Due to Covid-19, we are all experiencing so much change within our lives, which is likely causing more stressors than we are used to handling.  Being a mother myself of two young children, who are no longer in school or daycare, working from home, having a partner who is also working from home, and not having the same social connections or even just time away from our home, has created a new sense of chaos for us.  I know I’m not alone!  This is a time of disconnect, uncertainty, and likely increased stress and anxiety for many mothers and their families.

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Involvement with art or art therapy can have a positive impact on our emotions, stress, anxiety, and over all well being.  Research has shown that cortisol, our stress-related hormone, is significantly lower after only 45 minutes of participating in art.  Involvement in art also allows us to momentarily forget about life; it gives us time just for us, it gives us a change to possibly do something new, go out of our comfort zone, and lets us express feelings we may not even be aware off. 

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So, in response to all of this, I’m putting a call out to mothers to become involved in a collaborative art project to increase awareness of what motherhood looks like for mothers during Covid-19.  You don’t need any fancy art supplies; you can use any medium you feel comfortable with or have available to you. You can paint, draw, sculpt, crochet, write poetry, make a collage, or use any other method of self-expression through art. Using crayons, finger paints, and play dough are also just fine!  Your piece can be abstract, or realistic.  It doesn’t need an explanation; it can hold a meaning that only you the artist are aware of.  The end product will hopefully be a unique, personalized representation of what being a mother looks like or means to you during the days of Covid-19. 

 

You may say, “but I don’t have any talent!”  Everyone has their own interpretation of what talent is, and there is no judgment of the end product.  The more important part of this project is the time spent creating and what it represents to your well being. The goal will be to try to carve out 45 minutes, or as long as you are able, for yourself to complete your art piece.

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Take a picture of your final product and submit it to admin@willowfamilyOT.com by June 1, 2020 to be included in a larger collaborative art presentation visually representing the perspective of motherhood during Covid-19.  The aim is to create a sense of connection and relatability to the experience of motherhood during a time of such uncertainty, using the therapeutic nature of art. All artwork will remain anonymous, which will hopefully encourage participation!  By sending the photo of your art piece, you will be consenting to your piece being included in the final communal piece.  

 

I really hope you will join me on this adventure, to create a lasting visual representation of our collective motherhood experiences during a pandemic, but more importantly that we as mothers put our own well being as a priority, to create our masterpieces.

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