Parenting In and On the ARts

Lie on the Road Scorpiano Lynn Tonite. Monday, 11:30 p.m. I'm in the parking lot behind the local coffee house dropping my fellow local poetry group members off at thier cars, and my cell is ringing. We had decided that tonite, for our monthly meeting, instead of the usual writing exercises, we would take a field trip downtown to watch a poetry slam. I didn't think I needed to inform my teen, that I would be home later than usual. She thought differently, I think her exact words were something about me out galavanting past my curfew. Selfish of me I know, but art is a selfish pastime, moreso when you spend your day to day grind making sacrafices. Poetry has become my one small selfish me thing. Maybe selfish is the wrong word, maybe greedy more defines it. Being a mother and having a career wasn't enough, I needed a hobby, I needed me time. Only problem was, hobbies are expensive, lessons and equipment, and I had no extra money to spare. All poetry requires is something to write with and something to write on. I used to write poems on the back of reciepts, on the envelopes the bills came on, on napkins, etc. Writing doesn't require expensive time consuming classes, sure you can take classes to improve your skills but it is not required. Poetry doesn't require a certain amount of space or a special environment, I could write anywhere. It could be done any time of the day or night and won't piss off the neighbors.It is a year round sport. I had found my release. There is a selfishness to my poetry. My day to day life is about sacrafice, my art is about me. People assume that when you have a child, you write childrens poems, I never wrote any. My poems reflect on my life as a woman, and on the lives of the women whose stories need a voice. I write about politics, injustice, my past on the streets and the lives of those I knew then. When my daughter becomes an adult, I will let her read the poems. I hope they will give her a better understanding of who her mother is, was, and will be. I think they will help her to better understand what it means to be a woman. My daughter is a teen now with an active social life.Having an artist for a mother embarrasses her.One day she will appreciate it. When she first started pulling away from me and developing her own life, I was sad, mad, scared. I wanted my child back. Now I see it as time to devote to the things I set aside for so many years. I want to go from being just a written word poet to being a spoken word artist. I want to get published and maybe finish my novel. Maybe even find time to explore other artistic avenues. I gave up dancing for motherhood, maybe it is time to get it back. I don't think motherhood has affected me too much as an artist. It's almost like being two separate people. I would be doing hair regardless of whether or not I had a child. The poetry started long before she was born, I just maybe didn't become as devoted to it until later. I may not always have the freedom to pursue my arts like a single person would, but if anything, I think my career and my art have kept my identity from being swallowed up. I see moms that have given everything up for thier children, they have no identity of thier own. Poetry has helped me retain who I truly am, while still being a devoted parent. It has kept me young. It has kept me sane.

Artist Jennifer Hall

MOTHERHOOD AND THE ARTS by Vickie  Oliver-Lawson Being a mother and being involved in the arts has its rewards. I have been afforded the opportunity to experience so many cultural enrichment activities with my children. We have frequented concerts as well as plays which enabled us to spend quality time as a family. My daughter and I even sang on Morgan State's choir together for a brief period of time. My son has memories of being in art class at Maryland Institute College of Art, experiencing instruction in claymation and animation. He  also expresses himself through poetry and/or prose. As a family, we have shared many concerts (i.e. Sweet Honey in the Rock, Boys' Choir of Harlem, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra with Darin Atwater as conductor, Porgy and Bess, etc.) (This is just a listing of a few of the cultural enrichment events we have experienced together.) It was through the arts that I learned that my daughter had a beautiful voice, which later enabled her to attend the Baltimore School for the Arts. (She will soon be in the studio recording her first CD.) Being involved in the arts has allowed us to also develop an appreciation for other people's talent.  The arts are a great way to express one's self and allow the creativity to flow through your being. It is through the arts that one's culture is reflected. Whether it is performing, literary, or visual, the arts reflect one's deepest thoughts, desires and ideas. Vickie L. Stay strong, stay positive and always remember The Source of your strength.

A New Mom by Jenn Hall Being a mother alone seems to envelope a woman at such a young age.  Whether it is a social factor or something that is innately part of being a woman, we grow dreaming of motherhood, often leaving behind our sense of true self.  When we as women search for our individuality we are often riddled with guilt at the idea.  Often women are judged whether they decided to be a stay at home mother or a working mom, there seems to be no right in our society.  I have often considered this, however I feel that to be the best mother that I can I must also be an individual with passions and a life of my own.  Our children learn from us.  My daughters have been a great inspiration for me.  Not only to be the best mother that I can be, but to also be the best leader I can, as well as person.  A strong part of my passion is my art, the creative part of me inspires my children to learn, to want to create as well.  Often my daughters and I create together, when I want to be in a personal creative place I often paint at night when all are asleep.  Being a mother forces me through my times of illness to look positively at the future.  Motherhood is an innate part of being a woman, whether or not we choose to become one.