Creative progress looks different in motherhood

Becoming a mother has changed the way I understand progress.

There was a time when I measured creative progress in obvious ways: auditions, opening nights, finished manuscripts, festivals, meetings, opportunities.

They were tangible milestones. Other people could see them. I could point to them and say, Look, I did that! I’m moving forward.

These days, I have a whole set of new constraints on my time, and my creative life looks different– and so does my definition of progress.

I don’t have to attempt to smash out a full novel to feel like a writer. Sometimes the small things, the systems, and the infrastructure around my writing are just as powerful as the writing itself.

In this season, progress might be as simple as reading a few pages of my book! Because the best writers are often great readers. It might be scribbling an idea into my notes app while one of my boys builds a tower beside me. It might be finding twenty quiet minutes to work on a novel, watching a brilliant piece of theatre, going to festivals, supporting other artists, recording something for social media, or having a conversation that shifts the way I see a character.

None of those moments come with applause. There isn’t an opening night, a review, or an announcement to mark them.

If I measured my life only by the big milestones, I'd probably feel as though I wasn't moving very much at all, but I don't think creativity works like that.

The same way our children change so gradually that we almost don’t notice it, our inner artist develops in increments. You don’t always notice yourself becoming a better writer, a stronger actor, or a more thoughtful artist while it is happening.

Motherhood has forced me to value my time. It has made me more discerning about what I say ‘yes’ to. I am more realistic. I haven’t lost sight of my big dreams; I’m just more willing for them to take the time they need to, and to celebrate the small wins too.

So if your creative life feels slower than it once did, don’t be too quick to assume you’ve stopped growing.

Progress isn’t always measured by what you’ve finished.

Sometimes it’s measured by your willingness to keep showing up, keep learning, and to trust that every small step is taking you somewhere worthwhile, even if you can’t quite see the destination yet.