Applying “Steal Like an Artist”( by Austin Kleon ) to our Motherhood Experience

First things first : This is not a sponsored post. I am not getting financial compensation from anyone to write this. Austin Kleon doesn’t know who I am. I am an unknown woman from Missouri. I am not an influencer, and therefore don’t get sponsored by individuals , nor by companies.

I recognize that to be a wife and mother is my highest calling. If the chief aim of man is to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever”, as we are told in the Westminster Catechism, then certainly one way that will affect my enjoyment of God is peace and harmony in my home. As a wife and mother, then I am responsible to watch over this atmosphere and encourage peace and harmony wherever possible. This is certainly not an easy task, nor is it a passive one.I do believe that to daily serve my people is a type of Quiet Revolution. Joyfully serving at home is in direct opposition to the humanistic teachings of the world, and is a cause that I am willing to give my time, resources, and attention to.

Which brings us to Moher Culture. I made that leap , because being a Charlotte Mason student myself, I know that one of the best ways to continue to teach my children well is to continue to learn myself. I am an artist, a photographer by vocation. It is in that vein that I came across Austin Kleon’s work, recommended to me by someone in the home decorating sphere that I admire. “Steal Like An Artist” in an inspirational book no matter your vocation. In this post, I would like us to consider how to apply it to our most important work: mothering.

I find it helpful to begin all topics of my personal research with a question. The questions that lead me to this place of viewing Kleon’s work through the lens of motherhood was this: If I were to approach motherhood the same way I approach my art , what would change? What would stay the same? Is “Steal Like An Artist” a helpful outline for considering the work of motherhood?

The concept of considering motherhood as art form is not new to me. I have spilled a quantity of digital ink on the topic in now-deleted blog posts over the years. Emily P Freeman ,in her gift to the world, “A Milion Little Ways” taught us to view whatever we do as our art. She made this case over a decade ago. And frankly, in that season of four young children uner the age of eight years old, I found her idea inspiring. I clung to her words like a much needed mantra on the diffiuclt days. The wiping of noses, the baking of bread, the phonics lessons, and handicrafts and cloth diapering- it was my art. The art of early motherhood.

A decade later, I now find myself with a very different set of parenting circumstances. My newly minted 19 year old is an EMT , having graduated from our homeschool last May. My next oldest is 17 years old, and he will be graduating in December. My 14 year old will begin driving this fall, and my baby girl is starting the delightful and terrifying physical experience of becoming a woman. I have an adult, and an almost adult, and two more directly following behind. I am finding that just because the physically difficult parts of mothering are behind me, the work is far from over. I am finding this season to be more of an emotionally laboring season , rather than the physical labor of nursing and sleepless nights.

If ever there was a time to consider motherhood in general, and to thoughtfully consider how I am going to finish this time of active mothering well, then this is the time.

I submit to you that the book “Steal Like An Artist “ presents a great framework for considering exactly that. Austin Kleon’s first five overarching points will be what we are looking at today. Some of the rules correspond with the titles of the first five of his chapters, and two do not, but are subheadings in those chapters.

His first point that I want us to consider is “Steal Like an Artist.”

How does this apply ot our motherhood? Practically this implies that we are actively seeking out good mothering examples. The examples of godly women who have gone before us. We can glean from a wealth of artists that came before us. We can learn from those further down the path of wifedom and motherhood. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Nor do we have to be slaves to whatever parenting trends the world is currently peddling.

A practical consideration might be : how do we find these older artist mothers? The Bible offers us a road map in Titus 2 where it tells the mature women to teach the younger. In my twenties, I looked I longed for this desperately. I was picturing a type of super christian woman. I did not find her. However, I did find a treasure trove of women authors who talked about loving, serving, and living well. As I began to read my new found curricula, I realized that getting to the deeper question of a life well lived is more life-giving, and ultimately more helpful than a book centered on a specific parenting philosophy .

When learning to be a godly mother, I did not find the current Christian publishing industry to be helpful or beneficial long term. The Christian psychologists with the catchy slogans and talk radio programs on christian radio seemed far more interested in peddling their ideas than mining the depths of what the Bible has to say about parenting. I wonder if part of the reason that parenting only makes up about % of the Bible , is the God is expecting us to pursue godliness and wisdom, and to teach our children from that perspective .

The next point from Mr. Kleon that I want us to consider in the light of Motherhood is, “Write the Book you want to read.”

As mothers, we know that we are shaping our children's lives. To carry this a bit further, we are shaping their story. Both their right now -story, and the story of who they will one day become. Asking ourselves questions is helpful here again as we shape out our ideals of motherhood. What type of story do you want them to be? What type of story do you want to be?

Story is far more effective in teaching our children than punishments or lectures. Every culture on earth hs valued story. It is part of what makes up the human experience. When I consider the above questions, how much they love God, and those around them is automatically what comes first to mind. Not in a pious way, but in a real grit and dirt, loving others well by caring for the needs of those around them. Charlotte Mason said it far better than I ever could when she intoned that

“The question is not, -- how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education -- but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?” - Charlotte Mason , Volume 3, pages 170-171

If my children caring is my priority for them , then that immediately gives me the direction I head in. I have to discard complacency and apathy. I have to trample upon my own jaded notions. I have to develop my own willpower towards caring. We all know that children mimic what they see modeled. If caring individuals is what we want for our children, then that is precisely what we must first become.

“Don’t wait until you know who you Are.” - Austin Kleon , page 25-26 “Steal Like An Artist”

I found this idea to be really helpful in my professional life. For our consideration of motherhood, I want us to throw out the idea that you need to find yourself. Yes, you are a person. You are a soul that is housed in a body. But the idea that we “loose ourselves” as we become moms is completely false. You do not need to find your perfect mothering philosophy before you can begin to parent. Nor do you need to nail down a mothering aesthic ( I’m looking at you Beige Moms.) Do you have children? Do you love them, care for them , provide for them? Boom. Self found. You are a loving mother. No, this is not the sum total of your identity, but it is a great place to start.

If the whole idea of finding ourselves and discovering ourselves is a false dichotomy then what should we be focusing on? I can hear you now “Are you sure I haven’t lost myself in my motherhood? Becasuse the sore breasts, spit up stains, and three day hair would disagree with you. Am I not allowed to do anything for myself?”

I would be the last to tell you that a shower, or a delicious sandwhich or an uninterrupted , hot cup of coffee were beyond you. You need to feed and care for your body. Your life and the lives of your children depend on that. Please take care of yourself. Absolutely. All that I am asking you to consider is throwing out the idea that you have lost yourself.

You’re right there. There you are , smiling at your toddler. You are using your talents , strengths and abilities to build up your home, your church, and your community. You don’t need to find yourself. You’re already found.

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind but now I see.”

Intead of looking for that perfect parenting philosophy, instead learn about who you are in Christ, and then teach your children that same foundation. Our identity comes from the fact that God created us, sustains us, and saved us. These are the major issues. Whether you identify with gentle parenting or not is a minor issue that flows from your understanding of theology and world view. It’s not the starting point.

We can love and serve our families without a complete handle on who we are when it comes to the minor issues. We don’t need to be fearful about the unknowns, nor do we need to go about claiming to have all the answers. If we continue to grow in grace and wisdom alongside our kids, then we won’t be the same in a year from now, or five years from now. That is good news ! That is the process of Sanctification. As we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, that sanctifying work is going to make us better people overall, and better mothers specifically.

Mr. Kleon’s forth point is “Use Your Hands.” - page 50-51 “Steal Like An Artist”

One of the most concerning parts of modern life in 2024 is that we live our lives so wildly disconnected from our own bodies. Consider the modern person: whether or not we work online, we certainly socialize and amuse ourselves online. Instead of going places , we look at snapshots of them. Instead of reading books, we watch people’s 60 second video summary of them. We don’t view the Masterpices anymore. We look at weird computer generated images. We have exchanged the truth of God for a lie. We have exchanged supporting our neighbors by patroning their small businesses from buying from an online conglomerate that we know has concerning practices at best. We have forsaken friendship and community in our churches, instead opting to participate online. We mistake casual observation and small talk for actual discussions. We have redefined what it means to be a person, what it means to be educated, what it means to live a life that’s truly worth living. We are screening ourlseves out of the Human Condition. We must regain the disconnected parts of ourselves and live our lives in our actual bodies.

How do we utilize this idea in motherhood? This may be one of the simpler ideas to implement. We chase our kids, we play tag, we ride bikes together, go on hikes together. We laugh and sing and learn to play instruments. We sit near our children. We stare deeply into their eyes and give them our full attention when talking to the. We reconnect through conversations, music, books, and games. We hold their hands during a walk. We give them an encouraging pat on the back as we walk by. We make things with them. We teach them a variety of handicrafts. We let them completely trash our formerly clean kitchen.. Erm, excuse me .We cook with them.

“Do Good Work. Show it.” - page 74-75 “Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon.

This is Mr. Kleon’s 6th chapter in his book.

Yay! You are already doing this. You are doing the good work of pointing your children toward God. You are teaching them the virtues, and good habits. you are helping them to love stories. You are spending these young parenting years in building the framework and foundation that will be built upon as your child continues to grow in maturity. Doing the good and difficult work now ensures that when it’s time to share it with the world , your children will be kind, virtuous individuals who go out into their communities and make the world a better place.

And at the end of the day, isn’t that precisely what motherhood is all about?