Art Journaling and ‘Me-time’ as a new mother

It was May 2015. I was living in Bangalore, a fairly new mother to a ten-month-old and had just returned full-time at my corporate job after a six-month maternity break. A friend mentioned the 100-day project to me, and I was intrigued. We had connected over a love for making art and we would paint together when we could make the time. As the name suggests, the idea of the 100-day project was to draw or paint every day for 100 days. 

Picture credit: Chenthil Mohan

As if taking on this challenge with a young baby and a full-time job on hand wasnʼt ambitious enough, we added another challenge. We decided to use only pens and watercolours, and no pencils and erasers. Now let me be clear – we did not consider ourselves artists by any means, we were just people who liked to draw and paint as kids and wanted to do more of that as adults. 

So we began. I was just beginning to discover watercolours, as well as re-discover just how much I loved to draw. Along with my drawings, I wrote little notes about the drawing or wrote something about my day on the same page, and added the date. That was the beginning.

Most of the days in those months were a blur. Not surprisingly — holding a job, caring for and nursing an infant, alongside the usual responsibilities that come with being an adult is a lot of work. There would be days when I would be dog-tired, and would just want to hit the bed, but Iʼd still manage to pick up my book and pens, even if it meant for a couple of minutes only. Funnily enough, especially on those days, writing and making art in my journal would really lift my spirits. Looking back, it was no surprise at all — taking a precious few minutes out of my day to do something solely for myself made all the difference.

I didn’t know it back then – it wasnʼt a trending hashtag after all – but it was my form of #selfcare. I drew purely for myself. I wasn’t sharing my drawings on social media. I think that took the pressure off me and the need to make them perfect.

Those 100 days were pivotal to my life. They gave me a sense of identity beyond being an employee, a mother, a wife, and a daughter. In those precious minutes that I spent in my journal, I was just being myself. 

The one who loved to draw and paint. That’s it!

Over those 100 days, my sketchbook became a diary of sorts. And looking back, it gives me glimpses of what my life was like. What’s more, this is a habit that has stayed with me to date. I may not do it every single day. But on many days, I still pick up my journal to draw and write about my day. Over the years, I have finished many journals. Flipping through them gives me great joy and it feels like I am transported back in time to the moment I’ve drawn about. In the initial days of the pandemic, I’ve also done mini-series like Gratitude journalling, as well as another project in 2022 called 100 Days of Joy which documents small everyday joys.

Before starting on this project, I used to wait for a long weekend to carve out a few hours of me-time to draw or paint. When I started this, instead of waiting for a weekend to make time for art, taking a few minutes a day became easier and more exciting. And because I was creating every single day, I didn’t care so much about the quality of the art I was making. That's exactly why, over time, I got better at it. It was a win-win.

I had other learnings, and that 100-day project changed my life in a lot of ways. Even today, documenting everything - magical and mundane is my way of pausing and reflecting on my day, of celebrating big moments and small. It has made me more mindful and I have become deeply attentive to what’s happening around me, as well as  within me. This habit which was instrumental during my time as a new mother juggling full-time work, has also been a reliable anchor helping me navigate phases of uncertainty and inner turmoil by providing me with much-needed grounding.

But here’s the thing that I hope you can take away from this: your self-care can look like scented candles and sheet masks and those are great, but it could also be you showing up for a childhood hobby and pursuing something you enjoy and doing it just for yourself, without really caring about the end result. If you can find a buddy to do it along with, even better!

- Shubhashree Sangameswaran (Shubhashree is an artist and illustrator and runs The Hungry Palette Studio to teach and build awareness around art therapy and journaling.)