Another mother of invention

bygeorgianneF

245 followers

Updated 10 years ago

in the battle between motherhood and art making, The Female Artist has traditionally lost. ANOTHER MOTHER OF INVENTION hopes to level the playing field...

My name is Georgianne Fastaia and I started ANOTHER MOTHER OF INVENTION to help other Artists find their way back to their Creative work after motherhood.

in 2012 The Gallery which exclusively represented me lost their lease. At first I was relieved to devote myself to caring for Sophie. I expected The Gallery to find a new retail space and was not too worried , as I had some savings and I was enjoying being a full-time mother. However the Gallery never re-opened, my savings became depleted and I lost my studio.

Unable to sell my paintings at Gallery prices, and unwilling to reduce prices out of professional consideration for my collectors, my paintings sat in my garage. Without a studio, I was unable to create a new body of work to submit for representation .I paid the bills building websites,catering, and gardening. I compensated for my deep despair at losing the ability to earn a living from my art by immersing myself in motherhood with a vehemence .Depression set in and 3 years passed without making a single mark on canvas.

Collectors wrote me, wondering where to find my work. I did not have the heart to tell them that I had not painted in years. So I set out to make a plan– What will it take to bring this painter back to her studio? With no savings left, finding and renting a studio seemed an impossibility. Then I read about crowd-funding and the idea for ANOTHER MOTHER OF INVENTION was born

Of course--we all struggle. And single parents struggle more than partnered parents. However what makes the struggles of a mother who is a Creative Artist--choreographer, filmmaker--- uniquely different from the struggles of mothers in nearly every other profession-- is that to make creative work you need to be willing to initially work at a loss: investing in your studio, your supplies, paying fees to enter shows and get your work seen--before ever earning a dollar. Unless you are already well known in your field, or have a partner who supports you financially, you cannot sustain the outlay of energy needed to work at a loss, plus hold down a job that pays the bills, and be there for your child.

Knowing this, many women artists choose to not have children. However increasingly many of us are struggling with this balancing act. Of course many of us start out, as most women do, with partners. However being an Artist does not make you immune to the disintegration of family partnerships. So what does a newly single mother who is an Artist do?

In my case I held out as long as I could and when I could no longer, My Creativity , what I believe is my gift to the world, became buried under the daily struggles of single motherhood.

Something extraordinary needs to happen if I am to paint again. It is not easy to ask for he lp however I know that without support I can not do it alone. I am hoping there are enough people out there who believe in my Art, and who are willing to help an artist in real need in the here and now, that I can get back on my feet and find a way to do the work I was born to do.

I am in the process of researching how to build a successful crowd-funding campaign, with the goal to raise about funds needed to return to art making. I will share what I have learned here and offer support and advice for other artists who want to follow my plan, if it succeeds.

http://anothermotherofinvention.siterubix.com/