There’s a quiet magic in watching your child grow — not just in size or speech or skill, but in spirit. And somewhere along the way, if you’re paying close enough attention, you realize: you’re growing too.
This illustration began as a simple drawing — my son and I walking through a field of flowers. But as I layered petals and paths, I realized this piece was saying more. It was a reflection of where we are right now: hand in hand, walking through the unknown, growing beside each other.
So many of my illustrations begin this way — sparked by a quiet photo I’ve taken of us, a moment that holds meaning. I use those photographs as a base, a memory to return to, and then I reimagine them into something softer and symbolic. This one came from a photo of us walking, unaware the camera was even there — just the two of us, held by the day.
Motherhood doesn’t wait for you to be ready. It pulls you in, stretches you, and reveals parts of you that you didn’t know existed. It asks you to become daily. To mother your child, yes, but also to re-mother yourself. To nurture the parts of you that are still tender, still learning, healing.
✿ That’s what inspired these words:
Every step we take through this garden of becoming,
I learn to mother you,
and I learn to mother myself—
gently, imperfectly, with hands full of grace.
We are both unfolding,
blooming in ways the world cannot always see.
This illustration is a love letter to that journey, to the blooming we don’t always notice in real time. It’s for the moms who feel like they’re figuring it out as they go. Who wonders if they’re doing it "right." Who are tired, soft, strong, unsure, and brave — sometimes all in the same moment.
We are growing. We are becoming.
And that, in itself, is enough.
Thank you for being here with me. I hope this piece speaks to a part of your heart that needed to hear it. If it does, feel free to share it with a mama who’s walking her own path through the garden.
✿ What This Series Is
This post is part of an ongoing art and motherhood series where I share pieces from my sketchbook, the stories behind them, and the reflections they’ve brought to life. These are quiet, intentional spaces — made to hold the beauty and complexity of growing as a mother and an artist.
Every piece begins with something real — a photo from my life, a fleeting moment, a feeling too big for words — and becomes something visual, tender, and lasting.
If you’ve been craving something slow, real, and heart-centered… this space is for you.
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