Today I'm talking about being a creative mom working from home. Let's dig into this..
I’m sitting in my office. Well, these days, it’s an ever-evolving shrine to preschool creativity — walls covered in my daughter’s artwork, a rainbow explosion of paint, stickers, glitter, and unfiltered enthusiasm.
My desk? It used to be CUTE. Polished, prim, perfect. Now? It's been given a full QueerEye-style makeover, but from the POV of a 4-year-old. (JVN would approve. Bobby Berk, not so much.) One glance and you'll see a mini version of Firefly — a My Little Pony retro reboot casualty, straight from the shelves of Target. Scribbles on my desk mat, aka a 'treasure map' made just for me.
Shrinking Home Office Space
At this point as a creative mom working from home, my computer is the last square inch of real estate I actually own in this office. The rest? Claimed.
My iPhone charger now doubles as a jewelry stand for a collection of toy rings — gaudy plastic oversized gems. Pink, purple, green, and red sparkles, unearthed from an IKEA storage bin and claimed like pirate treasure. My fancy, unused, podcasting setup? Sabotaged. Wires unplugged, settings mysteriously altered. My Post-it notes? Repurposed for important toddler business.
Somewhere beneath it is all my stuff: a salt lamp, an unscribbled on notebook, a family photo.
On-Brand Post-its
Pinned under my screen, a Post-it that reads, “Deploy self-awareness” — because, YES. Another, in all caps: “A Mindset shift can solve all.” Because also, YES.
And then, my personal favorite: a bright yellow Post-it quoting Adventures in Babysitting, the iconic ‘80s movie starring Elisabeth Shue. Thor, Crunch bars and the only speedy way to clean a kitchen.
The quote?
“DON’T F WITH THE BABYSITTER.”*
(If you know the subway scene, congratulations — you’re automatically in my besties file.) It was my power phrase long before I became a mom. Now? It's still a battle cry of my youth and vigor — aimed at the universe, not the tiny human by my side.
Because now? We are both the babysitters - main character energy - in this life.
I love learning life lessons from storytelling, you guys.
But really, this entire scene is a quiet nudge, reminding me that I was once a tiny creative tornado, leaving a trail of chaos in my wake.
And, honestly, that’s probably how I got here — a life built on a long list of creative projects. Books, brand collabs, articles, press trips, photography, interviews, speaking gigs, magazine covers.
I remind myself of those accomplishments when my fingertips are burning from fresh hot glue gun wounds or when I’m scrubbing glitter off my skin with a wet wipe.
Desk Receipts to Prove it... (The scribbles are real. The coffee cup, so empty.)
The Creative Life — Now Featuring Preschool Art and Tech Sabotage
This is my world. Kinda quiet, except when dance party music blasts -- it's happy, warm, and cluttered with things that spark imagination and creation.
But let's be totally real: Sometimes, it’s deeply isolating.
Whoa, that took a turn. But yeah, working for yourself is both brilliant and a constant challenge.
But you know what? I chose this. I choose this, everyday. And while some days I have to blast pop music or sountracks and musical scores and take a ten-minute dance break to shake it off ... the existential dread ... most days, I am beyond grateful to be able to work surrounded by Post-its, rainbow ponies, and the rogue marker scribbles.
Oh, and the glitter. The never-ending glitter.
The galaxy-colored glitter is embedded into the beautiful new wood floors. I mean, it’s permanent. It’s who we are now. If we ever sell this house, 'built-in sparkle' will be a featured selling point.
Creativity Looks Peaceful — But It’s a Full-On Circus
For years, I wrestled with this choice. Am I enough? Is this life enough? Should I be in an office where no one unplugs my microphone or arranges my Post-its into a pretend fairy kingdom? Where I can have a coffee break without risking a glitter explosion?
But over the years, I’ve learned to make it work. To carve out my own version of creative structure, even if it’s shared with an enthusiastic four-year-old who believes that every surface is a canvas.
Working for myself gives me total creative freedom — which is both a dream and a responsibility. The only person managing my time is me. The only person enforcing deadlines is me. And the only person stopping me from watching one more Taylor Swift analysis video? Well… let’s not talk about that.
Creative Mom Energy
If you are also a creative mom working from home, you know this well.. My work happens in stolen moments — between school pickups, snack requests, and impromptu art shows. It’s quiet work, but it’s never actually quiet.
The creative life looks peaceful from the outside. A person, sitting alone, typing, sketching, making something from nothing.
But inside? It’s chaos. It’s music, colors, feelings, caffeine, overanalyzing, deep dives into past trauma, and inspiration striking at exactly the wrong time — like when I’m making lunch and can’t write anything down.
If you’re a writer, a photographer, an artist, a creator — your work is usually born in solitude. But that solitude is full of a unique sort of noise. The buzzing of ideas. The constant mental shifts between ambition and self-doubt. And, in my case, the sound of my daughter dramatically shouting at me for more glitter tape. (Yes, we are actually obsessed with this stuff: Washi Tape.)
I Built a Life That Works for Me (and My Tiny, Artistic Office Mate)
This is the life I chose. First, building my own creative business. Then, becoming a creative mom, working from home. A life where I can work in sweats if I want, be present for my daughter, and create in the way that feels right for me — even if it means pausing to untangle my tech wires again.
That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Some days, I look at my annual revenue — down since becoming a mom, my personal biz work hours naturally reduced. Mom work hours, way up. Side projects and collabs, rare. I lean more on the business I spent 15 years building rather than on new daily projects.
Then, I see the corporate or 9-5 moms or childfree women pulling in hefty, pride-swelling salaries, and my self-esteem plummets. Or most-amazing of all — the moms with multiple kids who are still thriving in their creative worlds, taking on more projects than ever.
How are they doing it, when I get excited about publishing one new article? ..Written work that feels mostly self-indulgent and rambly, nothing like the intensive recipe and photography work I used to immerse myself in.
Cleaning up Legos while humming a Blippi song isn't exactly what I imagined when I spent years in college.
But this life — this conversation, even — is IMPORTANT. So I keep having it.
Because most days, I look at my rainbow-wall of preschool art and think, this is perfect.
I AM SO LUCKY.
I love dropping my daughter off at school, chatting with other moms, stepping into the real world for a little while. But I also love coming back here — to my desk, my Post-it-covered wall, my slightly chaotic but endlessly inspiring creative space.
The Creative Life is a Beautiful Mess — And It’s Enough
For a long time, I felt like I had to explain this life. To justify working from home. To prove that I was doing “enough.” But I’m done with that.
Because this life? It’s more than enough. It’s weird, wonderful, constantly evolving — and entirely mine.
Some people measure success in promotions, paychecks, or polished offices. I measure mine in stolen creative moments, rainbow-colored walls, and a floor that will never be glitter-free again.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your creative, sensitive, intentional life is enough — it is. Whether you’re making art, writing, or just trying to carve out a little space in a world that doesn’t always understand you, what you’re doing matters.
The creative life may look quiet when I'm tucked away at home, brain power buzzing. But it’s anything but. It’s vibrant. Loud. The best kind of messy _ especially once the kid gets home.
The crazy secret? This quiet creative life is actually a life of connection. You being here, proves that. All the sparkly tape probably helps too..
