healed and back to some sort of normal. Instead, I discovered a tough part of postpartum I didn’t know how to overcome. Suddenly, I was in a state of defeat, lack of motivation, and ongoing concerns about what I was experiencing physically and mentally. The creativity I was operating in began to feel overwhelming and more like an uninviting to-do list.
Restoring creativity during the adjustments of postpartum and life transitions will look different for every mom. Whether a new mom or an experienced mom, it takes a sacrifice to invest in the years of raising children. Since the birth of my two children—there are three things I have learned about restoring a creative flow during life-altering transitions.
1. Confess your feelings of defeat to the Lord and process your emotions with someone you can trust.
As a new mother at the time, I would sometimes believe that I was failing my family because of the postpartum anxiety I was experiencing—that was a lie. I was afraid to visit therapy due to the stigma of Christian black mothers going to see a therapist. I knew that God was amid my hardships and it took courage to tell someone close to me what I was going through. It took courage to walk into my first therapy session ever and share what I was enduring. It was refreshing to show up imperfectly in a space where I was heard and establish ways to overcome some obstacles as I lived life as a new first-time mom.
2. Take necessary breaks to get refueled in your identity, passion, and creativity.
Nothing could have prepared me for the identity shift I would encounter after leaving the hospital and starting the journey to raising my children at home full-time. As I hit a rough spot as a first-time mom experiencing postpartum, I feared taking a break to get reset. In a culture that screams work harder or you will fail, I did not realize how much I adopted that mentality. I knew I needed physical rest, mental rest, and creative rest but I couldn't do that until I admitted that I needed it to heal and process some big life adjustments I would have rather skimped over. Taking a break from running my creative business was exactly what I needed to do at the time for the Lord to establish and order my steps as a new mother growing in her God-given identity.
3. Welcome new passions and be okay with revisiting or releasing old ones.
After leaving my job, I did not realize how much of my identity was wrapped into being a working woman in the workplace until the title no longer served me. I wondered why life as a first-time mom at home was so hard if I had the flexibility to nurture and cultivate a peaceful home. It was hard because I had to work daily to release those old things that no longer fit in my story. Through the day-to-day duties of motherhood—the Lord stirred up new passions and had me revisit old ones. Dancing as a little girl was something I cherished. I would find myself dancing in the kitchen, living room, or bedroom with my daughter in the baby carrier. It was a joy to crank up some hyped music or songs of praise to rhythms I used to dance to at church on Sunday mornings or in the studio with other dancers.
In 2 Corinthians 5:17, it reads, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” I have learned after the birth of my children, that old things have truly passed away. The Lord continually transforms my heart and my thinking into a journey of serving as a God-fearing mother with each of my children. I continually welcome new things, toss away the old, and gain a strength that doesn’t come from me—-and that is what motherhood is all about, depending on our strength in the Lord to operate creatively, passionately, and most importantly, in our God-given identity.
