Motherhood and creative workby Douglas Eby

“I’d be in the middle of a sentence and someone needed to go to the mall for new shoes, so the sentence would be lost.”

That is a quote by Amy Bloom, who has worked as a psychotherapist, taught at Yale University, and is Wesleyan University’s Writer-in-Residence.

In an interview about being a mother and writer, she said, “When I started, I wrote late at night, after they were in bed.

"I could do that and get away with it because I’m not much of a housekeeper and I didn’t need much sleep. I liked my kids and didn’t care much about my house, so it worked.”

"But writing with children present is not productive. They really never go away."

"My daughter made a sign for my study door that says

‘Come in’ on one side, and on the other side it says:

‘Knock first, then come in.’

"That’s a perfect description of me as a writer.”

From “Mothers Who Write interview” by Cheryl Dellasega, PhD.

See the Amy Bloom author page for a list of her titles.

[Photo from post: Amy Bloom’s “Little Sweet Potato”]

Emma Thompson has commented:

“I’m very lucky I write as well.

"I don’t see how I could be as effective a mother as I’d like to be if I had to go away and act all the time."

[Photo of Emma Thompson and her daughter Gaia Romilly Wise from article “Emma Thompson and Gaia Are Ballet Bound!”, People mag. 12/22/2009.]

Thompson added:

“So I’ve sort of pulled back from acting, which is fine, because I’ve found over the years – and this was a surprise to me – that I can get the same kind of creative satisfaction from writing as I have heretofore gotten out of acting. It’s very encouraging, really.” [Quote from imdb.com]

In addition to acting, Emma Thompson has movie credits as an Executive Producer and Screenwriter, and is author of a children’s book “The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit.”

In her article “The Special Challenges of Highly Intelligent and Talented Women Who Are Moms,” Belinda Seiger, PhD, LCSW, writes that in her private psychotherapy practice and her personal life, she has “known many gifted women who seem to possess what I refer to as the ‘Rage to Achieve.’

“They are constantly driven to learn, to create and to be intellectually productive even while raising young children.

"Many of these women face periods of frustration

when the demands of family and their need

for intellectual immersion collides.”

Mass chaos

Seiger adds, “As one friend who was getting her second master’s degree put it: “mass chaos” ensues when one attempts to become immersed intellectually while simultaneously remaining attentive and available for family responsibilities…”

[Photo: writer, actor, producer and mom Tina Fey, from post:

Developing multiple talents is an adventure – but not a sure thing.]

Dr. Seiger notes that “Like gifted children and young adults, gifted adults are distinguishable not only by their IQ’s but by their intensity, multiple talents, high energy, curiosity and obsessive need to increase in-depth knowledge in subjects that interest them.

“Trying to ignore these qualities can result in a depressed

mood, anxiety and feelings of being unfulfilled

emotionally and intellectually.”

Those kinds of feelings and reactions may also be part of burnout from either attempting too much, beyond your emotional and physical resources – or being chronically frustrated at not being able to pursue creative ambitions, whether or not you consider yourself gifted.

[The image is from my article Multiple Talents, Multiple Passions, Burnout]

The above material is from the 'Motherhood and creative work' section of my book "Developing Multiple Talents: The personal side of creative expression."

See the book site for more information, including excerpts, reviews and links to Kindle and other editions:

Developing Multiple Talents

Also see more of my SlideShare presentations.