This is a major limiting belief that I have carried with me the past 10 years, or maybe lifetime.

I cannot be a brilliant and prolific artist as well as an attentive and nurturing mother.

My career as an artist began, with motherhood. Before this, I taught art for 5 years, ran an online vintage shop, and lead creative workshops. But not until 3 years ago, while pregnant with Vigo, did I start painting for me and selling my work.

Upon becoming a mother I became an ‘real’ artist.

I don’t yet know where this belief came from, I may have to seek counselling on the subject. There is a pressure for mothers in general to always be present with their children. To be there for them all the time. There is also a strong natural inclination to do so.

But as a working mama, who wants to thrive at my job and passion and in motherhood, I consistently am confronted with this self doubt about whether I am falling short in both respects.

“I cannot,'“ is just not true. Now, I have decided that I can…

What could this look like, what could being a great mom and a great artist look like? This is what I began imagining…

-I take chunks of time in the studio to perfect my craft and build a body of work. Ideally at least 3 days a week. Sharing the childcare time with my husband Dominik.

-I make beautiful work that is unique to me, that speaks to and moves people. That adds beauty to this life and (at times) bleak world.

-I make a good living as a visual artist, I could do what I love and support my family. We could be flexible and free in our lifestyle and I could be making and selling art to pay all our expenses.

-I want to be WITH my children. Enjoying and delighting in them when we spend time together.

-My children (1 child so far) are so beautiful and fun. I want to savour my time with them, especially when they are so small, cuddly and their brains are making millions of new connections a day.

-Let go of MOM GUILT and know that I am most happy when I am both working in the studio and spending time with my babies. If I were a full-time stay-at-home-mama, I would be pretty miserable. A happy, healthy, and balanced mama is of great benefit to my offspring. A miserable and overwhelmed mama who is around all the time, would not be best for their little hearts’ and brains’ maturity.

I am so grateful to share the parenting role 50/50 with my husband. This has freed me up to really take time with my son Vigo as well as put in good and consistent hours in my studio and art career. What a dream scenario.

My limiting belief is being dismounted and a few of my goals for this coming year are to…

• Be present and active with my boys (yes we are having another boy.)

• Take time to make, prioritise my studio practice.

Wish me luck! I’ve been practicing this the past two years, with Vigo, but I am so excited and delighted to add a new baby to our lives and see how we can make this work, while having two small children in our home and lives.

What is a limiting belief that you believe? Imagine the possibilities if this were possible. What would it look like? It is possible.

Decide that you can.

Thanks for reading lovelies.

Anna

I have been an artist, making art about 30 hours a week for 2.5 years. What an honor. #blessed.

When I think back on it so far, I have made quite a bit of progress in some surprising areas. There have been a few things that I didn’t expect, ways that I have grown and truths about art making that I have learned since being a practicing artist.

Abandoning Perfectionism:

I have not made a perfect piece of work in my years of making. I have made some decent work, some good work, a few great pieces, but nothing perfect. I cannot expect this of myself. I should have high expectations and standards for my work that I call finished, but I cannot expect perfection. I wouldn’t make anything if that were the goal.

making before I had any ideas:

Where do you get your ideas? Someone asked me the other day. I remember just starting out painting again and not knowing where to even start. I painted nests and birds, landscapes, and portraits, I bought art supplies and canvas sizes and shapes that were on sale, to just start making again.

I have found that the ideas come when we start, and they keep coming if we keep making. When I don’t know what to do in the studio, just some color mixing, tidying, canvas prepping, collage material clipping, or other such studio tasks usually give me the time to come up with some great ideas.

Process based art making:

What keeps me sane as an artist, is focusing on expression, play and experimentation in the studio. I just love working with materials and getting into the work. I love adding layers, pushing fluid paints, writing stream of consciousness. My work’s energy is in the making of it, the finished product is secondary.

Sales can be service:

This has been one of the most surprising things.

I am noticing that painting hasn’t only brought me healing and insight, but it has also spoken to others and brought them some beautiful reflection too. I was not expecting that such a selfish act, as painting for myself, could actually end up being an act of service to others.

Addicted to the studio:

I am also surprised by this. When I was teaching art, my own artistic practice was near non-existent. My art would call my name, but I would ignore it because I was so out of practice, didn’t know where to start and felt so out of touch with my artist. Now, if I am out of the studio for 3 days I start getting pretty antsy and have to get into the studio, even if it is just for a short time during my child’s nap.

Thanks for reading lovelies,

Anna (Olive Green Anna)

What is your biggest struggle right now, when it comes to art?

This summer I was in my beautiful outdoor studio at least 3 days a week. Dom and I are splitting the work schedule, taking time for our creative practices and taking time for Vigo, our baby boy. At the start of summer we took a few days and cleared out our bike shed and transformed it into this lovely outdoor studio space. Here are a few shots of the space before. 

before

after

We had a budget close to nothing, so we cleared it out, painted some banisters, removed some disintegrating plastic sheeting and voila' I had a new studio space. 

It's been great to work outside. because I have been incorporating spray paint into my work. I began using spray because I did a small public work for Metropolink urban art festival in Heidelberg, and was commissioned to paint a few bike frames for Ruprecht Rides. Spraying outside is always good.

But also working outdoors has been wonderfully influential to my work and process. I paint when it is light out, my day has a bit more of a natural rhythm. I also have left a few paintings out in the rain, and the wind has blown leaves into the wet paint, etc, which just adds that extra bit of wild to my work. 

My current work is about wild and influence, chaos and control. I've had a beautiful summer in this studio and can't wait for warm days to come back for me to really be able to enjoy it again. 

My time in my beautiful outdoor studio is coming to an end for this year. It's getting a little bit too cold. I'll be moving inside soon. 

I'll be sharing some exciting news about upcoming artistic adventures so stay tuned! I actively share my work on Instagram and studio sneak peeks. So if you'd like to head over there,

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Thanks for reading lovelies, 

Anna

Wild vs. Influence

We can control and loose control. We choose and let happen. We give and take. It's always a balance. It's not that one overpowers the other. But the other gives from time to time. Life is a balance. Is that a ying or yang, a god or a man, a child and an adult. And everything in between. The imbalance and balance the same. independent of time. We can have both incredibly tormented and a very rich lives.

It's like giving birth. Every surge and push, pushes the little babe to the next level. One step further. Then I needed rest. Rest came. The time of rest was not long enough but it came. It was what I needed.

There are things that are out of our control. Like our health, our job situation. Naturally we can influence our surroundings but sometimes we are ultimately out of our control.

Like a good friend leaving, or having to loose a good friend, you've had so many great times with them, in a period that didn't seem long enough. We can be grateful for the time we had with them, and enjoy the moments we have with them at present.

A friend of ours' relative died out of nowhere with a brain aneurysm. She was two year older than me and had had a child. She had no control of that random occurrence. When thinking about how short life could be, I can't help but want to live life now.

Focus on life now and do what feels most me, and best for my family right now.

My art work is this push and pull of materials. It's a meditation of control and letting go. Wild and restraint. When in my studio I am, present and it is meditative. It's a dance of influence and wild.

Thanks for reading and watching lovelies!

Anna

My outdoor space to work is wonderfully wild. I love making so close to nature. It is super warm mid day in the summer, an amazing space to work in in the mornings and evenings. I was working in there this evening when it began to rain and I could hear the pitter patter of the drops above my head. 

At times the wind blows dirt into the wet paint on my canvas in process, or it pushes the liquidy paints around when I'm not looking. Nature is wild and I am happy to collaborate with her when I make art. A few weeks ago as you may have seen on my instagram stories, that I left a few paintings out in a storm, just to let go of control a little bit more and let the wild take over.

Thanks for reading lovelies,

Anna

In September and October, I had the pleasure of attending Berlin Art Institute for a month long artist residency and it was a wonderful opportunity to get to know other working artists and to have a great space to work in the bustling city of Berlin.

The studios are in this industrial area of Berlin called Weissensee.

There was a good balance of structure and no structure at this artist residency. The well lit studio spaces were open for use 24 hours a day.  3 days a week Ralf Schmidt and Stephanie Jünemann (the founders and directors of the artist residency) planned insightful museum visits, workshops, guest lectures and group critiques.

I slept in our van during the month long artist residency, because I couldn't afford renting a room and the residency fees.  I parked the van pretty much right across from the institute. It was great to live so close to my studio, because it meant I made the most of the space and was in there working most of every day I was in berlin.

We visited a moving show by Gülsün Karamustafa called Chronographia, at the Hamburgerbahnhof which was a highlight. And I had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with other working artists such as Raphael Jaen, Carolina Amaya, Brandy Eve Allen, Wyatt Mills and Matt Ross.

Being at the Berlin Art Institute Artist Residency really wet my lips to do more artist residencies. It's such a wonderful opportunity to get to know a city, make work in a new space, and connect with other working artists. My husband Dominik and I are hoping to spend some time at other artist residencies around the world in our lifetime. Dominik a prolific musician and I am an artist so residencies could be great fits for us, if we can make enough money to fund our practices. I've applied to one in Barcelona, we'll see if they want me and we can make it work.

Thanks for reading lovelies!

Anna