On Mother's day, I got to do something that I would not normally dream of doing on a Sunday morning. I went for a sketching workshop.
If you are a stay at home mom with small kids, you know how Sundays are. Even the earth cannot seem to rotate unless you are up and about on your toes. And now you can understand why this post is coming in long after mother's day... I just could not grab some time to post...
I love to draw and I do draw a lot for my kids and my craft projects. But not having taken any training or any practice of any sorts, I know I am more of a amateur doodler than an artist.
I read by this feature in the local newspaper about a studio called 'Kokaachi', couple months ago. The name totally got me. 'Kokaachi' means monster or scary person in Malayalam. The quintessential boogeyman of our childhood. That monster that nobody can perfectly describe but anyone can imagine. The one that lurks under every child's bed and in every dark corner. The one monster that is conveniently summoned by parents to get chores completed, home-work done and vegetables eaten. I know, I know definitely not a best practice for parents. But our parents used it on us.. and I do catch myself calling the 'Kokaachi' at times when nothing else works!
Amused by the name, I hopped on to their website and Facebook page only to further amazed by their work. Run by a very creative couple - Prateek and Tina, they have taken on the task to tell the world all 'the untold stories'- through drawings, graphics, comics, doodles.
I was interested to know that they had a monthly sketching workshop ('Vara') for 'anyone who loves to draw'.
I just needed to go.
But my mind was scattered. A 100 questions. What will my husband think? What about all the tidying up that needs to be be done? The laundry? I'm not even an artist, and so what if I make a fool of myself? Will I look like I'm old and trying very hard to be cool? How does a mother validate the urge to want to go sketching for a few hours on a Sunday when her whole world depends on her. A mother puts everyone else first. She facilitates everyone else's plans. I was feeling guilty even wanting to go.
After a few hours of beating myself up I managed to tell my husband who sounded super enthusiastic and agreed to babysit.
I felt like a rebel. Borrowing my 6 year old's colours and an sketchpad I got as a birthday present 7 years ago, I went for it.
It was exciting to realise that Prateek was junior from college and we knew each other at some point. And he assured me that the session was just a bunch of fun activities to think out of the box and express oneself through drawing.
The three hours was a real refreshing mother's day present. Met some super talented people and had lots of fun. (even though my drawings were amateur... LOL). But overall I felt great. And I was reminded of how much I really love to draw.
So to all the other moms out there.. you rock. Yes your little world depends on you for everything. That said, if you can get some help once in a while, take it and go do something for yourself. Do it. Don't forget who you are.
If you are a stay at home mom with small kids, you know how Sundays are. Even the earth cannot seem to rotate unless you are up and about on your toes. And now you can understand why this post is coming in long after mother's day... I just could not grab some time to post...
I love to draw and I do draw a lot for my kids and my craft projects. But not having taken any training or any practice of any sorts, I know I am more of a amateur doodler than an artist.
I read by this feature in the local newspaper about a studio called 'Kokaachi', couple months ago. The name totally got me. 'Kokaachi' means monster or scary person in Malayalam. The quintessential boogeyman of our childhood. That monster that nobody can perfectly describe but anyone can imagine. The one that lurks under every child's bed and in every dark corner. The one monster that is conveniently summoned by parents to get chores completed, home-work done and vegetables eaten. I know, I know definitely not a best practice for parents. But our parents used it on us.. and I do catch myself calling the 'Kokaachi' at times when nothing else works!
Amused by the name, I hopped on to their website and Facebook page only to further amazed by their work. Run by a very creative couple - Prateek and Tina, they have taken on the task to tell the world all 'the untold stories'- through drawings, graphics, comics, doodles.
I was interested to know that they had a monthly sketching workshop ('Vara') for 'anyone who loves to draw'.
I just needed to go.
But my mind was scattered. A 100 questions. What will my husband think? What about all the tidying up that needs to be be done? The laundry? I'm not even an artist, and so what if I make a fool of myself? Will I look like I'm old and trying very hard to be cool? How does a mother validate the urge to want to go sketching for a few hours on a Sunday when her whole world depends on her. A mother puts everyone else first. She facilitates everyone else's plans. I was feeling guilty even wanting to go.
After a few hours of beating myself up I managed to tell my husband who sounded super enthusiastic and agreed to babysit.
I felt like a rebel. Borrowing my 6 year old's colours and an sketchpad I got as a birthday present 7 years ago, I went for it.
It was exciting to realise that Prateek was junior from college and we knew each other at some point. And he assured me that the session was just a bunch of fun activities to think out of the box and express oneself through drawing.
The three hours was a real refreshing mother's day present. Met some super talented people and had lots of fun. (even though my drawings were amateur... LOL). But overall I felt great. And I was reminded of how much I really love to draw.
So to all the other moms out there.. you rock. Yes your little world depends on you for everything. That said, if you can get some help once in a while, take it and go do something for yourself. Do it. Don't forget who you are.
So happy you got to enjoy some special Seena time. It is so important for moms to take a break and I'm pleased your husband supported you on this. It is important for children to realise and understand that their mothers have other interests outside the home. That's how they learn to value their mother as an individual and learn from it. My daughter used to watch me studying and I'm sure that's what led her to love reading and studying herself. She remembers those times fondly and often compliments me on having been a great mom. Hopefully she still thinks that, even though she's out living her own life now. I am so proud of her. She's still a studier and currently doing a PhD in Chemistry.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing a lovely post, Seena. Your family must be so proud of you.
Yes Nicola, You are so right. Sometimes we get so used to getting things done for everyone, we forget that we need to get out from it all and refresh ourselves. So happy to hear your daughter's story. :) Congrats to you too!
DeleteA good escape from the regular stuff is what refreshes you. Glad you did this for yourself.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ami!
DeleteIt is always a pleasure to read your breezy posts that simply flow...
ReplyDeleteThank you Rajeev. :)
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