Respect to the creative mothers | Stories of motherhood in creative industries
Mothers in the creative industries are an often overlooked force. While women are already underrepresented in creative roles, the challenges multiply when motherhood enters the equation. Despite this, countless creative mothers are making it work, balancing passion and profession whilst raising the next generation.
Today, we want to spotlight a few of our Gather Round working Mums. With their stories, we explore the realities of being working mothers in the creative industries—the triumphs, the struggles, and the unexpected ways motherhood shapes creative careers.
I was at Browns Design when pregnant with both my daughters, and one of two women that worked there at that time. Pregnancy was relatively new to the agency then, and the team were generally super supportive. In hindsight, agency life back then (2004-2010) was intense and a bit of a rollercoaster – I had no idea how incompatible small agency life and motherhood would be.
After having my second daughter in 2010, and realising 3 days wouldn’t work, I felt like I had to leave and try another way. I set up Writing + Thinking because I had no option. It felt like a massive leap of faith but it paid off. The ability to work to my own rhythm, to choose who I worked for and to steer the direction of my own career felt blissful. As stressful as the constant work hustle was/is, I’m grateful that I’ve been able to focus on and hone a skill that I get immense pleasure from.
The pay-off as a parent is hard to measure. The ability to go watch your child being a sheep in a nativity time and time again, to be able to take and collect from school, and to have the capacity to take days off for swimming or just feeding the ducks at the park. This is gold.
What I realise looking back, is that the contrasting worlds of freelancing and parenting taught me vital skills. The juggle of very different worlds, exceptional time management, how to style it out when covered in crusty stains, etc. I think the intense contrast between the two worlds help keep your feet on the ground in the sometimes, high drama of creative practice.
The constraints of my situation made me focused and resilient. I treated writing like a muscle I needed to flex to keep getting better at it. I became more fearless, took risks and proved myself wrong in the face of self doubt. I kept learning, wanting to be a role model to my daughters, and to show them that you can build something small and sustainable whilst being a present and active mother.
My partner is also self-employed as a graphic designer which felt crazy and wobbly as we embarked on raising our second child. But I think our combined flexibility enabled us to cut our cloth accordingly when dealing with sickly children, nativity plays, meetings, work trips, etc.
I think as caregivers, we have been trained to react to the unexpected (vomit on lap pre meeting), deal with sleep deprivation (mainlining coffee) and find humour in the darkest situations (too many to mention).
Creatively, I think this crazy hustle juggle makes us more loose and less perfectionist. This is a total gift.
Mother & Founder of Writing & Thinking
My return to work in 2016 after my first child was messy to say the least. Aside from the usual battles that new parents go through (keeping a tiny person alive is a full time job in itself!), my boss at the time turned into a bully. She had no children herself and zero empathy for what I was trying to get to grips with. Micro managing me to the max and layering on more and more work when I had already flagged several times that I was struggling. After only 3 months back at work, I ended up handing in my notice in floods of tears (completely unplanned), when she pushed me so hard she sent me over the edge.
My husband was so supportive when I got home, he told me we could get through it, said I had done the right thing (as he saw the stress she had caused me) and then gently asked me ‘So what do you think you might do now’ at which point I immediately responded ‘I’m going to be a freelancer’. Then followed a fruitful 7 year career of self employment, I managed to balance parenting and work in my own way. When it came to having my second child (4 years into freelancing), I went back to work after only 3 months (sadly statutory Maternity pay that freelancers get doesn’t go far at all). I only worked 2 days a week initially, I chose my own hours and it really worked for me. Thankfully the Bristol based media company I was working for at the time totally understood my needs and respected my family commitments.
In a strange way, I have no regrets, my old boss forcing me into the freelance world actually did me a big favour, my career progressed rapidly and went in a whole new direction. At the same time, there still lingers a bit of resentment that I was put under so much unnecessary stress – it’s quite sad that some people are so lacking in awareness of what parenting really entails.
Working for Gather Round has been a game changer for me. Aside from the fact that I love what I do, Ben and Jason have full trust in me to deliver my work so they leave me to it. The hours are genuinely as flexible as when I was freelancing, but with the security of a full time job – I feel so lucky to be in this position as I know so many others are struggling away in silence.
Mother & Director of Marketing at Gather Round
After graduating in 2000, I joined a digital agency where my job title was “Multimedia Designer”. (Remember interactive CD ROMS? – I designed those!) The early noughties were the heyday of the dot.com bubble and we were fully embracing the “work hard, play hard” kind of culture. It was a really fun and exciting time to be involved in the creative industry. Witnessing and being part of how the internet took off was incredible, and my job quickly evolved from “multi-media designer” to “web designer”. We were feeling invincible, landing big clients, pulling all-nighters to meet tight deadlines, and very much burning the candle at both ends – Something you are able to do in your 20s when you only have yourself to look after. None of my co-workers or company directors were parents or remotely even close to that…
Looking back on a culture that would not have lent itself in any way, shape or form to parenthood, it’s not really surprising that it also did not prove to be sustainable. The dot.com bubble swiftly burst, and it wasn’t long until my boss delivered the news we were all going to be made redundant (which he did in the style of Alan Partridge when he didn’t get his 2nd series…) This neatly led me into freelance web design (most people from the agency still worked together on a collaborative freelance basis, which worked much better without the fancy office, large bar tabs and other large agency overheads.)
Fast forward a few years, I was still freelancing by the time I gave birth to my daughter. As a freelancer, I was far too scared to take maternity leave (statutory maternity pay was not generous.) I really didn’t feel comfortable telling my clients I was going to be a mum in case they lost faith in my ability to deliver my work to the best of my ability and on time, and seeing as I worked remotely, there was no need to let them know. This, unsurprisingly, proved fairly stressful, exhausting and overwhelming. Working when the baby slept or while I was feeding her was tiring, to say the least. All the while harbouring resentment for the other mums I met who were able to take months off work and still get paid!
All that said, I knew I didn’t have the dooming sense that I would have to go back to work after maternity leave was over and I could still spend time with my daughter. (I would question whether this was actually quality time!) However, if I had to do it all again, I would probably make exactly the same choices.
Once my daughter was in school full time, I felt it was time to get a “proper job”. I really wanted the stability of a regular income and to be part of a team again. I managed to land what was a complete dream job – a creative marketing manager role working remotely for an online beachwear retailer. The directors were twin sisters, and both were parents who understood that working around school hours needed to be a priority. Not that I ever felt this was entirely achievable, and I always found myself working more than I should. Sadly, the beachwear retailer did not survive the travel restrictions of the Covid lockdowns, which is when I found myself freelancing once again. This is also how I came to be a member of Gather Round, which I find invaluable, to say the least. The creative co-working community is so great for the amazing social and useful professional connections that I utilise all the time.
Being a single, working mum certainly has its challenges. I will never feel I am doing enough, and I feel a huge amount of pressure to support myself and my daughter financially within the limitations of also being present for her. But I will never forget how lucky I am to be a parent, and being able to sustain a career where I can be at home when my daughter gets home from school every day is something I choose to prioritise and something that I will never take for granted. Challenges and all, I would not change a thing.
Mother & SEO Specialist
The creative industries have a big diversity problem, and the lack of working mothers is one of the many ways this shows up. I’m Head of Marketing & Partnerships at Fiasco, a brand and digital agency based in Bristol. I came straight out of maternity leave (bleary-eyed and sleep-deprived) into this role almost four years ago, so I haven’t worked as a mum in any other setting.
However, I’d say my experience at Fiasco is probably an anomaly. We have policies that make day-to-day life much easier: extra childcare days, flexible hours, and Summer Hours (Fridays off during the summer). Above all, it’s the way they treat everyone, not just me, that makes all the difference. I work 30-hour weeks, but I never feel like I’m “just part-time.” Here, every single person is a valued member of the team. While I don’t work with other mums, plenty of the dads share childcare duties, so there’s no judgment when I need to do the school run because childcare plans fall through (we’ve all been there).
I can count on two hands the number of women I know in the design industry who are mothers. More might be out there, but they don’t make it known. And that’s a shame. There should be no stigma around being a creative mum. In fact, being a mum has made me better at my job; I’ve developed a laser-sharp focus, I can cut through the BS, and am more motivated than ever to be a role model for my daughter. Who, by the way, is already super creative because she sees me not just doing it — but genuinely enjoying it.
Mother & Head of Marketing at Fiasco
As Kendra, Danie, Rosie and Nat have shared, being a mother in the creative industry isn’t just about struggle—it’s about resilience, adaptability, and transformation. Each of these mothers has navigated the challenges in their own way, proving that creative careers can (and should) evolve to better support parents. Those days of having a stay-at-home caregiver are behind us, and it’s time for the world to step up and adjust to these changes.
At Gather Round, we believe in fostering a community where creativity and caregiving can coexist, where mothers don’t have to choose between their passion and their family. Their experiences remind us that supporting working mothers isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s an investment in a more inclusive, dynamic, and inspired creative industry.
Here’s to the mothers. We see you. We respect you. And we celebrate everything you bring to the table.
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