The Rhythm of Life: Singers Share Their Insights on Motherhood & Creativity: Part One

Welcome to this special episode of Living a Vocal Life, all about balancing motherhood and creativity. In this two-part series, you'll hear from 11 singers who generously agreed to answer three questions about how they navigate creativity and motherhood.
A friend and former student, Rebecca Sanborn, posted three questions on Facebook a couple of years ago when her daughter Nadia was two and a half years old. She wrote:
“Artists with children. Tell me your secrets. How do you get your work done? What are your patterns? How do you treat yourself when you can't get to your work?”
When I asked 11 singers these same questions, the responses were so rich and full of wisdom that I decided to make this a two-part series. In Part One, you'll hear how these singers structure their lives, including tips on finding time and solitude for their creative work. In Part Two, you'll hear how women navigate their inner lives when they can't get to their work, plus the many practices they use to support their emotional well-being.
The women I interviewed have all experienced motherhood from different perspectives. Some have partners, while others were single when their children were born. Some of their pregnancies were planned. Others were a surprise. A few women work as full-time singers, while others supplement their income with day jobs. Two are full-time mothers who sing or perform when they can.
Of course, no two of their perspectives are the same. Yet, despite their differences, there are some common threads. These women share a deep love for their children, and they all agree parenting is one of the most difficult and rewarding things they've ever done.
I'd like to express my gratitude to the 11 women who generously lent their voices to the series:
Rebecca Sanborn
Danielle Tucker
Moana Wolfgramm
N'Kenge
Rosi Amador
Ara Lee James
Whitney Jones
Karla Harris
Alex Whiler
China Forbes, and
Stephanie Schneiderman
For more about these women, links to the music in this episode, and resources for creative mothers, please visit livingavocallife.com/living-a....
The songs featured in this series are: Stand and Sway, written by Ara Lee James and Beth Wood from their album Deep Blue, Sleep Is A Wonderful Thing, by Morley from the album Borderless Lullabies (Borderless Lullabies is a collection of songs and spoken-word recordings, with 100% of proceeds benefiting KIND: Kids In Need of Defense: supportkind.org) Right Before My Eyes, written by my husband John Smith from our Nu Shooz Orchestra album Pandora's Box, and Stephanie Schneiderman's song, Wherever You Go, from her album Crossfire.
Theme music for the Podcast was composed by John Smith. He edits all the podcast episodes too. (Thanks, honey!)
00:00 Episode #31 Creativity & Motherhood: Part One
09:32 Karla Harris
12:16 Ara Lee James
14:24 Moana
25:42 N'Kenge
32:39 Rosi Amador
38:37 China Forbes
46:46 Whitney Jones
54:30 Islands of Solitude
54:54 Karla
55:55 Ara
56:40 Alex Whiler
58:58 Stephanie Schneiderman
01:04:01 There Are No Secrets
01:06:59 Rebecca: Sometimes Mothers Don't Wanna Be Mothers, And That's OK.
01:11:15 Thanks For Listening!