Last weekend Mike and I had the rare opportunity to enjoy a night out without our kids. We went to the Coyote Art Festival at the historic Flat Iron Arts Building in Chicago, where over 150 neighborhood artists displayed their paintings, sculptures, and photography. I had a couple of realizations that I’d like to share here:

1. I am a person! I used to be a person – an interesting person who did interesting things. And then I became a mom. Being a mom is great and there is absolutely no more rewarding work in the world. But it’s hard to maintain that perspective when the larger portion of my days are spent wiping away boogers and preparing meals that are promptly dumped on the floor to be eaten by the dog. It was refreshing to take some time away from the kids and be in an environment that stimulated my own deeper thinking and emotions, and to remember that I am a person, separate from my “momness”.
2. Everyone has an inner artist. To quote one of my favorite artists from the festival, Kevin Lahvic, “Ask a class of first graders if there are any artists in the room and they will all raise their hands.” The artists displaying their wares at the Flat Iron are from every age, race and creed you can imagine. Some are seasoned veterans, many are young and just starting out, and a small handful are older adults who are taking their first stab at turning art into profession. Most people seem to agree on the value of arts programming for children, but few of us actually continue to have an artistic outlet as adults. There is something therapeutic and deeply spiritual about freely expressing oneself without the inherent limitations of language.
3. Cool people wear scarves. It’s true. Wear a scarf and you’ll instantly give off that cool, arts-y vibe. If you want to be a cool parent tell your kids to wear a scarf not to keep warm but to look awesome!

So this week I’m trying to: remember that I’m a person of which my parenting is one (very important) aspect; get in touch with my own inner artist while also trying to utilize art as a medium for communication between my children and myself; and wear scarves!