Mom's viral photo shows kids don't have to end your career
If you haven’t already seen this throwback picture from artist Hein Koh, take a look. The badass mother of twins recently posted it to Facebook proving that not only are women the ultimate multitaskers, but that being a mother doesn’t mean that your career has to come to a halt.
“[This is] when my #twins were 5 weeks old and despite the sleep deprivation and frequent (every 2-3 hours, 24-7, 45 min at a time) #breastfeeding, I was still getting shit done,” she writes.
Koh is a sculptor living in Brooklyn, N.Y. who gave birth to twins back in May 2015. Frustrated by the words of fellow artist (and mother) Marina Abramovic, who was quoted as saying that, “children hold women back in the art world,” she decided to post this image of how she managed just fine.
“All Marina knows is her own experience, and it may be true for her, but that is not everyone’s experience nor truth. Becoming a #mom (of twins no less) has personally helped me become a better #artist – I learned to be extremely efficient with my time, prioritize what’s important and let go of the rest, and #multitask like a champ.”
“I learned to function (even if barely) on very little sleep, and out of the chaos, insanity and even torture at times, a flood of new emotions entered into my work, becoming more interesting & layered as a result.”
While Koh is quick to point out that she’s not suggesting artists who are parents are better artists than non-parents, but rather that parenting is just another life experience.
“Parenting is like any other challenge in life – the biggest f**king challenge in my own life thus far – and if you embrace it and figure out creative solutions, you can emerge a better person.”
And it didn’t take long for Koh’s post to make it’s way through the Internet.
“Well said,”Sujata Thawani commented. “There are moments when I question the career/parenting balance in my own life but I think its an overall net gain in both directions. thank you for expressing your strength and motivation.”
“Love this!” added April Zanne Johnson. “I nursed all my babies and number 4 came my third semester of Montclair MFA Studio Arts /grad school and I nursed him during class. You should send this to Marina Abramovic and show her what this generation is doing! Hein Koh= Goddess Warrior.”
While Koh has been overwhelmed by the response to the photo, she’s happy that it’s opening up the conversation about women and careers.
“I’m experiencing a little bit of Internet fame from my tandem breastfeeding laptop photo, which I feel a little embarrassed by. However, the reason I posted it in the first place is to let other artists, particularly female artists, know that deciding to have kids doesn’t necessarily mean you will compromise your creativity, that in fact you may become MORE creative,” she says.
“I’ve received a lot of praise but also attacks, but hey I’m just trying to do the best I can. Moms are always the first to judge other moms, when we should just leave each other alone. I’d like to promote a culture where women build up other women and don’t feel the need to tear each other apart, leading by example rather than attack. Let’s just let one another live.”
What do you think of Koh’s image? Let us know what you think by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA.
