#yycLCL February 2017
I’m an abstract painter and creative events host living and working in Calgary. Making the decision to leave my nine-to-five job five years ago to be a full-time artist was a catalyst for welcoming a more creative flow into my family’s life and it’s been a wild ride ever since!
As a newly single mother of three young children, the creative approach to everyday living can sometimes mean finding new ways to juggle work/life balance. Our after school playdates and homework time happen at the studio on occasion, so that I can continue with my work while the children are let free to splatter, pour, and play. The children and I have also brainstormed creative ways to spin our art-making family time into financial flow, and we host ongoing workshops for children together. We’ve also hosted music concerts, figure drawing nights, and have even held a children’s art exhibition together.
Although it can be a struggle at times to be an artist and a mother, the involvement that my children have in dreaming up new ideas and finding ways to make them a reality is a blessing.
Desere Pressey is a Calgary-based abstract painter and creative events host with Off-Beat Figure Drawing Sessions and Mermaid & The Secret Door Events. Find her online at deserepressey.com, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
Show us how you live a creative life by tagging your Instagram snapshots with #yycLCL, and we may feature your image next month.