I took a year of maternity leave from my job, something we are very fortunate to be able to do in the UK.

I had no idea what to expect from motherhood and maternity leave – I don’t think you really can know until you’ve experienced it. It’s a very intense time, very tiring and to be honest sometimes it’s just boring and lonely.

But it also shows you a different side to you that you didn’t know was there. I didn’t think I was particularly maternal, but it turns out I am quite caring and nurturing. It’s definitely brought out my emotions a lot more, they stuck around even once the hormones subsided! And before I was pregnant I had no real interest in babies. Now I love watching newborn babies, they’re so vulnerable and sleepy, I just want to cuddle them all.

I was worried that having a baby would change me, and I was worried that it would take away my freedom.

I won’t lie about the freedom, I’m definitely more restricted in my adventures these days, as I have to fit everything around school days and school terms. Interestingly I found the 2020/21 lockdowns to be an oddly familiar experience – all your freedom suddenly taken away overnight, and gradually it comes back bit by bit! And that’s a bit like motherhood. As your child becomes less dependent on you, little bits of freedom slowly open up.

While having a baby changed the practicalities of life, it didn’t change what was in my head or my heart. And creativity has been important to me ever since I rediscovered it. So I knew it would need to find its way to emerge again once the initial tiring months had passed.

And it did. In my year of maternity leave, I blogged, I took photos, I entered a local photography competition and exhibition, and published an ebook.

If you want to read more about what I did during that year, as well as some general observations on life as a new mum, I’ve since published those blog posts and the learnings as an ebook Little Footsteps – you can buy a copy here*.

Fitting creativity around a baby or toddler isn’t that dissimilar to fitting it around a busy life in general, just that small people are a little more unpredictable in the challenges they bring!

At the end of that year I decided not to go back to my job, and just picked up my freelancing again. So I’ve been able to continue my creative journey on the side ever since. (My daughter is coming up to her fifth birthday now and is nearing the end of her first year at school so maternity leave seems like a long time ago now!)

If you’re on maternity leave – is there something small you could do for yourself that is creative? Taking some photos as you walk around with a pram, writing a blog post while your baby sleeps on your lap?

*Affiliate link – if you purchase through the link, I receive a small commission from Amazon.