August 28, 2025 • 35 mins
Moms' World | The Arts Council Ladies | Conversations with Creatives Local Arts Council Moms join us to give their views on all of the offerings at the SCAC including offerings for Moms and all adults!
Conversations With Creatives is produced for the Shelby County Arts Council by Video Visions Media Marketing and Your Podcast Now
www.shelbycountyartscouncil.com
Video Visions Media Marketing
Your Podcast Now
Conversations With Creatives is produced for the Shelby County Arts Council by Video Visions Media Marketing and Your Podcast Now
www.shelbycountyartscouncil.com
Video Visions Media Marketing
Your Podcast Now
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey. On today's episode, we have these two beautiful moms,
April Huggins and Hannah fel Meath. We're talking about motherhood
and creativity. It's going to be a mother of a show.
Stay tuned, Welcome to conversations with Creatives with the Arts Council, Ladies.
(00:33):
I'm Lindsay, I'm Leslie, and today we have these two
lovely ladies, also moms, also creatives. So thanks for coming
and thanks for joining us here in April. We're super
excited to get to know y'all and all of your
creative outlets and stories about your kids, whatever you want
(00:53):
to talk about. But first, the first thing we always
start with, and it's really important, very because it's called
a very important question. So today's very important question, Lindsay,
is what what is the worst motherhood advice you've ever
been given?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
April? Would you like?
Speaker 1 (01:14):
I love it? Also, if you need a moment, we
were teasing this out there when we were talking, I know,
before the show. If you need a moment me and Lost,
I'll tell you this. And you may have experienced. Do
you have twins?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
No, no, you do, You just have a bunch of killies. Right,
So when the twins were little. You just wanted to
get out of the house every now and then. And
I had these two like really cool little hammocks that
I could lay in the buggy and it was just
really nice to be able to put our groceries underneath there. Well,
every time I would go to Target, I couldn't even
get my groceries because like everybody would just come up
(01:48):
to you and like that's not advice, but well maybe
don't public It was it was.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Like very like it was just like what do you do?
You're like, I've got like five seconds here before they
just start screaming get away from me, please, And then
you get other looks, right, and that just in the store, right,
and then they people that's the moment that people just
like they want to tell you everything and like thanks,
I really just need some dog food, you know, I
(02:16):
need to leave.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
See, I just can't have that problem. Coming from up
north most time people like, eh, you brought your child here,
like yeah, okay. And then we moved down south and
it was everybody wanted to hold him and tint to
them and kiss him, and which was wonderful.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
He doesn't want you don't kill someone else's face. You
don't kiss someone else's face and then rubbing your belly
too when you're pregnant.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, that is true.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
I'll be honest though sometimes I will be like that
person occasionally, like I'll just be like, oh my gosh,
like I just want to know, like there's just there's
life in there, you know, like that's really cool.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
I don't know, I've never felt myself.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
I don't know why. It's weird. It is a weird thing.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
It's like a reaction, is you know, to like ask
if somebody's pregnant. Whatever I've learned you don't ask. It
doesn't matter if they are giving birth on the floor.
You're not, like, aregnant?
Speaker 2 (03:13):
What do you do?
Speaker 1 (03:14):
I do believe it? That's right. So what Hannah is?
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Hannah? I'm trying to think worse?
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Are you okay? No?
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Go ahead? And can go ahead?
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Do you?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
If you have it?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
You go okay?
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Get Probably worst advice I've ever received was just forget
yourself and just be one hundred percent a mom, Like,
just love those babies. Put everything else on the back burner,
and it's not healthy. It wasn't healthy for me.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Did you follow that advice at first?
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Yeah? I was like, Okay, I gotta be one hundred
percent mom, And then I was like I'm dying, yeah,
like just trying to be very Yes, I'm like, I'm
one of those all in, all in or nothing people
and got to be a straight a even a straight
a mom. But nobody's handing out grades. So that's true.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
And also we've never done this before. Yeah yeah, and.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Every child is different. I might have similar you know,
so moms that come and say, well, my son.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Was just like that.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Yes, you know, not really yeah, like, and we are
working on this to go.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
But you can't take care of others until you take
care of That is so true. I mean you just can't. Yeah,
and sometimes you have to learn that the hard way.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Yeah, absolutely, so, uh Leslie, what's your bad? Yeah? So mine,
I'm a little different because my kids are adopted, they
were foster kids, and any version of real kids talk
it really is hurtful. Yeah to them and to me,
they are my real kids. Are are you going to
have real kids? I do have real kids. They're really
(04:57):
here there, really here, they are human and they are
my real kids. So and I usually, you know, I
tease with them still and I'm like I birthed you,
and they're like, you didn't burn me well out of
my heart, I did, you know? And so I mean, yeah,
that's how it is. So people. I think most people
mean well, but thinkful before you speak, right, you got
(05:21):
to you got to learn speak to people and then
you yeah, and you do better. Yeah, you know. And
we were talking about this out there, but like the whole,
like you know, trace ackensong, you're gonna miss this. And
the days are long, but the years are short. It's true,
it is, but when you haven't yet, right.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
I'm not very long.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
She has four under eight. So when you when you're in,
the days are long, you can't think forward to years
are short. So true, right, So that doesn't help really anything.
It's not encouraging, No, not encourage it. But what do
I What can I write?
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Especially you go to someone you say, I'm really struggling,
I'm drowning. Well, honey, you're gonna miss this.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
You're gonna.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
You're gonna want this.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
You're found. We need to help, but that we really
need to write our own song, you know, but I'm
not there yet.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Maybe we can get Ian Cuthbert Sonny. Yeah, we'll let
him keep our kids for a week.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Yeah that's right.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Okay, So, as the resident childless adult in the room,
I am the world's greatest anti U all my friend's kids,
and this is I think this is some of the
weirdest advice I've heard before. And it's more like an
old wives kind of thing.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Old wives tell like one of your kids are teething
to like rub out like alcohol in their guns, like bourbon, whiskey.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
And whiskey works.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
But I'm like, you try in there.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
I haven't. You have.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
To stick your finger in there and rub it, which
just seems like a bad idea if you've ever taken
a shot of whiskey. Yeah, it does burn. I mean
it does like numb your mouth. So I could see
that it would work. Yeah, I know, Yes, I'm scared of
that a minute, but I like, I know how a
(07:29):
weakling I am in lightweight?
Speaker 4 (07:31):
Yes, like a baby, right, Yes, we just have to
like waft it under Leslie's nose.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
So I spell it. Yeah, So I think.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
I heard it works for strap throat as well. Really
a shot will kill the ba again not.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
We've tried it. Yeah, So, but I'm just gonna say
maybe that's not the best, Like even like, uh cough,
dr medicine has alcohol in it. Oh yeah, so it's like.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
It's now you're not supposed to give that to your
It's true, you have to be a certain yea. Yeah,
show your ID when you buy it. Yeah, my gosh, right,
you don't show you you buy it when you buy.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
So you don't have enough because I think they make
like bad things out of it everything now everything, they
make bad things out of every game. We're like, can
I have sugar? No, show me your idea. You know
I have one pack of months sugar free gum. No, No,
it's all bad anyway. There's a lot of while to
(08:33):
buy solf hair.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Yeah, I just remembered one. Can I interject, if your
baby's having trouble sleeping, you need to hang a fresh
egg above their bed. And it always the bad air
cleanse the air quality.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
I've never heard yep.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
I've had someone who told me that and they were like,
it works.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Did you try it?
Speaker 2 (08:53):
I did?
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Did it work?
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Did it work? No? I had a baby that just what.
He still does sleep. He's six years old and he
doesn't sleep. Yeah, he's gonna be mad when.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
It's all right, man, Yeah, he never distant sleep, so
I tried every weird advice. Yeah it is.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
I never how did First of all, how did you
hang it?
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I know?
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Right?
Speaker 2 (09:18):
And this baby sock and you hang.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
This out that seems like if it falls in might
be a little dat. I know, how did your baby
get hit?
Speaker 2 (09:30):
I don't have remind like a little Eastern medicine or like,
well they'll use the egg to like remove the evil
eye or whatever. So we didn't have any evil eye though,
apparently because it did work.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Word.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Sorry, that was.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Sweet night at all. There's no way. Oh don't like
you for that. Let's just let's just bleep out his name,
sweet little boy. You won't know that is. So she's
(10:06):
hazy excited to hear from y'all.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
Yeah, yeah, we're gonna talk a little bit about creativity
and motherhood because from what I have learned from my
friends is like, whenever you have some young children in
your life, it's so hard to like trick us on
yourself your creative outlet and stuff like that. And Hannah
has taken some classes at the Shelby County Arts Council,
(10:30):
and you're kind of getting back into that, especially after
having your baby last year, so you're trying to get
that back, and then April you're you are also trying
to get back into the creative grieve of things. So
we're gonna and I'm sure that there are a lot
of other moms out there, yeah, that are also experiencing
the same situations.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
So and you feel so alone when you're in the
middle of it, right, right for sure?
Speaker 4 (10:54):
Yeah, So well now you're not alone. You've got three
moms and Auntie yes.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
To guide she journey.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
So Hannah, let's talk a little bit about your like
creative journey, Like, how did you get into creating art?
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Okay, So I have loved art since I was a
little girl. But I was telling my kids were like,
where's all your art? Mom? And I was like, well,
I didn't show it to a lot of people I was.
I just was the horse girl that sketched thousands of
books filled with horse sketches. And I also loved sketching
like big poofy dresses. And but really getting seriously into
(11:34):
art was taking a mommy and me class with my daughter,
my oldest daughter. We were new to the area and
I felt like we were very locked in. I hadn't
met very many people. She hadn't done very much, and
I thought this would be a fun outlet for us.
So we took a Mommy and Me class and I
fell in love with painting, and I just I told
(11:56):
my husband, I was like, this was the best thing
I've ever done. I need to keep painting. So she
did too. So that's kind of what started me into
wanting to take more classes, wanting to do more research,
buying all the art supplies I could get my hands on,
watching a ton of videos, just doing as much as
I could to continue to paint and foster that love
(12:19):
of art that i've really.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Because you have like a theater background, yes, well.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
And that's also like it was one of those things
I did at my senior year, like I did little
We always did the Little Christmas Place, did the Little
Christmas Place. I loved having the roles. I always did
had something with singing and being dramatic, and then my
senior year I did something. And then in college I
did a play freshman year and was like, I love this.
(12:46):
I need to be here. I need to be in
the theater scene. I also love music. I'm not very
good at music, but I was like, any the arts
has always been very important to me, and I've loved it.
So yes, lots of theater, lots of directing that's ended
up being what my degree was in and communications and
and then I was able to teach that at a
(13:08):
small Christian school up in Pennsylvania up until COVID. So
shout out to all my sweet school peeps that are
all fa have kids of their own now, some of them.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
So when did y'all move here? You moved?
Speaker 2 (13:25):
We moved? Yeah, we moved in the Yeah, the end
of twenty twenty. So we bought our house, like we
saw pictures of it and videos, but we bought it
sight unseen. We moved from my husband's job. Wow, and
I had two I had Elsie and Nate, and my
dad was sick. He got diagnosed with cancer two weeks
(13:45):
before we moved and then passed away two months after
we came down. So it was a very just term.
It was a lot of turmoil going on moving down,
and so Art Gay me that outlet and helped me
to relax and to find joy again and just doing
(14:08):
things other than being just stuck at home all the time,
you know, with no friends, my kids. Yeah, we had
a ton of we did a lot.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Now, when you were introduced to us, you just it
seemed like you just kind of found us, right, Yeah,
I remember you calling.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Yes, I called about a piano lessons.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
I know we were talking about who talked to me.
I was probably not like I have a five and
a three year old, right is there were then maybe
five and four, five and four, I don't remember.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
I just started up for.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Piano, and I'm like, we can start a little older.
But now, knowing your kids, I probably would have been like,
they're so great and so smart. We used to like
them to read. Well first, I think that's what I
was talking about, And you're like, but they both read, okay, Well.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Elsie was starting violin and I wanted something for Nate
to do.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
But then you got but then you started them in art.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Yeah, Elsie and I started taking private lessons there.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
So yeah, because you both started the same.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Time, right, we both started at the same time. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
Yeah, And that's Elsie's a great She's a great little painters.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Are so cute every day, all day long, she really
yea all day long.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
Yeah, and they've been in our place. She was a
little else was Eli. That was her debut and we
were like, she's so cute when she's all dis were like,
she's so cute. We're worried she can't handle this role.
We gave it to her and she blew us away
it better than anybody else.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
She knew all the songs, all that she still performs
all of them. She was She did a performance yesterday
for us. She did Schoolhouse Rock.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
The entire Yes, they all.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Except the bear, which Nate came in to do when
they went back.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Out to play. So they both just performed in the
school and again Nate was, you know, young, and but
he did so good.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
They love it and they've made so many friends and
they've had so much fun and it's expanded their just
their little lives, you know, to be involved in all
of it. And they love it. And Nate's starting art
lessons this year, so he cannot wait. He said, I'm
gonna draw soldiers and swords.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Okay, great, we need that. Awesome. Well, April, how's what's
your creative journey? Didn't well, it's funny.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
When you guys asked me to be I here, I
was like me, like, I don't really see myself as
like an artist per se, because I don't know. I've
just I'm an overthinker, right, and so I've just had
like lots of things that I've done over the years.
And I've always been a little dramatic, right, and so
I've done theater occasionally, you know. But like music was
(17:19):
my thing, like from like a baby, Like it's what
me and my mom bonded over, like you know, like
it was just my thing. So in middle school and
high school.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Like that's all I did.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
I did band, I'd a choir, Like, don't ask me
to do anything, this is my thing, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
And so then I had college and I was the
jazz band vocalist for Shelton. And I met my husband
there too, in choir.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
So we met in choir? Are your husband and I too?
We were in a madrigal choir. So that was old
Baroke music and mad that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Well, I don't tell my husband, but he did. It
was an auditioned choir. We won't tell him, never know.
It was an auditioned choir.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
And his sister is a very beautiful singer, okay, and
he can like stay on pitch, but because she was wonderful,
he didn't have to audition, which I'm very grateful for,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Because you know it gave me him.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
But at the same time, it would be like every
now and then as black cheer, she was.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Our our our director. Yes that.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
You know the thing.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
She would be like, all right, who's the man singing soprano?
You know, always was always him, So very grateful for
that time of my life.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Did you know that both of your husbands have the
same name, Jake I They just met today and they
are best to your We'll just bringing people to get
absolutely and I'm going to join a choir so I
can need him.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
So apparently this is where that's the only thing I
haven't done in my life.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
By everybody, watch out, Are we about to start a choir? Yeah?
We should, honestly, yeah, I would be there.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Yeah, we needed it.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
How about I do this?
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Yes, I'll do that.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
So music was like my thing, right, and so I
never really thought to like branch out, even though, like
you know, I was always doodling all my notes. I
wasn't paying attingon and glass. I was like drawing, you know,
like that kind of stuff. But then I you know,
left and once I got married, I started drawing and
painting more and it's what we decorated our house with
because we didn't have any money, and you know how
(19:43):
it is, and you just kind of like for Christmas,
I like made some like cool needle point decorations and
then I was like, oh my goodness, I loved this,
and so I just kept going. And then I had Jude,
and you know, you have a little less time, but
with one baby, you still have time to do all
the things. So I started a little business where I
would start My grandmother taught me how to sew, and
so I would make bird cloths and sell them and
(20:05):
like hand sew them around the names and stuff like.
It was really fun, honestly, and I found like a
new love and sewing. And then I was like, well,
maybe I also like to do this. And so then
the twins came, and things like crazy change, everything change,
and so you know, I just didn't have time to
like pull out that sewing machine or you know, to
(20:27):
pull out all of my art supplies, and I was
just really honestly depleted. And so like there was occasional,
like there were occasional times where I would like bring
something out and I would paint it and it would
literally be words like one I remember very distinctly. It
was said, embrace the chaos, and so it was just
a reminder to like be in the moment with the kids,
(20:48):
try to embrace the chaos as much crazy as it is,
you know, like it would be like that, like I
have one right now on my wall that says I'm
so happy to be at home or it feels so
good to be at home or something like that, and
it's just like little reminders in your home that says, like, hey,
you're home, chill out a little bit.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
You know. I have one that says, Mama tried.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
My favorite one message.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
You know, that's all you can do. Yeah, and so
you know, it's hilarious.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
It's my theme.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
We should get that printed, honestly. That's that's really mam.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
The Mama tried more so.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
But yeah. So then like just through that, the twins came.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
I didn't have as much time to get stuff out,
so and then the twins came, and then Daisy came.
It was like all at once, so because she's like
barely a year older than the twins. So for a while,
like it was nothing but like just chaos and babies
and honestly, like when you're in that and you're a
creative person and you cannot create, it gets you into
a place where you're like, I feel so down because
(22:01):
like this is what feeds my soul, you know, like
even if and I just I wasn't even coming up
with ideas at the time, Like I was just out
of it, do you know what I mean? And then
and so eventually though, my grandmother passed and and it
was twenty twenty one, and I was just like I
can't do this anymore. And so, you know, we one
(22:21):
other things that we would do for creative stuff is
we have like a video we like how we told
people we were pregnant. We would hate make music videos,
like we were known into asclus as like the music
video people, because it was just like.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Our favorite thing to do. But we are stupid humor, okay,
like you're among friends. We did exactly. We did a
music video to Michael Bolton's how Am I Supposed to
Live Without You? Okay, and we're like, am I and
like really stupid, Like we're stupid humor, Okay, so just
don't go watch those, but we will.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
How were we to get among really well?
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Is he a Star Wars nerd too. Star Wars. No, No,
not cute, you know what.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
So he's like an airplane.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Okay, so you know what, airplane, airplanes, Star Wars, same airplane.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
He is through them, so you go. So he gets it,
he gets it.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
Her husband does have a Star Wars Christmas village?
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Does Jake would love?
Speaker 1 (23:16):
It was so cool on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
I was like, this is the greatest thing I've ever seen.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
Well, so when I first met him, he would have
like every like he had him pinned to his walls. Okay,
every stand up, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars whatever.
It was like it was, and so it's just like
one of those things. And so I was like, you
know what, let's make up. Let's make ourselves a Christmas
village with our little Star Wars people.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
You know. I love that. It was fun it it
really is. Okay, back to your Michael Bowl, we have
like creative ballads.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
But it was like things that took a while, right,
and so I needed to find something that was like
more in the moment where I could like be present
with my kids in the moment, and so I started
learning how to like crochet more or doing a few
more need are right, and so now I just recently,
like I start like I have like now I have
like tons of projects and I'm like, okay, I can
just pick which one I want to do. I'll keep
(24:12):
them in a little baggy and I'll take it with
me and I'll pull it out wherever I want to
do it. And it's like it's like now it's just
a little bit more for me. And I've learned how
to make sure I have that for me because if
I don't have it, girl, you better watch out, because
I'm not going to be very happy.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
I'm gonna be like down and just kind.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
Of like feel like a little bit useless, right because
there's something inside of us.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
That was just made to make things, you know, so
to create, right.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
I try to do that to some of my family members.
I was like, no, I have to do this. I
know you don't like I do. No, I really do.
But I do the same thing with my drawing or
my painting. I just keep a little book with me
and I'll be nursing and sketching or holding holding Annie
and now she's trying to eat the paper the paint.
(25:00):
So I have to be a little more careful.
Speaker 1 (25:02):
What kind of painting do you do, Like, are you watercolor?
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Like I've done watercolor, acrylic and oil. Okay, I kind
of bounce back and forth between what's my favorite. It's
kind of whatever I'm most invested in. So I've been
doing a lot of watercolor lately, but also pen and
ink and combining the two and just just loving it all.
And so we have sketch books all over the house
(25:28):
and stashes of pens and.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
What are you so old to me?
Speaker 3 (25:32):
It's that your kids see that, right, Like the kids.
Like once I started making that choice to do that,
I notice like my kids are picking up these things
more too, you know, like they'll pick up they'll have
like my kids walked around for the longest time and
they still do. They have them, you know, but with
their own little scrapbooks that they'll just start drawing. Or
like you know, our littlest one, Daisy, she's into theater stuff.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
And so we'll like do little things occasionally.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
We're like have a girl Versus boys' night where you
have to come and do your like you do that
you do like a little sing off, you know that
show where you like lip sync battle, and so like
the boys did that.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
Pass the Dutch from the left. We did like a
tailor slip song, you know, so we just do stupid.
Please invite us next time. Oh no, absolutely, that's yeah.
Judge you judge.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
You have to be a part of.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
Yes, yeah, you can sit there just performers. So but yeah,
I love that. Like when your kids start to see
it too, you teach them ways to be like it's
a it's just another way of being healthy for yourself, right,
Like it's just you know, we talk all the time
about like what to put in our bodies or what
(26:43):
not to put in our bodies, but this is like
feeding our brains and our souls and it's just how
we remain right.
Speaker 4 (26:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
And I think, I mean, I think it's important for
kids to have creative outlets too and to see that
from a young age and to know like it's.
Speaker 4 (26:57):
Not all just like video games in the computer all. Yeah,
it is about like stretching those creative muscles too. And
whenever you see your family doing it, you know you
want to do it. Like my mom was always doing
crafts and.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Stuff with that.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
My mom too, Yeah, so I love to do this stuff.
Speaker 4 (27:12):
My grandmother crocheted and tatted and sewed, and stuff, and
so I wanted to do that stuff. And so I
think it's like a really good influence for your for
your kids to but bonding moments, whether it's even teaching
how to cook, you know, like we're.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
In the kitchen making cookies like that's that's a creative
journey too. You know, like it's really cool.
Speaker 4 (27:32):
But do you ever feel like you had a hard
time like speaking up to like tell other people, or
even feeling guilty with your children, like I need to
do the same for me, you know, like be cause
I think, as my friends say, mom guilt is a real.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
Thing and dad guilt does not exist. And I think
I think moms have that hard time saying like no,
I want an hour to go paint ricele or crochet
something or make something by myself. You take them let
me go do this.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Yeah, right, or just finding a space in your house
that's like this is just for me. Please don't come
in here.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Yes, yeah, absolutely, yeah, leave me alone, don't touch the stock,
don't the door sort yes.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
Yeah. Well I'm very lucky to have the best support
in my husband because when we moved and my dad died,
we actually lost a baby and we had a fire
in our house and we had a tornado that and
we just had and then I got sick and I
(28:35):
was in and out of the hospital and I had
surgery and we were doing a thousand tests, and I
like lived at UAB and my husband's There started to
be times my mental health just went upot and it
was so Jake started. There started to be things where
it was like, no, I need to do some things
(28:55):
to be healthy. I need to have some time to
just sit and and and then art stuff started to
be like, Okay, I'm I need some time. I need
to go paint or I'm gonna go take these classes.
And he was really good at being like I would be.
You know, I don't feel good. I don't feel like
I can go, and He's like, no, yeah, you need
to go. You need to go do this. You need
to have this time. You're gonna feel better. You're gonna
come home feeling better, you know us, Yes, yes, yes,
(29:19):
and healthier. So even with having this last baby, yeah,
this last one, and we just had a rough ride
to have her at the end and I'm in labor
and we start we started talking about further art school
and Jake's standing there. You know, he's speaking affirmations to me,
and he's like, you're gonna go to art school, Honey,
you're gonna get through this and you're gonna go to
art school. And I was like, yes, I.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
I am, You're going to art. Yeah, that's it, Like okay,
we're gonna do it. It's like he's like throwing goals again.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
So it's been it's been so helpful. Yeah, yeah, mental
health and it really is mom health.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Yeah. And it's almost like I don't know if I
like this this, but like it's almost like a sea saw, right,
like where you're like you have those kids and then
you're just like thrown into it.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
Let's be real, none of us have any idea what
we're doing. You're thrown into it, and you're like you
have some like advice, but it's not all good and
so you're just trying to do your best. And so
the sea saw kind of goes this way for a
little bit because you're like fully delve into it, like
you've got this is this kid is your responsibility now,
you know, like you have all these things to do,
and then you forget about yourself.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
It's accidental.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
But then when you're like, oh, yeah, I'm not doing
so great, Like, what is it that I need to
like even this out?
Speaker 1 (30:38):
H that's good, but it's true. It's definitely juggling act.
Speaker 4 (30:42):
And as the resident single it is my job to
make sure my mom friends don't forget that. And I
always all of my mom forends it can attest to this.
I'm like, do you want to come over to my
house this evening and for like an hour and wool
craft and they're like.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 4 (31:01):
So I'm like, I always like to make sure. I'm like,
don't forget about yourself. Yeah, you know, that's my job
here as a childless.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Adult, right, don't forget it. Not forget about yourself. We're
all talking and I'll be like, Annah, they've got this
thing going on this place, let's go do this.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
And yes, it always helps, I see.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
And you need to have people like that in your lives.
And I didn't when my kids were I did not
have that. And I mean besides my husband, but.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
Like he's in it too, you know, like what's he
gonna do?
Speaker 2 (31:28):
Yeah exactly.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Over here, so you know, so it's like, you know,
to have people to remind you, Hey, bro, take some
time for yourself, like you need to.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
You know. It's cool, like you are more than your children, right,
you know you do. It's like your whole identity rest
in them now.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
And I'm like, wait a second, I'm actually kind of decent,
Like I'm pretty cool all right, you know, like without
y'all too, you know, like I can be myself and
and I think that's what happened when my grandmother died, right,
Like I had kind of just lost myself to mother motherhood.
And then I was like, but I'm not this person anymore.
And I've evolved and I've grown and I've learned new things,
and you know, how you process that and put that art,
(32:10):
whatever it may be, out of the world is fun.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Because it's not a contest to see who's the best mom.
You don't get brownie points because you don't never get Yeah,
I never gave your child frozen chicken nuggets. You know
you're not getting award, Like definitely not.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
Nuggets my teenage. Yeah, exactly. At least I still like
my kids got tired of them, but don't come back
to find something else for a minute, just when they're teenagers.
It'll come back around. That kind of want to be
kids again. So what Yeah, teenagers and they're almost like
(32:53):
kindergarten again in some ways. Great. Yeah, thanks, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
Thanks for that.
Speaker 1 (32:58):
You're welcome. Everyone around. She's just preparing you. I'm preparing you.
Everything's you know, God is Yeah, the heart is good
and hard that's true, not bad, just just hard well awsome.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
So goot a great talk, and you know, especially to
let other moms know, like you know, and you can
reach out to other moms or like like I told Aprils.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
Like we're going to form a crochet club. I am
because you started crocheting and I was like, I need help,
so I might even do that. It's fun. I'm not
so much person, but our choir and croche choir and gracious,
we could do carry crochet. It would be soul ideas ideas.
Speaker 3 (33:49):
So we'll have to do both of them with either
c's or like Krispy Kreme.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Cays, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
Like it's got to be this.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
We have to do an alliteration.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
I don't think we can do the case.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (34:01):
Not too many, not too many yes in your comments, give.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
Us a good name. Okay, I'm sorry, that was great. Well,
thank you so much for joining us today. I know
y'all probably have social media is to people can find
you and talk to y'all about motherhood and you know,
even give encouragement. Everybody needs encouragement. Or watch your Michael
(34:32):
Bolton music. Yes please you can buy Yes now this afternoon.
I know what I'm doing. That's hilarious. So we have
lots of opportunities at the Arts Council, Yeah, you know,
for moms. If you have suggestions, give us suggestions.
Speaker 3 (34:49):
We have classes, workshops, all kinds of stuff, and I
think that's probably a great way to find mom friends.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
Yes, have the same sort of you know yeah, yeah, exactly,
artistic dreams that you do exactly. That's great, awesome, So
thanks again for being here, Thanks for having us. Fun
was fun.
Speaker 4 (35:09):
Yeah, So please check out our website Shelby County Arts
Council dot com. You can follow us on Instagram at
the Arts Council Underscore Ladies and at shell Be Underscore
County Underscore Arts.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
I'm gonna get better at saying that way. She's gonna
do it all because I don't remember it. Remember. Yeah,
you can follow us on Facebook. There's some buttons, buttons
like start clicking some buttons subscribe Why yes, so thanks
so much, see you next time. Bye,
Hey. On today's episode, we have these two beautiful moms,
April Huggins and Hannah fel Meath. We're talking about motherhood
and creativity. It's going to be a mother of a show.
Stay tuned, Welcome to conversations with Creatives with the Arts Council, Ladies.
(00:33):
I'm Lindsay, I'm Leslie, and today we have these two
lovely ladies, also moms, also creatives. So thanks for coming
and thanks for joining us here in April. We're super
excited to get to know y'all and all of your
creative outlets and stories about your kids, whatever you want
(00:53):
to talk about. But first, the first thing we always
start with, and it's really important, very because it's called
a very important question. So today's very important question, Lindsay,
is what what is the worst motherhood advice you've ever
been given?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
April? Would you like?
Speaker 1 (01:14):
I love it? Also, if you need a moment, we
were teasing this out there when we were talking, I know,
before the show. If you need a moment me and Lost,
I'll tell you this. And you may have experienced. Do
you have twins?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
No, no, you do, You just have a bunch of killies. Right,
So when the twins were little. You just wanted to
get out of the house every now and then. And
I had these two like really cool little hammocks that
I could lay in the buggy and it was just
really nice to be able to put our groceries underneath there. Well,
every time I would go to Target, I couldn't even
get my groceries because like everybody would just come up
(01:48):
to you and like that's not advice, but well maybe
don't public It was it was.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Like very like it was just like what do you do?
You're like, I've got like five seconds here before they
just start screaming get away from me, please, And then
you get other looks, right, and that just in the store, right,
and then they people that's the moment that people just
like they want to tell you everything and like thanks,
I really just need some dog food, you know, I
(02:16):
need to leave.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
See, I just can't have that problem. Coming from up
north most time people like, eh, you brought your child here,
like yeah, okay. And then we moved down south and
it was everybody wanted to hold him and tint to
them and kiss him, and which was wonderful.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
He doesn't want you don't kill someone else's face. You
don't kiss someone else's face and then rubbing your belly
too when you're pregnant.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, that is true.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
I'll be honest though sometimes I will be like that
person occasionally, like I'll just be like, oh my gosh,
like I just want to know, like there's just there's
life in there, you know, like that's really cool.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
I don't know, I've never felt myself.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
I don't know why. It's weird. It is a weird thing.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
It's like a reaction, is you know, to like ask
if somebody's pregnant. Whatever I've learned you don't ask. It
doesn't matter if they are giving birth on the floor.
You're not, like, aregnant?
Speaker 2 (03:13):
What do you do?
Speaker 1 (03:14):
I do believe it? That's right. So what Hannah is?
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Hannah? I'm trying to think worse?
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Are you okay? No?
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Go ahead? And can go ahead?
Speaker 1 (03:27):
Do you?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
If you have it?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
You go okay?
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Get Probably worst advice I've ever received was just forget
yourself and just be one hundred percent a mom, Like,
just love those babies. Put everything else on the back burner,
and it's not healthy. It wasn't healthy for me.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Did you follow that advice at first?
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Yeah? I was like, Okay, I gotta be one hundred
percent mom, And then I was like I'm dying, yeah,
like just trying to be very Yes, I'm like, I'm
one of those all in, all in or nothing people
and got to be a straight a even a straight
a mom. But nobody's handing out grades. So that's true.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
And also we've never done this before. Yeah yeah, and.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Every child is different. I might have similar you know,
so moms that come and say, well, my son.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Was just like that.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Yes, you know, not really yeah, like, and we are
working on this to go.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
But you can't take care of others until you take
care of That is so true. I mean you just can't. Yeah,
and sometimes you have to learn that the hard way.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Yeah, absolutely, so, uh Leslie, what's your bad? Yeah? So mine,
I'm a little different because my kids are adopted, they
were foster kids, and any version of real kids talk
it really is hurtful. Yeah to them and to me,
they are my real kids. Are are you going to
have real kids? I do have real kids. They're really
(04:57):
here there, really here, they are human and they are
my real kids. So and I usually, you know, I
tease with them still and I'm like I birthed you,
and they're like, you didn't burn me well out of
my heart, I did, you know? And so I mean, yeah,
that's how it is. So people. I think most people
mean well, but thinkful before you speak, right, you got
(05:21):
to you got to learn speak to people and then
you yeah, and you do better. Yeah, you know. And
we were talking about this out there, but like the whole,
like you know, trace ackensong, you're gonna miss this. And
the days are long, but the years are short. It's true,
it is, but when you haven't yet, right.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
I'm not very long.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
She has four under eight. So when you when you're in,
the days are long, you can't think forward to years
are short. So true, right, So that doesn't help really anything.
It's not encouraging, No, not encourage it. But what do
I What can I write?
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Especially you go to someone you say, I'm really struggling,
I'm drowning. Well, honey, you're gonna miss this.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
You're gonna.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
You're gonna want this.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
You're found. We need to help, but that we really
need to write our own song, you know, but I'm
not there yet.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Maybe we can get Ian Cuthbert Sonny. Yeah, we'll let
him keep our kids for a week.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Yeah that's right.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
Okay, So, as the resident childless adult in the room,
I am the world's greatest anti U all my friend's kids,
and this is I think this is some of the
weirdest advice I've heard before. And it's more like an
old wives kind of thing.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
Old wives tell like one of your kids are teething
to like rub out like alcohol in their guns, like bourbon, whiskey.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
And whiskey works.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
But I'm like, you try in there.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
I haven't. You have.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
To stick your finger in there and rub it, which
just seems like a bad idea if you've ever taken
a shot of whiskey. Yeah, it does burn. I mean
it does like numb your mouth. So I could see
that it would work. Yeah, I know, Yes, I'm scared of
that a minute, but I like, I know how a
(07:29):
weakling I am in lightweight?
Speaker 4 (07:31):
Yes, like a baby, right, Yes, we just have to
like waft it under Leslie's nose.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
So I spell it. Yeah, So I think.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
I heard it works for strap throat as well. Really
a shot will kill the ba again not.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
We've tried it. Yeah, So, but I'm just gonna say
maybe that's not the best, Like even like, uh cough,
dr medicine has alcohol in it. Oh yeah, so it's like.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
It's now you're not supposed to give that to your
It's true, you have to be a certain yea. Yeah,
show your ID when you buy it. Yeah, my gosh, right,
you don't show you you buy it when you buy.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
So you don't have enough because I think they make
like bad things out of it everything now everything, they
make bad things out of every game. We're like, can
I have sugar? No, show me your idea. You know
I have one pack of months sugar free gum. No, No,
it's all bad anyway. There's a lot of while to
(08:33):
buy solf hair.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Yeah, I just remembered one. Can I interject, if your
baby's having trouble sleeping, you need to hang a fresh
egg above their bed. And it always the bad air
cleanse the air quality.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
I've never heard yep.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
I've had someone who told me that and they were like,
it works.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Did you try it?
Speaker 2 (08:53):
I did?
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Did it work?
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Did it work? No? I had a baby that just what.
He still does sleep. He's six years old and he
doesn't sleep. Yeah, he's gonna be mad when.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
It's all right, man, Yeah, he never distant sleep, so
I tried every weird advice. Yeah it is.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
I never how did First of all, how did you
hang it?
Speaker 2 (09:18):
I know?
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Right?
Speaker 2 (09:18):
And this baby sock and you hang.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
This out that seems like if it falls in might
be a little dat. I know, how did your baby
get hit?
Speaker 2 (09:30):
I don't have remind like a little Eastern medicine or like,
well they'll use the egg to like remove the evil
eye or whatever. So we didn't have any evil eye though,
apparently because it did work.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
Word.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Sorry, that was.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Sweet night at all. There's no way. Oh don't like
you for that. Let's just let's just bleep out his name,
sweet little boy. You won't know that is. So she's
(10:06):
hazy excited to hear from y'all.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
Yeah, yeah, we're gonna talk a little bit about creativity
and motherhood because from what I have learned from my
friends is like, whenever you have some young children in
your life, it's so hard to like trick us on
yourself your creative outlet and stuff like that. And Hannah
has taken some classes at the Shelby County Arts Council,
(10:30):
and you're kind of getting back into that, especially after
having your baby last year, so you're trying to get
that back, and then April you're you are also trying
to get back into the creative grieve of things. So
we're gonna and I'm sure that there are a lot
of other moms out there, yeah, that are also experiencing
the same situations.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
So and you feel so alone when you're in the
middle of it, right, right for sure?
Speaker 4 (10:54):
Yeah, So well now you're not alone. You've got three
moms and Auntie yes.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
To guide she journey.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
So Hannah, let's talk a little bit about your like
creative journey, Like, how did you get into creating art?
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Okay, So I have loved art since I was a
little girl. But I was telling my kids were like,
where's all your art? Mom? And I was like, well,
I didn't show it to a lot of people I was.
I just was the horse girl that sketched thousands of
books filled with horse sketches. And I also loved sketching
like big poofy dresses. And but really getting seriously into
(11:34):
art was taking a mommy and me class with my daughter,
my oldest daughter. We were new to the area and
I felt like we were very locked in. I hadn't
met very many people. She hadn't done very much, and
I thought this would be a fun outlet for us.
So we took a Mommy and Me class and I
fell in love with painting, and I just I told
(11:56):
my husband, I was like, this was the best thing
I've ever done. I need to keep painting. So she
did too. So that's kind of what started me into
wanting to take more classes, wanting to do more research,
buying all the art supplies I could get my hands on,
watching a ton of videos, just doing as much as
I could to continue to paint and foster that love
(12:19):
of art that i've really.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Because you have like a theater background, yes, well.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
And that's also like it was one of those things
I did at my senior year, like I did little
We always did the Little Christmas Place, did the Little
Christmas Place. I loved having the roles. I always did
had something with singing and being dramatic, and then my
senior year I did something. And then in college I
did a play freshman year and was like, I love this.
(12:46):
I need to be here. I need to be in
the theater scene. I also love music. I'm not very
good at music, but I was like, any the arts
has always been very important to me, and I've loved it.
So yes, lots of theater, lots of directing that's ended
up being what my degree was in and communications and
and then I was able to teach that at a
(13:08):
small Christian school up in Pennsylvania up until COVID. So
shout out to all my sweet school peeps that are
all fa have kids of their own now, some of them.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
So when did y'all move here? You moved?
Speaker 2 (13:25):
We moved? Yeah, we moved in the Yeah, the end
of twenty twenty. So we bought our house, like we
saw pictures of it and videos, but we bought it
sight unseen. We moved from my husband's job. Wow, and
I had two I had Elsie and Nate, and my
dad was sick. He got diagnosed with cancer two weeks
(13:45):
before we moved and then passed away two months after
we came down. So it was a very just term.
It was a lot of turmoil going on moving down,
and so Art Gay me that outlet and helped me
to relax and to find joy again and just doing
(14:08):
things other than being just stuck at home all the time,
you know, with no friends, my kids. Yeah, we had
a ton of we did a lot.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
Now, when you were introduced to us, you just it
seemed like you just kind of found us, right, Yeah,
I remember you calling.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Yes, I called about a piano lessons.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
I know we were talking about who talked to me.
I was probably not like I have a five and
a three year old, right is there were then maybe
five and four, five and four, I don't remember.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
I just started up for.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Piano, and I'm like, we can start a little older.
But now, knowing your kids, I probably would have been like,
they're so great and so smart. We used to like
them to read. Well first, I think that's what I
was talking about, And you're like, but they both read, okay, Well.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Elsie was starting violin and I wanted something for Nate
to do.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
But then you got but then you started them in art.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
Yeah, Elsie and I started taking private lessons there.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
So yeah, because you both started the same.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Time, right, we both started at the same time. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
Yeah, And that's Elsie's a great She's a great little painters.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Are so cute every day, all day long, she really
yea all day long.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
Yeah, and they've been in our place. She was a
little else was Eli. That was her debut and we
were like, she's so cute when she's all dis were like,
she's so cute. We're worried she can't handle this role.
We gave it to her and she blew us away
it better than anybody else.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
She knew all the songs, all that she still performs
all of them. She was She did a performance yesterday
for us. She did Schoolhouse Rock.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
The entire Yes, they all.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Except the bear, which Nate came in to do when
they went back.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Out to play. So they both just performed in the
school and again Nate was, you know, young, and but
he did so good.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
They love it and they've made so many friends and
they've had so much fun and it's expanded their just
their little lives, you know, to be involved in all
of it. And they love it. And Nate's starting art
lessons this year, so he cannot wait. He said, I'm
gonna draw soldiers and swords.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Okay, great, we need that. Awesome. Well, April, how's what's
your creative journey? Didn't well, it's funny.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
When you guys asked me to be I here, I
was like me, like, I don't really see myself as
like an artist per se, because I don't know. I've
just I'm an overthinker, right, and so I've just had
like lots of things that I've done over the years.
And I've always been a little dramatic, right, and so
I've done theater occasionally, you know. But like music was
(17:19):
my thing, like from like a baby, Like it's what
me and my mom bonded over, like you know, like
it was just my thing. So in middle school and
high school.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Like that's all I did.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
I did band, I'd a choir, Like, don't ask me
to do anything, this is my thing, you know what
I mean.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
And so then I had college and I was the
jazz band vocalist for Shelton. And I met my husband
there too, in choir.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
So we met in choir? Are your husband and I too?
We were in a madrigal choir. So that was old
Baroke music and mad that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Well, I don't tell my husband, but he did. It
was an auditioned choir. We won't tell him, never know.
It was an auditioned choir.
Speaker 3 (18:00):
And his sister is a very beautiful singer, okay, and
he can like stay on pitch, but because she was wonderful,
he didn't have to audition, which I'm very grateful for,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Because you know it gave me him.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
But at the same time, it would be like every
now and then as black cheer, she was.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Our our our director. Yes that.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
You know the thing.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
She would be like, all right, who's the man singing soprano?
You know, always was always him, So very grateful for
that time of my life.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Did you know that both of your husbands have the
same name, Jake I They just met today and they
are best to your We'll just bringing people to get
absolutely and I'm going to join a choir so I
can need him.
Speaker 4 (18:54):
So apparently this is where that's the only thing I
haven't done in my life.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
By everybody, watch out, Are we about to start a choir? Yeah?
We should, honestly, yeah, I would be there.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Yeah, we needed it.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
How about I do this?
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Yes, I'll do that.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
So music was like my thing, right, and so I
never really thought to like branch out, even though, like
you know, I was always doodling all my notes. I
wasn't paying attingon and glass. I was like drawing, you know,
like that kind of stuff. But then I you know,
left and once I got married, I started drawing and
painting more and it's what we decorated our house with
because we didn't have any money, and you know how
(19:43):
it is, and you just kind of like for Christmas,
I like made some like cool needle point decorations and
then I was like, oh my goodness, I loved this,
and so I just kept going. And then I had Jude,
and you know, you have a little less time, but
with one baby, you still have time to do all
the things. So I started a little business where I
would start My grandmother taught me how to sew, and
so I would make bird cloths and sell them and
(20:05):
like hand sew them around the names and stuff like.
It was really fun, honestly, and I found like a
new love and sewing. And then I was like, well,
maybe I also like to do this. And so then
the twins came, and things like crazy change, everything change,
and so you know, I just didn't have time to
like pull out that sewing machine or you know, to
(20:27):
pull out all of my art supplies, and I was
just really honestly depleted. And so like there was occasional,
like there were occasional times where I would like bring
something out and I would paint it and it would
literally be words like one I remember very distinctly. It
was said, embrace the chaos, and so it was just
a reminder to like be in the moment with the kids,
(20:48):
try to embrace the chaos as much crazy as it is,
you know, like it would be like that, like I
have one right now on my wall that says I'm
so happy to be at home or it feels so
good to be at home or something like that, and
it's just like little reminders in your home that says, like, hey,
you're home, chill out a little bit.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
You know. I have one that says, Mama tried.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
My favorite one message.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
You know, that's all you can do. Yeah, and so
you know, it's hilarious.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
It's my theme.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
We should get that printed, honestly. That's that's really mam.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
The Mama tried more so.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
But yeah. So then like just through that, the twins came.
Speaker 3 (21:38):
I didn't have as much time to get stuff out,
so and then the twins came, and then Daisy came.
It was like all at once, so because she's like
barely a year older than the twins. So for a while,
like it was nothing but like just chaos and babies
and honestly, like when you're in that and you're a
creative person and you cannot create, it gets you into
a place where you're like, I feel so down because
(22:01):
like this is what feeds my soul, you know, like
even if and I just I wasn't even coming up
with ideas at the time, Like I was just out
of it, do you know what I mean? And then
and so eventually though, my grandmother passed and and it
was twenty twenty one, and I was just like I
can't do this anymore. And so, you know, we one
(22:21):
other things that we would do for creative stuff is
we have like a video we like how we told
people we were pregnant. We would hate make music videos,
like we were known into asclus as like the music
video people, because it was just like.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Our favorite thing to do. But we are stupid humor, okay,
like you're among friends. We did exactly. We did a
music video to Michael Bolton's how Am I Supposed to
Live Without You? Okay, and we're like, am I and
like really stupid, Like we're stupid humor, Okay, so just
don't go watch those, but we will.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
How were we to get among really well?
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Is he a Star Wars nerd too. Star Wars. No, No,
not cute, you know what.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
So he's like an airplane.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Okay, so you know what, airplane, airplanes, Star Wars, same airplane.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
He is through them, so you go. So he gets it,
he gets it.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
Her husband does have a Star Wars Christmas village?
Speaker 2 (23:15):
Does Jake would love?
Speaker 1 (23:16):
It was so cool on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
I was like, this is the greatest thing I've ever seen.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
Well, so when I first met him, he would have
like every like he had him pinned to his walls. Okay,
every stand up, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars whatever.
It was like it was, and so it's just like
one of those things. And so I was like, you
know what, let's make up. Let's make ourselves a Christmas
village with our little Star Wars people.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
You know. I love that. It was fun it it
really is. Okay, back to your Michael Bowl, we have
like creative ballads.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
But it was like things that took a while, right,
and so I needed to find something that was like
more in the moment where I could like be present
with my kids in the moment, and so I started
learning how to like crochet more or doing a few
more need are right, and so now I just recently,
like I start like I have like now I have
like tons of projects and I'm like, okay, I can
just pick which one I want to do. I'll keep
(24:12):
them in a little baggy and I'll take it with
me and I'll pull it out wherever I want to
do it. And it's like it's like now it's just
a little bit more for me. And I've learned how
to make sure I have that for me because if
I don't have it, girl, you better watch out, because
I'm not going to be very happy.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
I'm gonna be like down and just kind.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
Of like feel like a little bit useless, right because
there's something inside of us.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
That was just made to make things, you know, so
to create, right.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
I try to do that to some of my family members.
I was like, no, I have to do this. I
know you don't like I do. No, I really do.
But I do the same thing with my drawing or
my painting. I just keep a little book with me
and I'll be nursing and sketching or holding holding Annie
and now she's trying to eat the paper the paint.
(25:00):
So I have to be a little more careful.
Speaker 1 (25:02):
What kind of painting do you do, Like, are you watercolor?
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Like I've done watercolor, acrylic and oil. Okay, I kind
of bounce back and forth between what's my favorite. It's
kind of whatever I'm most invested in. So I've been
doing a lot of watercolor lately, but also pen and
ink and combining the two and just just loving it all.
And so we have sketch books all over the house
(25:28):
and stashes of pens and.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
What are you so old to me?
Speaker 3 (25:32):
It's that your kids see that, right, Like the kids.
Like once I started making that choice to do that,
I notice like my kids are picking up these things
more too, you know, like they'll pick up they'll have
like my kids walked around for the longest time and
they still do. They have them, you know, but with
their own little scrapbooks that they'll just start drawing. Or
like you know, our littlest one, Daisy, she's into theater stuff.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
And so we'll like do little things occasionally.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
We're like have a girl Versus boys' night where you
have to come and do your like you do that
you do like a little sing off, you know that
show where you like lip sync battle, and so like
the boys did that.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
Pass the Dutch from the left. We did like a
tailor slip song, you know, so we just do stupid.
Please invite us next time. Oh no, absolutely, that's yeah.
Judge you judge.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
You have to be a part of.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
Yes, yeah, you can sit there just performers. So but yeah,
I love that. Like when your kids start to see
it too, you teach them ways to be like it's
a it's just another way of being healthy for yourself, right,
Like it's just you know, we talk all the time
about like what to put in our bodies or what
(26:43):
not to put in our bodies, but this is like
feeding our brains and our souls and it's just how
we remain right.
Speaker 4 (26:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:51):
And I think, I mean, I think it's important for
kids to have creative outlets too and to see that
from a young age and to know like it's.
Speaker 4 (26:57):
Not all just like video games in the computer all. Yeah,
it is about like stretching those creative muscles too. And
whenever you see your family doing it, you know you
want to do it. Like my mom was always doing
crafts and.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Stuff with that.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
My mom too, Yeah, so I love to do this stuff.
Speaker 4 (27:12):
My grandmother crocheted and tatted and sewed, and stuff, and
so I wanted to do that stuff. And so I
think it's like a really good influence for your for
your kids to but bonding moments, whether it's even teaching
how to cook, you know, like we're.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
In the kitchen making cookies like that's that's a creative
journey too. You know, like it's really cool.
Speaker 4 (27:32):
But do you ever feel like you had a hard
time like speaking up to like tell other people, or
even feeling guilty with your children, like I need to
do the same for me, you know, like be cause
I think, as my friends say, mom guilt is a real.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
Thing and dad guilt does not exist. And I think
I think moms have that hard time saying like no,
I want an hour to go paint ricele or crochet
something or make something by myself. You take them let
me go do this.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
Yeah, right, or just finding a space in your house
that's like this is just for me. Please don't come
in here.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Yes, yeah, absolutely, yeah, leave me alone, don't touch the stock,
don't the door sort yes.
Speaker 2 (28:14):
Yeah. Well I'm very lucky to have the best support
in my husband because when we moved and my dad died,
we actually lost a baby and we had a fire
in our house and we had a tornado that and
we just had and then I got sick and I
(28:35):
was in and out of the hospital and I had
surgery and we were doing a thousand tests, and I
like lived at UAB and my husband's There started to
be times my mental health just went upot and it
was so Jake started. There started to be things where
it was like, no, I need to do some things
(28:55):
to be healthy. I need to have some time to
just sit and and and then art stuff started to
be like, Okay, I'm I need some time. I need
to go paint or I'm gonna go take these classes.
And he was really good at being like I would be.
You know, I don't feel good. I don't feel like
I can go, and He's like, no, yeah, you need
to go. You need to go do this. You need
to have this time. You're gonna feel better. You're gonna
come home feeling better, you know us, Yes, yes, yes,
(29:19):
and healthier. So even with having this last baby, yeah,
this last one, and we just had a rough ride
to have her at the end and I'm in labor
and we start we started talking about further art school
and Jake's standing there. You know, he's speaking affirmations to me,
and he's like, you're gonna go to art school, Honey,
you're gonna get through this and you're gonna go to
art school. And I was like, yes, I.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
I am, You're going to art. Yeah, that's it, Like okay,
we're gonna do it. It's like he's like throwing goals again.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
So it's been it's been so helpful. Yeah, yeah, mental
health and it really is mom health.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Yeah. And it's almost like I don't know if I
like this this, but like it's almost like a sea saw, right,
like where you're like you have those kids and then
you're just like thrown into it.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
Let's be real, none of us have any idea what
we're doing. You're thrown into it, and you're like you
have some like advice, but it's not all good and
so you're just trying to do your best. And so
the sea saw kind of goes this way for a
little bit because you're like fully delve into it, like
you've got this is this kid is your responsibility now,
you know, like you have all these things to do,
and then you forget about yourself.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
It's accidental.
Speaker 3 (30:32):
But then when you're like, oh, yeah, I'm not doing
so great, Like, what is it that I need to
like even this out?
Speaker 1 (30:38):
H that's good, but it's true. It's definitely juggling act.
Speaker 4 (30:42):
And as the resident single it is my job to
make sure my mom friends don't forget that. And I
always all of my mom forends it can attest to this.
I'm like, do you want to come over to my
house this evening and for like an hour and wool
craft and they're like.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's amazing.
Speaker 4 (31:01):
So I'm like, I always like to make sure. I'm like,
don't forget about yourself. Yeah, you know, that's my job
here as a childless.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Adult, right, don't forget it. Not forget about yourself. We're
all talking and I'll be like, Annah, they've got this
thing going on this place, let's go do this.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
And yes, it always helps, I see.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
And you need to have people like that in your lives.
And I didn't when my kids were I did not
have that. And I mean besides my husband, but.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
Like he's in it too, you know, like what's he
gonna do?
Speaker 2 (31:28):
Yeah exactly.
Speaker 3 (31:30):
Over here, so you know, so it's like, you know,
to have people to remind you, Hey, bro, take some
time for yourself, like you need to.
Speaker 1 (31:38):
You know. It's cool, like you are more than your children, right,
you know you do. It's like your whole identity rest
in them now.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
And I'm like, wait a second, I'm actually kind of decent,
Like I'm pretty cool all right, you know, like without
y'all too, you know, like I can be myself and
and I think that's what happened when my grandmother died, right,
Like I had kind of just lost myself to mother motherhood.
And then I was like, but I'm not this person anymore.
And I've evolved and I've grown and I've learned new things,
and you know, how you process that and put that art,
(32:10):
whatever it may be, out of the world is fun.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Because it's not a contest to see who's the best mom.
You don't get brownie points because you don't never get Yeah,
I never gave your child frozen chicken nuggets. You know
you're not getting award, Like definitely not.
Speaker 1 (32:33):
Nuggets my teenage. Yeah, exactly. At least I still like
my kids got tired of them, but don't come back
to find something else for a minute, just when they're teenagers.
It'll come back around. That kind of want to be
kids again. So what Yeah, teenagers and they're almost like
(32:53):
kindergarten again in some ways. Great. Yeah, thanks, I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
Thanks for that.
Speaker 1 (32:58):
You're welcome. Everyone around. She's just preparing you. I'm preparing you.
Everything's you know, God is Yeah, the heart is good
and hard that's true, not bad, just just hard well awsome.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
So goot a great talk, and you know, especially to
let other moms know, like you know, and you can
reach out to other moms or like like I told Aprils.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
Like we're going to form a crochet club. I am
because you started crocheting and I was like, I need help,
so I might even do that. It's fun. I'm not
so much person, but our choir and croche choir and gracious,
we could do carry crochet. It would be soul ideas ideas.
Speaker 3 (33:49):
So we'll have to do both of them with either
c's or like Krispy Kreme.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Cays, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
Like it's got to be this.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
We have to do an alliteration.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
I don't think we can do the case.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (34:01):
Not too many, not too many yes in your comments, give.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
Us a good name. Okay, I'm sorry, that was great. Well,
thank you so much for joining us today. I know
y'all probably have social media is to people can find
you and talk to y'all about motherhood and you know,
even give encouragement. Everybody needs encouragement. Or watch your Michael
(34:32):
Bolton music. Yes please you can buy Yes now this afternoon.
I know what I'm doing. That's hilarious. So we have
lots of opportunities at the Arts Council, Yeah, you know,
for moms. If you have suggestions, give us suggestions.
Speaker 3 (34:49):
We have classes, workshops, all kinds of stuff, and I
think that's probably a great way to find mom friends.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
Yes, have the same sort of you know yeah, yeah, exactly,
artistic dreams that you do exactly. That's great, awesome, So
thanks again for being here, Thanks for having us. Fun
was fun.
Speaker 4 (35:09):
Yeah, So please check out our website Shelby County Arts
Council dot com. You can follow us on Instagram at
the Arts Council Underscore Ladies and at shell Be Underscore
County Underscore Arts.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
I'm gonna get better at saying that way. She's gonna
do it all because I don't remember it. Remember. Yeah,
you can follow us on Facebook. There's some buttons, buttons
like start clicking some buttons subscribe Why yes, so thanks
so much, see you next time. Bye,
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