A wonderful and inspiring Artist Parent interview with Ruby Wright @rubywrightlino an artist from London.
Tell us about yourself?
I'm an illustrator with two children in secondary school. When they were little I gave up my proper job to look after them while my partner supported us on his income. The stolen moments you get to yourself when kids are very small are indescribably precious and I would use them to make clothes for the kids but that wasn't a satisfying creative outlet for me. I'd trained as a sculptor but had never made art my career and the time away from an office job made me realise that with these tiny scraps of time I needed to pursue my creative career. We live in a flat and so when a studio became available nearby I signed a lease and we employed an amazing friend to do one day's childcare a week. It felt like a huge indulgence but it was the space I needed to begin to work out who I wanted to be.
How has being a parent had a positive impact on your artistic practice?
As an illustrator of children's books, my children have been incredibly useful. I've drawn them obsessively, written down their conversations to turn into stories and used them as my audience. I don't think it's essential to have your own kids to be a picture book illustrator though, there are plenty of children to spot out in the wild, and we've all been children so our own memories and experiences are valuable resources too.
What are the challenges you have faced in your artistic practice being a parent?
It's almost guaranteed that a child will get a vomiting bug or covid just as you approach a deadline. I now build illness into my schedules. But a challenge that I wasn't expecting was when one of my kids had a really bad spell of anxiety and depression just as my first book came out. I'm sure it was a direct result of my suddenly being very busy and public facing around the launch of the book. It felt awful at the time. I think it's important that they see me having a career but I guess that they also need a huge amount of reassurance.
Any advice for other Artist Parents and how they can continue to nurture their practice?
In the early days it's impossible. Don't put pressure on yourself to do anything other than clean your teeth and feed yourself and your baby. Try to use and use moments when the baby is sleeping to do something creatively nourishing rather than put on another load of laundry. Keep a sketchbook if you can, don't beat yourself up if you can't. Draw your child. Find your tribe, maybe there's another artist parent who wants to meet up and sketch in the playground. When it feels right, claim your time and guard it fiercely. Don't let anyone interrupt. Have boundaries. If you're struggling to retain that time, enrol on a course. Don't panic, it gets easier. Remember that it's a long game. I was aiming to get a book deal within 18 months. In the end it took about five years. I'm so glad I did it.
Thank you to Ruby for sharing her story and thank you for reading. If you would like to read more stories or for your work to be shared then follow and tag @artist_parent on Instragam.
Uploaded 29th October 2024