http://blogs.walkerart.org/ecp/2009/04/07/creative-chaos-growing-up-with-an-artistparent/ Just another Walker Blogs weblog Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:59:27 -0600 walker_blogs hourly 1 http://blogs.walkerart.org/ecp/2009/04/07/creative-chaos-growing-up-with-an-artistparent/comment-page-1/#comment-746 Fae Yamaguchi Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:31:35 +0000 http://blogs.walkerart.org/ecp/?p=1628#comment-746 I am an artist and an older Mom. I had my daughter at 43 (my last egg I think) "Advanced Maternal Age"it said on my chart. That was fun. My daughter is 9 now. My husband is also an artist so the talk about older parents being financially secure was out the window. We always worked just enough to have money to live on and spent the rest of time making our art. At age 50 I began thinking "Hey I have a daughter. Maybe I should get a job with benefits" So after free lancing all these years I made the momentous move and got a STATE JOB...with benefits. What a concept. I had huge identity issues when I first started to work. I had little time to do my art. I still have a hard time balancing the roles of mother,wife, daughter and artist. I realized that I was not one of those people who could do everything. I could only do some things and complained the rest of the time. But now things have evened out a little bit and I am doing my art a little more regularly. I was bracing for my daughter to be interested in sports or something else I could not relate to, but she has always loved to make things. I am worried that we are not financially stable but I think she is very happy. She is used to going to openings and being around artists. Now that she is older, she helps me set things up for my videos. (I do video art and my videos incorporate live action and puppetry.) In my last one "The New Job" http://www.mysterydinosaur.com/ she is the voice of one of the characters Alvin, and she did a great job! My mother says, "Oh no...she's going to be an artist" All I can say is, she is the best thing my husband and I have made. I am an artist and an older Mom. I had my daughter at 43 (my last egg I think) “Advanced Maternal Age”it said on my chart. That was fun. My daughter is 9 now. My husband is also an artist so the talk about older parents being financially secure was out the window. We always worked just enough to have money to live on and spent the rest of time making our art. At age 50 I began thinking “Hey I have a daughter. Maybe I should get a job with benefits” So after free lancing all these years I made the momentous move and got a STATE JOB…with benefits. What a concept. I had huge identity issues when I first started to work. I had little time to do my art. I still have a hard time balancing the roles of mother,wife, daughter and artist. I realized that I was not one of those people who could do everything. I could only do some things and complained the rest of the time. But now things have evened out a little bit and I am doing my art a little more regularly. I was bracing for my daughter to be interested in sports or something else I could not relate to, but she has always loved to make things. I am worried that we are not financially stable but I think she is very happy. She is used to going to openings and being around artists. Now that she is older, she helps me set things up for my videos. (I do video art and my videos incorporate live action and puppetry.) In my last one “The New Job” http://www.mysterydinosaur.com/ she is the voice of one of the characters Alvin, and she did a great job! My mother says, “Oh no…she’s going to be an artist” All I can say is, she is the best thing my husband and I have made.

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