So, I had this a-ha moment this week and it was really beautiful.
Intertwined
Childbirth. Yeah, I have done this literally 6 times and each of my births was different. Each baby had his/her own time table, their own ways into this world. And for all my education and planning, I had to ultimately give myself over to each of their labors and let go of control. I had to trust in my body, the process and the pain.
But the ‘a-ha’ moment came when I realized my labors and births had ONE thing in common ~ a FOCAL POINT. I had a visual image that I could focus on during each contraction. And that is when I wanted to hit myself upside the head and say “duh, Steph.” I literally brought 7 of my own paintings to my last baby’s birth. The images surrounded my room and they were what I concentrated on ~ not the monitor, the lights or machinery, the whispers of the people in my room. It was my ART that got me through the painful contractions of his very quick labor and allowed me to let my body do what it was meant to do as I focused upon image after image of mothers holding their new babies.
My artwork can serve as a focal point for other moms in labor. And I am redesigning some of my shop to hold a space for images that I think lend themselves to that. If you need a focal point for your upcoming birth or want a seriously thoughtful gift for a friend, visit the shop.
