motherhood & self-care: postpartum and maternity
creative therapy

Oh, motherhood and creativity – what a topic. It’s often the first thing to slip away when the little
one arrives, isn’t it? But reclaiming that creative spark can be the very lifeline you need.

The kettle’s boiled, the baby is (miraculously) asleep, and you’re sinking onto the sofa for what feels like the first proper cuppa of the day. You deserve this. You’ve just navigated a morning of nappy changes, milk explosions, and a brief but intense negotiation with a tiny human over whether or not they need to wear socks.

Before this tiny person landed, perhaps your life was a canvas: vibrant, sprawling, and entirely yours to control. You might have painted, written, stitched, or played music. Now? Now your canvas is mostly covered in purée and your own dried tears.

If you’re a new mum in the UK feeling like you’ve lost a piece of your pre-baby identity, or that the concept of ‘self-care’ is just a fancy term for a 3-minute shower, let me tell you something: you are not alone, and your creative life is not over. It’s just… different. It’s time to swap ‘perfect’ for ‘present’ and ‘long sessions’ for ‘lunch break bursts’.

This isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity. We’re diving into why creative activities, particularly something as gorgeously messy and freeing as painting, are vital for navigating the beautiful chaos of early motherhood. Grab a biscuit, take a deep breath, and let’s talk about reclaiming your inner artist.

When we talk about early motherhood, we often focus on the physical recovery and the sheer exhaustion. But what about the mental and emotional landscape? It undergoes a seismic shift, an ‘overhaul’ that leaves very little room for non-essential activities. And sadly, creativity often gets filed under ‘non-essential’.

Firstly, there’s time scarcity. Minutes are no longer yours. They belong to nap schedules, feeding windows, and endless household tasks. Trying to carve out an hour to set up an easel, mix paints, and clean up afterwards feels like organising a small wedding.

Secondly, there’s the insidious creep of guilt. If you manage to find 30 minutes free, that little voice in your head pipes up: Shouldn’t you be sterilising bottles? Or catching up on laundry? Or even better, sleeping? Spending time on a hobby that only benefits you can feel selfish, a betrayal of your dedication to your child. This is a societal trap, a pressure cooker of expectation that tells mothers they must be everything to everyone, with nothing left for themselves.

Thirdly, the mental load – the invisible labour of planning, remembering, and anticipating everything related to the baby and the household – is utterly draining. Your brain is a non-stop spreadsheet of logistics: ‘Do we have enough nappies?’, ‘When was the last Calpol dose?’, ‘The swimming class sign-up is this Friday!’. This constant cognitive whirring leaves your mind with no bandwidth for the quiet, exploratory, and often messy process of creation. Creativity is about empty space in the mind; motherhood is about filling every space with information.

When your creative well runs dry, it’s not just a hobby you lose – it’s a vital part of your sense of self. You become defined solely by your role as ‘Mum’, and while that role is the most important in the world, it shouldn’t be the only one. Reclaiming your creative outlet is about maintaining a relationship with the person you were before, and integrating her into the person you are now. It’s an act of identity preservation.

So, how do we get that part of ourselves back? We start small, we get messy, and we choose an activity that offers maximum therapeutic value for minimum mental effort. For many, that activity is painting.

The Power of Flow State

Painting, even just messing about with a handful of acrylics, offers a pathway to a phenomenon known as ‘Flow State’. This is a concept, popularised by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, where you become completely immersed in an activity. Time seems to disappear, self-consciousness fades, and the external worries of your life – including the sleep deprivation, the guilt, and the mountain of washing – recede.

For a sleep-deprived parent whose time is chopped into tiny fragments, achieving flow is like a mini-holiday. It’s a moment of pure, focused presence. You’re not trying to solve a problem; you’re just moving colour around a surface. You are finally, truly, off-duty. The act of choosing a brush, mixing a shade of blue, and making a mark is a profound exercise in control and autonomy, something new mums often feel they have completely lost.

Painting as Emotional Release (No Words Needed)

Motherhood is an absolute rollercoaster of emotion. The sheer, overwhelming love is coupled with exhaustion, anxiety, irritation, and sometimes, a deep and complex sense of grief for the life you left behind. These emotions are often too big, too nuanced, or too guilt-inducing to articulate in a conversation.

This is where painting comes into its own. It provides a non-verbal outlet. You don’t need to paint a beautiful landscape or a perfect portrait. You can simply choose colours that reflect your current mood and move them around the canvas or paper.

• Angry? Slam down some thick, sharp reds and blacks.
• Overwhelmed? Try a soothing blend of watery blues and greens.
• Joyful? Explode with bright yellows and pinks.

This is intuitive painting – it’s not about the finished product; it’s about the process. It’s a moment of catharsis. It allows you to process emotions on a sheet of paper without needing to find the words, explain yourself, or feel judged. It’s pure, beautiful, safe release.

Connecting to Your Intuition

Motherhood relies heavily on intuition. Does the baby’s cry mean hungry, tired, or wind? You learn to trust your gut. Creative activities reinforce this. When you paint intuitively, you are learning to trust your choices: Which colour next? This brush or that one?

Each time you make a confident mark on the canvas, you are practising trusting yourself. This confidence bleeds into your parenting. It’s a gentle, positive feedback loop: trust your artistic choices, trust your parenting instincts. They are all facets of the same inner voice.

A 25-minute nap window is not the time to start a six-foot oil portrait. The key to creative survival in early motherhood is embracing quick, low-stakes, and easily storable activities.

1. The 15-Minute Micro-Burst

Commit to 15 minutes of creation. Not an hour, not an evening – just 15 minutes. This is achievable.

• The Power of Paper and Gouache: Gouache (an opaque watercolour) is brilliant. It dries quickly, cleans up easily, and is incredibly versatile. Keep a small palette of ready-to-use gouache and a pad of watercolour paper on a shelf. When you get a 15-minute window, pull it out, paint until the baby wakes, and then pack it away instantly. No long setting up, no long clearing down.
• Expressive Sketching: Forget perfect drawings. Take 10 minutes to sketch your hand, the sleeping baby, or the clutter on the kitchen counter. Use a pen, not a pencil. The unforgiving nature of a pen forces you to accept imperfection and move on, which is a key skill for new parents!

2. Embrace Imperfection and the ‘Art of the Abandoned’

You are going to be interrupted. Your painting will be abandoned mid-stroke. You have to be okay with that. The art world is full of masterpieces, but your post-baby art is about mental health, not museum exhibition. Lower the stakes to zero. If you spend 20 minutes on a piece and hate it, simply tear it up, and consider the 20 minutes a successful self-care session. The value was in the doing, not the keeping.

3. Sensory Play: Art WITH the Baby

As your baby gets a little older, your creative time doesn’t have to be a solo mission; it can become a joint venture. Sensory art is a wonderful way to connect and save yourself the guilt!

• Edible Finger Painting: Use plain yoghurt mixed with food colouring. Lay a big sheet of paper or a high-chair tray mat out, strip the baby down, and let them go wild! It’s safe, easy to clean up (straight into the bath!), and you can join in the colourful fun.
• Foot and Hand Prints (The Easy Way): Instead of trying to use tempera paint and getting it everywhere, buy inkless print kits. They capture a perfect print for the memory box with zero mess. You’ve still engaged in a creative, lasting memory-making activity

Sometimes, you need to leave the house. You need four walls that aren’t splattered with last week’s dinner, and an environment where someone else is in charge of the mess. This is where creative workshops come in, offering a vital few hours of adult conversation, instruction, and uninterrupted flow.

If you’re a London mum looking for that dedicated creative space – a sanctuary to leave the daily grind behind and just be – you’ll want to check out Art Play London. They offer a fantastic variety of workshops designed for all levels, and they understand that sometimes, all you need is a space and the materials.

One of their most appealing options for a busy mum, where you can simply turn up and paint at your own pace, is the FreeFlow session. This is a brilliant concept, perfect for those unpredictable schedules. It’s an unguided, relaxed session where you can just dive in with canvas and paint, giving you the control to create whatever you want, whenever you want. You can find out more and book your spot here: https://www.artplay.co.uk/art-workshop-london/free-flow

But it’s not just FreeFlow! Art Play London has a range of incredible workshops that cater to different moods and interests, all designed to give you that much-needed creative time away.

• Sip & Paint: For a guided session with a glass of fizz – perfect for a mum’s night out.
• Hand Building Pottery Class: Great for tactile, mindful creation away from a screen or phone.
• Candle Making Workshop: Combine creativity with a practical, beautiful item for your home.
• Silver Ring Making Workshop: Learn a completely new skill and walk away with a piece of jewellery to represent your resilience.
• Vibe & Paint: A Friday or Saturday night unguided paint party with a DJ – an amazing way to truly switch off and let loose.

Taking yourself out of the home environment and into a dedicated space like this is an investment in your well-being. It’s a physical separation from the demands of motherhood, allowing you to focus purely on the joy of creating.

A New Canvas

The canvas of your life has changed dramatically since becoming a mother. It’s messier, more chaotic, and sometimes, you can barely see the original colours underneath all the new layers. But that’s what makes it beautiful.

Don’t wait for the ‘right time’ to be creative. There is no right time in early motherhood. There is only now – the 10 minutes before the next feed, the 30 minutes during a surprisingly long nap.

View your creativity as an essential tool for resilience. It’s not a frivolous hobby; it’s the anchor that keeps you connected to your own identity. Whether you’re splashing paint onto a page, joining a FreeFlow session at Art Play London, or simply doodling in a notebook while the baby naps, you are nurturing yourself. And when you nurture yourself, you are a better, happier, and more present mother.

So, put the kettle on again, uncap that paint tube, and make a mark. It’s your time.

t Art Play London, we believe that everyone has a creative side waiting to be explored. Our mission is to provide a space where both children and adults can unleash their inner artist, learn new skills, make new friends and have fun doing something a bit different.