Any parent will agree that striking a balance between work and family is a difficult thing to do, and it becomes even more challenging when you throw in another dimension, like art. However, scores of Milwaukee parents are doing just that: somehow carving out time for artistic expression despite the demands of raising children and maintaining a full-time job.
Nick Petrie is one of those parents. Petrie, who lives in Whitefish Bay with his wife and 6-year-old son, runs a home inspection consulting business. The business requires him to travel between six different counties, and in each one, Petrie knows the exact location of a cafe where he can write for an hour or two between appointments.
"I have acquired an encyclopedic knowledge of coffee shops with available plugs for my battery-challenged laptop," says Petrie. "Not writing makes me grumpy, and difficult to live with after a few days."
Petrie, who earned a master's degree in fine art from the University of Washington in Seattle, received the Hopwood Award as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan and recently won the Seattle Review Annual Short Story Contest. He grew up in Milwaukee, and moved back six years ago after becoming a parent.
"Having a child has actually made me a better writer. As a husband and father, I have a lot more to lose than I did as a younger man, and my life is also much, much sweeter," he says. "All of this gives me a wider range of emotion to draw on when creating characters, and when putting them at risk, which is what all good fiction does."
Jenny Steinman Heyden is an art consultant, art teacher, graduate student, wife, mom to two children ages 4 and 6 months, and a visual artist. She paints on canvas and fine craft items such as lazy susans and clocks.
How does she find the time to make art in the midst of so many commitments?
"Sometimes, I wake up around 12:30 a.m. and work for a few hours, or I get up at 4 (a.m.) and pretend I have a farm," says Heyden.
Stealing moments for art during daytime domestics is another way Heyden stays creative.
"I make art at the dining room table, on top of the layer of bills ... I also do it in the van, when the kids are asleep. I carry a cadre of canvas and paint and sketchbooks in case they fall asleep. Then I pull over in to a safe, shady spot, open up the doors and paint, still in the driver's seat, often with my seatbelt still on," she says.
Kou Vang, a full-time graphic designer, photographer, digital artist and the mother of five daughters, can relate. She says that, much of the time, she works very late at night when her daughters are sleeping, but that creative urges are usually on a schedule of their own.
"It doesn't matter if it's 3 a.m. or late at night. I create when the art comes to me," says Vang.
Terra Paulsen-Chmielewski, an artist and art teacher with a 6-year-old daughter, says she schedules art-making like she would any other appointment. She also tries to include her husband and daughter in her art life as much as possible.
"Sometimes my little girl hangs out with me in the studio," says Paulsen-Chmielewski, who is also the founding president of the Art Guild of Menomonee Falls. "I make a point to include my family in everything I do and keep them updated as much as possible. My husband and daughter help me hang my solo shows, drop off and pick up my work, and even come to all of the art exhibitions I have been in."
But despite excellent communication and a strong commitment to include her family in her passion for art, does Paulsen-Chmielewski ever feel guilty?
"All the time," she says.
Even though many artists say they feel guilty because their craft takes time away from work and family, they agree that creative outlets make them a better parent and spouse.
"As my wife has noted, I get surly when I'm not working on a writing project," says Petrie, who is currently penning a novel. "She'll ask, 'Were you a writer today?' It's nice to be able to say yes."
Kristin Nelson, a 24-year-old mother with a 5-year-old son, also says the support of her family is a big reason why she's able to focus on art.
"I have been blessed with an amazingly supportive husband who understands how important my art, studies and career are to me," says Nelson. "We also owe so much to both of our parents, who have been wonderful child-care resources for us, as well as a diverse network of other family and friends."
Nelson is an art therapy student at Alverno College, a membership associate in the Milwaukee Art Museum's development department and a visual artist. Through word-of-mouth, she fell into a successful mural painting business, and on top of it all, sells her kitschy creations twice a year at Art vs. Craft.
However, at times, Nelson's multiple artistic involvements are overwhelming, and she has to readjust her delicate balance.
"I (used to) never say no to a job, but it soon proved not to be worth it. I begin to miss my son, and I feel very unbalanced and both physically and emotionally drained," says Nelson. "That's when I know I have to make a change, so I set restrictions for myself in terms of what is best for our family."
Because family, no doubt, is the most important creation of all.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
