Motherhood and Creativity Interview #6 - Sasha Kahn
Sasha Kahn is an author and illustrator. She has written numerous screenplays, developed a series for the Oxygen Network, and her adaptation of The Beast in the Jungle was produced Off-Broadway.
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’ll be sharing 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 over the next few weeks and months, and that you find comfort and inspiration in their words too.
You can read the rest of the Motherhood and Creativity interview series here:
Motherhood and Creativity Interview #1 with
Motherhood and Creativity Interview #2 with Emma Benyon
Motherhood and Creativity Interview #3 with
Motherhood and Creativity Interview #4 with
Motherhood and Creativity Interview #5 with
Motherhood and Creativity Interview #6 - Sasha Kahn
Sasha Kahn is an author and illustrator. Book One of her upcoming picture book series, A Cub Called Crash (Crash the Cub), is due out September 2024. She has written numerous screenplays, developed a series for the Oxygen Network, and her adaptation of The Beast in the Jungle was produced Off-Broadway. She writes
, an (often) humorous newsletter for parents.
How old are your kids?
5
When your children are older, what do you hope that they remember about the kind of mum that you were?
I hope he always knows deeply that I love him unconditionally, that the moment he enters a room he could see the delight in my eyes, that I always want to hear what he has to say, how important he is to me and our family.
I hope he understands the value I place in work that, as the inimitable Miss Rumphius says, does something "to make the world more beautiful."* I do hope he lives by that in some form, whatever it may mean to him. He doesn't have to be an "artist" to do that. (*From Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney)
When you think about the tough parts of your motherhood journey, which of your qualities/strengths have got you through these tough times?
Oh goodness, I remember the torturous sleep deprivation. That was really hard. But knowing that it would only last a short time, in the general scheme, made me cherish those moments in the end. It kept me in the moment and present. That sweet baby, cuddling close in the quiet, dark hours. Also, fresh air, sky, water and trees are an incredible balm.
What brings you joy in motherhood?
Everything - I love the entire experience of it! Children are full of love and happiness and immediacy, and getting to be a part of my child's world is such a gift.
How important is creativity to you?
My writing and art are part of my identity. I write and illustrate because I cannot possibly do anything else. It's more than being creative, it's about how I, we, make sense of the world. And that's something that children, of course, have to do as they navigate their way. A lot of it doesn't make sense, but we can try through our stories to find meaning.
Tell us more about your favourite ways to be creative.
I see stories everywhere. But the act of creating comes out in almost everything, not just the writing and art—it's there in parenting, playing with my child, planning a school workshop, cooking. I'm not always the most diligent recipe follower. I enjoy riffing.
Right now, I'm very focused on a new picture book series though. I generally start with the text and then move to the illustrations. Because I come from a film background I have strong sense of the visual as I'm writing, so in a way it's all of a piece.
Since becoming a mum, have you experienced a creative surge? What did that look like for you?
I was a writer before having children. I was always very disciplined. But then, for more than a year after giving birth, I had a very hard time writing anything. I think it was the exhaustion. I didn't anticipate how debilitating the lack of sleep would be or just how hard on the body pregnancy and postpartum were.
Now that I'm past those early years, I'm finding myself in a very creative mode. I wrote and illustrated one picture book series and am now working on another, along with a few other projects. And did I mention I had a full night's sleep?
What does honouring your creativity look like for you in this season of your mothering?
It's such a privilege to write for children. I feel like motherhood has permitted me to shift my focus in that direction. I started out as a screenwriter.
When I wrote my first picture book, I was very unsure of myself. I confided in a much wiser woman, a well-established writer, who told me, in no uncertain terms, to stop worrying about whether I was someone who could write for children. "You have written this book, you ARE that person," she said. And that put an end to that. But in the most generous and gracious way.
I think I've also applied that reasoning to my mothering. I am, apparently, someone who writes the character of a slightly naughty bear cub, and I'm also someone who sets boundaries around meals and screen time.
What’s been your experience of finding a community in motherhood?
I had the amazing experience of being pregnant at the same time as one of my closest, oldest friends, though we don't live near each other.
I discovered a community once the children were school-age. Now I've made all sorts of meaningful friendships. Their support has been enormous to me. A lot of life is quite solitary as a writer and artist, but we've all experienced pandemic-isolation.
Having a group of parent friends who can laugh together, rely on each other, and call on each other in times of need has been an unexpected delight. There's really no one else in the world who's willing to text at approximately 11:53pm to discuss the lesser-known childhood development phase of hating cheese pizza but loving grilled cheese.
What words of encouragement would you offer to a mum who might be struggling at the moment?
Motherhood is hard. No one tells you this beforehand. You will come up against the deepest parts of yourself and you will not be the same as before. But you are enough. Trust yourself, be kind to yourself.
You can find out more about Sasha here:
Substack -
Buy Sasha’s book series - A Cub Called Crash (Crash the Cub)
Thank you so much for your words Sasha.
There’s so many powerful parts to this interview that stood out:
how Sasha writes and illustrates because it’s how she makes sense of the world, and how that’s also what children do as they navigate their way. I love how Sasha linked these two ideas together.
how the act of creating comes out in nearly everything we do - and in that sense we are all creative
how motherhood allowed Sasha to shift her focus to write for children
this advice that Sasha got from an established writer who told her in no uncertain terms…
“…to stop worrying about whether I was someone who could write for children. "You have written this book, you ARE that person," she said. And that put an end to that. But in the most generous and gracious way.”
finally, Sasha’s advice to a mum who is having a tough time is what I wish I’d heard when I was a new mum:
“Motherhood is hard. No one tells you this beforehand. You will come up against the deepest parts of yourself and you will not be the same as before. But you are enough. Trust yourself, be kind to yourself.”
If you are a mum who’d like to take part in this Motherhood and Creativity interview series - just get in touch, I’d love to hear from you!
I hope you enjoyed this interview in the ‘Motherhood and Creativity’ interview series - I’ll be publishing these interviews every fortnight for as long as the interviews keep coming through.
I’d love to hear from you in the comments:
Which of Sasha’s words resonated with you?
Has motherhood inspired a change in career direction for you?
 | A guest post by
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Im writing a book with 2 storylines, It is told through (2) 3rd person narrators with some bits of dialogue inserted throughout. One is narrated through a male the other female. I’m afraid it does venture into some over the top kind of solutions to climate change and unrequited love. Would you mind if I followed your motherhood writings as I am a man and having a bit of a crisis of conscious, writing in a female voice. I have skipped over the chapter about a mother and daughter from Turkey, recently arrived in the US, it’s been a while since ending with their introduction to the story, and it is causing some concern.