Motherhood and Biznesshood – a fandangled mash!

Balancing life as a mom and running a business may not be a new fandangled way of life anymore, which is why I want to address it.  I go back to the roots of why I began this business.  I love acting and I love my kids.  I was brought up in a world where having a career was something that the women who went before me, in my family, my mother’s friends, and certainly my schooling had fought for very hard.  The right to have control over one’s career and choice of marriage not because of need for financial security, but because we actively chose it was a choice offered to my generation.

Aged eighteen, one of my best friends from high school, proudly announced that after graduating from college with honors she was planning on finding a husband, getting married and having four children.  We all scoffed and derided her – believing that she was not taking advantage of the wonderful opportunities offered to her by living in this generation.  Is she now happy or not?… I don’t know – perhaps she (or a version of her) will read this post and respond.  Nonetheless, in retrospect, I admire her for her bravery in that moment for going against the tide.

Working mom or stay-at-home mom, or all of those of us in between… there is guilt that we are not giving our best to either our kids or our jobs.  I can’t say that I was particularly aware of this when I began “The Land Of Imagination”.  I just really needed to continue something that belonged to me as my world became more and more enmeshed in that of a mother and wife.  So many of us moms feel a loss of self when you finally realize that you are really only thought of in the world as Dash’s mom from basketball, Tallulah’s mom – the science helper, or if I’m very lucky Olivia’s very creative mom.  Then there are the times that I have to work and I’m missing out on Olivia’s choir concert – was the work really worth it?

I don’t have all the answers, or actually any of them – except that I feel really good when I perform and write shows.  When I put a smile on a kid’s face as they race to “The Land of Imagination”, it warms my heart and makes my day.

I have decided to take the next step forward in this bizness… and start to stream some of my shows… yes on the internet…no not yet.  We had the first big shoot a few weekends ago.  The kids around my block stepped up to play “Little Bunny Foo Foo”.  My son and his best friend offered to shoot it with a couple of borrowed video cameras.  Olivia and Tallulah offered to star as Little Bunny Foo Foo.  It was a great experience, but waaaaay to shaky to show y’all.  Perhaps a few videos down the line, I will start to actually stream them.  I just thought I would invite you along on this new part of my rollercoaster ride of balancing motherhood with businesshood.