For Catherine Ricketts, it is not that mother-artists need to explore motherhood directly in their art, but that the act of mothering changes the way they see and create. “Caregiving,” she proposes, can “change her vision of the world, … shape the art that she makes, [and shape] those who encounter it.” Ricketts quotes essayist Leslie Jamison: “Being with my baby every hour of every day demanded close attention, not just to her … but also to everything else, because the alternative to paying attention was growing bored out of my mind…. My gaze was sensitized, the way your eyes can see more after you’ve spent a few minutes in the dark.” Motherhood, if we allow it – if we do the work of attending – can shape us and our vision.

Can making art make you a better mother?