The idea of being alone in motherhood is at the forefront of my thinking. Most of my mom friends are not single mothers, however they are just as lonely as I am most of the day. There is no tribe helping with the food, cleaning, bathing, screaming. No one is there watching the children laugh and sing. Most of the time we mothers are very alone. It has not been this way for very long in society, but for those of us living it, this is all we know. I started a drawing on two papers connecting today. The top piece has my daughter laying on my back as she reaches down for something with joy on her face. My face stares at the viewer in exhaustion. Which is exactly how the picture I’m drawing from looks. Her face is laughing in joy and mine is staring at the camera with intense contrast to her in the black circles under my eyes defeated look. Though it was just in the moment the picture perfectly describes motherhood for me now. The bottom drawing is my bare back holding up a bar with planets on it. I am not sure what I going to be laying on. Xia will be colored vibrantly whereas the top ‘me’ will be a ghost under her of the universally tired mother. The other ‘me’ holding up her world will be colored like Xia as she is reaching to lift me up while I hold our universe in balance for her. Heavy burden of motherhood but always so rewarding. Hopefully I can pull of drawing her mouth as it is laughing. That will be very challenging angle to get right. But as for the rest of the piece I am very excited about this. Not sure if I should incorporate another string interaction on motherhood. If I do in the future it will be using prints.