Reclaiming 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, 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 the 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.

Reclaiming creativity during the adjustments of postpartum and life transitions will look different for every mom. Whether a new mom or 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 reclaiming 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. I was afraid to visit therapy due to the stigma of Christian black mothers going to see a therapist. I knew that God was in the midst of 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 parts of my story 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 mentally. I knew I needed a 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 adjusments 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 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 to 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.