Motherhood & Creativity Interview #24 - Julie D
Julie D is a dog lover, wife, mama, creator, counselor, an advocate for Down’s Syndrome and the belovedness of all. Julie writes about where faith meets life.
If you are new here, welcome! I’m so happy to have you here as part of this lovely, supportive community of mums. I’m Jenna, a mum of 3, a Coach for Mums and I live by the sea in South Wales.
Here on The Motherhood Connection, I love writing about:
ways to ease your overwhelm and cultivate self-compassion as a mum
tips on how to take imperfect action and live a life that feels good to you
the small moments of family life that bring me joy
honest reflections on motherhood
Every fortnight, I also publish a Motherhood and Creativity interview, where I share the words of creative mums who inspire me here on Substack and beyond. They share their words of joy, strength, creativity and community in motherhood and there’s so much wisdom in every interview.
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Welcome to Motherhood and Creativity, an interview series where I share the words of creative mums who inspire me here on Substack and beyond.
I share words of joy, strength, creativity and community in motherhood.
I feel like when we read the words of mums who speak so honestly about motherhood - the good parts, the hard parts and everything in between - this can really help give us some comfort and feel less alone.
I find so much inspiration from reading about mums who are all weaving their work and creativity around their kids too, as this is the situation I’m currently in. Knowing that there are other mums out there with creative dreams and careers and they are making it work around the edges of motherhood, that is so encouraging.
I hope you enjoy reading the words from these wonderful mums, and that you find comfort and inspiration in their words too.
You can read all 23 of the previous Motherhood and Creativity interviews here.
Motherhood and Creativity Interview #24 - Julie D
Julie D is a dog lover, wife, mama, creator, counselor, an advocate for Down’s Syndrome and the belovedness of all. Julie writes about where faith meets life.
How old are your kids?
My daughter is 2 and a half and my son is 15 months old.
When your children are older, what do you hope that they remember about the kind of mum that you were?
I hope my kiddos remember that I was there for them and loved them fiercely.
Sometimes, with the instantaneous world we live in now, every bit of parenthood is scrutinized.
It sounds dramatic (and kind of was!), but my youngest has had major medical issues since before he was born. 13 ultrasounds. 2 weeks in NICU. 4 hospitalizations. 2 heart surgeries.
Our family had to constantly be focused on the here and now, making sure he was okay and making sure his sister was okay with all the ups and downs.
Rather than anything shimmery or snazzy about their early years, I want them both to know they were constantly on our minds, how to make sure they were loved, cared for, and reminded of God’s love for them.
When you think about the tough parts of your motherhood journey, which of your qualities/strengths have got you through these tough times?
God’s grace. Motherhood hasn’t been easy because of all the transitions and changes we’ve been through. Especially with my beloved baby. However, it’s been beautiful. I think the gift of joy that I’ve had for most of my life has gotten me through. And resilience.
Thankfully, I passed on joy and love of life and laughter to my daughter (and son). Our daughter’s joy and probably her mom and dad’s stubbornness helped us remember we could get through anything.
What brings you joy in motherhood?
My kids, just who they are. It’s simple to say, but through our journey, I’ve learned never to take them for granted. Sounds very cliche, but remembering that all we have is now brings me back to this smile, this meal, even this heartache.
Remembering that it all doesn’t have to be perfect helps me know all is normal, all is part of the process of motherhood. There are no perfect days. I am very thankful for the tiniest things. Even being together at home.
How important is creativity to you?
Creating helps me in every way.
It helps me have something new and different to always be thinking about, it brings me to a place of feeling free and alive. I love to write, tell stories, create skits (comedic, but I can’t promise all are funny).
I am a counsellor by trade and one thing I did with clients was to encourage them to find something, anything to create, something that brought them joy. Creation is the opposition of harm, and often can help a hurting heart.
Tell us more about your favourite ways to be creative.
I used to do improv comedy, and still want to get back into it. On the spot creativity is wonderful to me, and teaches me that we haven’t lost our imaginations as adults, they’ve just gone a little dormant at times.
I love storytelling and am prepping for a live storytelling event soon.
I love writing fiction for middle graders. I also love writing about my kids and life/motherhood.
Hopefully, by bringing who I am to what I do, I can encourage others to be their full selves. I’m a little bit of everything when it comes to creativity and that’s okay.
Since becoming a mum, have you experienced a creative surge? What did that look like for you?
Surge is a great word!
I would say there’s been a surge but it’s been jarred by tiredness and baby brain and writing in the margins. I had kids much later than most and so I had years of writing leisurely whenever I wanted.
Now, the moments come in the shower, on a walk, while driving. I keep notes and often write in the dark of the night, as babies sleep around me.
What does honouring your creativity look like for you in this season of your mothering?
I’m thankful to have supportive people around me, my husband who encourages me to write, and personal drive and some self-awareness to know I’m a better mom if I’m tapping into my fun, creative side.
I try and bring creativity and imagination to my days with my kids, and that’s where I’m happiest.
What’s been your experience of finding a community in motherhood?*
It’s a challenge, honestly!
I didn’t have kids until I was 37, so I feel I’ve lost a lot of community, but gained the beauty of exploring this role I have taken on.
I do have a sweet online community on Substack and a few people who I can relate with, but as far as feeling like there’s a lot of moms around me with littles, that’s still in progress, and probably will be for some time because of my kids’ ages.
What words of encouragement would you offer to a mum who might be struggling at the moment?
It’s so much work. You’re doing such a good job. Keep going.
Find one small thing that makes you feel like you.
Sleep is so difficult and we’re all struggling together. Wish I could hug you on your sleepless nights and busy days.
You can find out more about on her Substack
Thank you Julie for being part of the Motherhood and Creativity interview series.
I loved reading this interview and enjoyed these parts especially:
when Julie focuses on what really matters to her as she talks about what she hopes her kids remember about her as a mum:
“Rather than anything shimmery or snazzy about their early years, I want them both to know they were constantly on our minds, how to make sure they were loved, cared for.”
I think this is such a great reminder that amongst all the things that we think we have to do/be/have for our kids, the most important thing is that they feel loved.
how Julie talks about things not having to be perfect and how she’s grateful for the tiniest things as a mum:
“Remembering that it all doesn’t have to be perfect helps me know all is normal, all is part of the process of motherhood. There are no perfect days. I am very thankful for the tiniest things. Even being together at home.”
I love how Julie embraces imperfection here, it’s so important that we have realistic expectations as mums, and if we can embrace imperfection then that is going to help us be kinder to ourselves too.
what creativity means to Julie and how having a creative project to think about and work on outside of motherhood makes her feel:
“It helps me have something new and different to always be thinking about, it brings me to a place of feeling free and alive.”
when Julie talks about how she uses creativity in her job as a Counsellor:
“…Creation is the opposition of harm, and often can help a hurting heart.”
I think this is just beautiful, and it shows how healing creativity can be in a professional context, so it’s no wonder that we find creativity so soothing as mums too.
when Julie describes her creative surge when she became a mum, which has been “… jarred by tiredness and baby brain and writing in the margins.”
Hard relate to this one! Balancing tiredness and writing in the margins, sums up my creative surge with my 3rd child too.
and finally, these compassionate words that we all need to hear as a mum:
“It’s so much work. You’re doing such a good job. Keep going. Find one small thing that makes you feel like you. Sleep is so difficult and we’re all struggling together. Wish I could hug you on your sleepless nights and busy days.”
I hope you enjoyed this interview in the ‘Motherhood and Creativity’ series - these interviews will continue fortnightly until April 2025.
You can read all 23 of the previous Motherhood and Creativity interviews here.
I’d love to hear which of Julie’s words resonated with you - let me know in the comments.
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Work with Jenna in 2025
If you’d like to start 2025 by setting feel-good goals, taking small (totally do-able) steps, that create long-lasting change then just think of me as your personal cheerleader who is going to support you in making those changes!
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I’ve got space for 2 mums to work with me in my Rediscover YOU 12 week one to one coaching experience, and also space for 2 mums to work with me to create their very own 12 week Bespoke Self Care Plan - you can find all the details for both of these here or book a 30 min chat with me to find out more:
You might also like some of my most recent posts/podcast episodes:
Redefining failure and creativity for mums - after a over a year, I’m back with a new podcast episode!
How to make gentle plans for 2025 - morning meditations, realising I am not my thoughts, Substack posts I've loved lately plus something to help you reflect, dream and take action on your 2025 plans
A way out of the messy middle - January energy, finding inspiration, being intentional plus a quick favour to ask
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