Mum Feelz - A Comic About Parenthood (Laughing Instead of Crying in the Midst of Hard Parenting)

Drawing comics and finding humour in the hard stuff has helped to remind me that I am not alone.

As I mentioned in this blog post, I have been feeling a little burnt out and the words stopped flowing easily for me. So, instead of doing nothing, I started drawing (badly) and ended up creating Mum Feelz - a comic about parenthood.

Mum Feelz (named by my BFF) lays bare the feelings of frustration about the things that make us want to scream/cry as a parent:

• Lack of privacy

• Lack of alone time

• Sensory overload (e.g. being over-touched/too much noise)

• Intimacy issues

• Mess

• Sibling arguments

These are just some of the things that I sometimes struggle with, and if you are a parent, then I am almost certain that you can relate to at least some of them yourself.

So, I gathered together all of the comics that I have drawn recently (all 28 of them, so far), and put them together to make a FREE 16-page comic book for your horror and amusement.

You can download this comic book (PDF) as my gift to you, HERE.

Or you can find it on the Freebies page on my website (www.marleybetts.com).

Please do feel welcome to share the Mum Feelz comic book with other parents who you think might enjoy it.

It might help them feel less alone in this crazy, messy, noisy, love-filled parenthood journey that we are on (or at least feel like a much better parent than I am haha).

Now, I just want to get a bit serious for a moment. Stick with me here.

Being a parent brings us the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.

Please reach out if you need help - to a friend, a loved one, a doctor or mental health practitioner, Beyond Blue (Ph. 1300 22 4636), Lifeline (Ph. 13 11 14), or anyone you trust.

You don't have to do it alone.

You are seen and understood.

Enjoy Mum Feelz.

Much love,

Marley x

Inspiration for Creatives in the Form of SARK

Let me tell you who SARK is and how she can help inspire you to live in your truth and create with free abandon.

Her name is Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy, but she is goes by her initials: SARK.

SARK is an artist, author (16 books and counting), and teacher, who inspires people to live their truth.

I first heard about her through Leonie Dawson, another creative who I admire. I put a hold on SARK's book 'Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper' at the library and ordered secondhand copies of 'Succulent Wild Woman', and 'A Creative Companion' on eBay.

'Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper: Gifting the World with Your Words and Stories, and Creating the Time and Energy to Actually Do It' ended up in my hands first, and I immediately fell in love. I was so clearly able to see the influence that SARK has had on Leonie and her work. Being able to see where one of my inspirations found her inspiration was like finding a well of creativity that was freely accessible to me.

So, I drank.

I am HUGELY inspired by people who NEED to create. Those for whom creating is not something they do, but is a part of who they are. They are unable to be separated from their creativity because they live and breathe creatively and do not fetter their creativity due to fear or self-doubt.

SARK and Leonie are two of these women. Amanda Palmer is another. I love them all.

These are strong women who appear to exist unapologetically. They don't take up space, they FILL it with love, light, fullness, and creativity. Their whole lives are pieces of art. These women inspire me. They claim their right to be creative because they are human, without comparison or judgment. They are builders and encouragers. They are lovers, and they are REAL.

Artwork inspired by SARK - 'Lessons From A Leaf' by Marley Betts

SARK's books are colourful, easy reads that aim to encourage and inspire. They are fun little self-help books for creatively minded people, urging them to not let their doubts stop them, not just in art or writing, but in life. She aims to encourage her readers to live freely, and to not be afraid to live differently. She encourages people to chase fun and experiences, and she tells us about her own experiences and life.

Now, SARK is pretty 'hippy-dippy'. I like that. Others won't. She also gives suggestions that won't suit everyone, and we need to bear that in mind. What one person feels is fun and freeing, another will not. But SARK's books are a reminder that:

• We don't need to fit in with everyone else, we can do things our own way

• It is not selfish to take what we need

• We should not let fear stop us

• Bad art/creating is better than no art/creation

• You can't pour from an empty cup

Nothing super profound, but she does it in such a bright and happy, nurturing, genuine, and encouraging way, it makes me want to live more creatively and less fearfully

www.marleybetts.com

and that is the point.

After reading SARK's books, I decided to share my own art and open an art shop. You can view and purchase my artwork HERE.

I have also ordered another 5 SARK books and can't wait to read them. You can check out her books and art HERE.

Much Love,

Marley x

Comparisonitis, Burnout, Being Real, Slowing Down, and Finding Balance

A blog post about burning out and being awesome.

The first novella that I wrote is You Are Woman. It is about 17 different women and the interactions that we have with each of them in everyday situations.

The book contrasts what we see and experience, with each woman's reality.

It is easy to find admirable qualities in other people which make us feel like we don't quite measure up in some way.

Every single other person is going to be better than us at something.

But guess what that means - we are going to be better than every single other person at something.

One of the characters in You Are Woman is supermum, Tania. You know the type. The one who shows up to every single event and activity, never forgets anything, is actively cheering on all the kids, makes the best cupcakes, handmakes the best costumes, looks impeccable, is friends with everyone (including her kids), has a spotless house, etc.

To outside eyes, Tania is a perfect mother.

But... she is hiding a secret.

Tania is on a cycle of repeated episodes of burnout.

Do all the things. Manage well. Feel great. Start to get tired. Lose motivation. Withdraw. Stop doing everything. Hibernate in a hole. Start to feel better. Do things. Manage. Add more things until doing all the things again. Manage well and thrive. Feel great. Start to get tired... Repeat the cycle forever.

I write about this cycle from experience.

This is how it is for me. Cycle lengths vary.

I was on top, kicking arse, for many months this time (although I am no supermum, trust me!). But here I am, attempting to claw myself out of a burnout hole again.

So, here I am being real with you.

I have written a number of blogs giving advice about different things, but I certainly am not perfect. I tend to go too hard and focus too narrowly, to the detriment of family and social life, and everything else, really.

We all have our own issues.

That is what You Are Woman is about.

All 17 incredible women do have fantastic qualities that should be admired, but there are also dark sides too. Each of them has their own issues to deal with.

We are all crazy, we are all just different shades of crazy. Truth.

But we can all learn from each other - from our best parts, and our worst.

We can help each other grow, by being honest and real.

So, I will slow things down for a while. Until I get back on top again. I won't stop altogether. Actually, what you see will probably look pretty normal. But for me, I am trying to introduce some balance and get rid of the constant feeling of anxiety that won't leave me alone, like I need to hurry and should be doing something else all the time. Always feeling like the world is moving too fast for me.

I'm going to try to spend more time being present. Not thinking about everything else. I'm not sure how. My brain doesn't like to conform like this. But, I'm working on it (any tips on mindfulness and meditation? Anyone?).

This is my gift to you: A reminder to slow down and try to find your own type of balance wherever it is needed. A reminder that we all struggle in our own ways, and we all rock in our own ways too.

Much love - Marley x

P.S. You Are Woman ebook can be found on Amazon US HERE (AUS link HERE). It's less than $1. Give it a read. It might help x