Motherhood and Creativity Interview #2 - Emma Benyon
Emma Benyon is a Self-Care and Motherhood Coach and Educator. Emma is also the editor of Positive Wellbeing Zine for Mums and host of the Self Care and Motherhood Edit podcast.
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 first interview in this series from
here.
If you are a mum who’d like to take part in this Motherhood and Creativity interview series - just email me on jennafolarin@gmail.com, I’d love to hear from you!
Motherhood and Creativity Interview #2
Emma Benyon
Emma Benyon is a Self-Care and Motherhood coach and Educator, supporting busy mums who are juggling the school run with a job and building a business with the tools to be less overwhelmed and have more balance, energy and clarity.
Emma is a qualified NLP, mBIT and Practical Magic Coach. She is the editor of Positive Wellbeing Zine for Mums and host of the Self Care and Motherhood Edit podcast.
How old are your kids?
My daughter is six.
When your children are older, what do you hope that they remember about the kind of mum that you were?
I hope that as my daughter grows she remembers the bond that we have, the places we went together and the growth and transformation her mum has been on.
I hope that she remembers a childhood full of lots of laughter and happiness, along with all the special moments that we have shared together.
When you think about the tough parts of your motherhood journey, which of your qualities/strengths have got you through these tough times?
Motherhood is a rollercoaster journey, and each season and chapter brings its own challenges.
One of the toughest parts of motherhood for me was the early days, struggling with a baby who didn't sleep well, and wasn't feeding well after a difficult pregnancy. This left me in a really dark place.
As my daughter turned 5 months old, I was diagnosed with PND. In this period I realised that my daughter deserved a mum who was happy and well, and so this really supported me in the journey to get better.
I moved through this period because I knew I wanted more than the dark fog I was in, and that was the catalyst for a transformation of all aspects of my life.
What brings you joy in motherhood?
Joy in motherhood to me is seeing my daughter grow in confidence.
She loves performing and seeing her on stage makes me so proud and happy because not only is she doing something she is amazing at, she also loves doing it.
Seeing her proud of herself for getting on stage, singing and dancing and remembering her lines, is incredible.
How important is creativity to you?
Creativity has also been an important part of my life, not only through self care practices, also through my childhood and in my career.
As well as being a Self Care and Motherhood Coach for Busy Mums, I'm also a post 16 educator and have been teaching Photography, Graphics and Art and Design for over ten years.
So, I think you could say that being creative has been very much ingrained in to my life.
Tell us more about your favourite ways to be creative.
One of my favourite ways to be creative currently is to spend time with my daughter, as she is creative and sharing this time with her.
She loves colouring, drawing, designing outfits and making cards.
Since becoming a mum, have you experienced a creative surge? What did that look like for you?
With being a creative before I became a mum, I wouldn't say there was a creative surge as such, more of an inherent feeling of needing to be creative, needing to have that time for me.
When I was in those early stages of motherhood, that was when I started my business (formally known as Isabella and Us.) and I spent a great deal of time designing and producing projects, screen printing tops and tote bags, creating badges and magnets and then designing and publishing a magazine.
Although I no longer create physical products, I still use my creativity with how I style my home, how I design my social media content, and how I spend time with my daughter.
What does honouring your creativity look like for you in this season of your mothering?
In this season of motherhood honouring my creativity looks like spending time being creative with my daughter and sharing these experiences with her.
What’s been your experience of finding a community in motherhood?
Having a community around you as a mother is so important and it's the reason why I started my business and now coach mums. A community can look like so many things, whether that is mum friends, family, online communities or in person groups.
For me, my community in motherhood has many different communities, including my family, my mum friends, school mums, my online community through my business and also online communities I am part of.
What words of encouragement would you offer to a mum who might be struggling at the moment?
My words of encouragement would be to be kind to yourself, remember to speak to yourself with the same kindness and compassion you speak to others with.
You can find out more about Emma here:
Thank you so much for your wonderful words Emma and for shining a light on maternal mental health too. It’s was so inspiring to read how your PND ended up being a catalyst for transformation of all aspects of your life, and how you are now a Self-Care and Motherhood Coach.
I think it’s so important to read stories like Emma’s and talk openly about maternal mental health because when you are in that dark place, it gives you hope that things can change for you too.
I so agree with what Emma says about how much joy we can get from seeing our kids doing the things they love too.
I love these words of Emma’s, where once she became a mum she said she had “…an inherent feeling of needing to be creative, and needing to have that time for me” and how that manifested itself in starting a business and how her creative expression has evolved throughout her motherhood journey.
And finally, Emma’s advice on how mums can bring the compassion they have for others back to themselves, when they are struggling. Even just a few kind words to yourself in place of self-critical ones can be so soothing.
If you are a mum who’d like to take part in this Motherhood and Creativity interview series - just email me on jennafolarin@gmail.com, I’d love to hear from you!
I hope you enjoyed this second 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 Emma’s words resonated with you?
On reflection, how have struggles you’ve dealt with been a catalyst for transformation in your life?