"It's been so fun working with Tubby Todd on products we now use every day at home."
Our newest artist collaborator Leah Goren is an illustrator, designer and brand new first-time mama! We caught up with Leah on all things art and how she's navigating the transition into new mamahood. Don't forget to check out the TT x Leah Goren Bubble Bath collab in our classic Sweet Quince and Honeysuckle scent featuring Leah's beautiful illustrations that will brighten up an countertop or tub! Q: Tell us about your creative process while pregnant and now as a new mama. What expectations did you have for yourself? Have they changed now that baby is here?A: While I was pregnant I kept working as usual. In my free time, I tried to remember to draw a self-portrait every now and then to chronicle the progress and as a journal of sorts. I always find old drawings hold so many specific memories of the day or time period I drew them, and being pregnant for the first time was a special time I wanted to remember. Now that I'm caring for a newborn around the clock, I don't have very much time! But since I'm only working a little, I'm finding breaks to get back into painting in my sketchbook and just for fun. I generally don't set my expectations too high when it comes to working creatively—whatever gets done is great, and it's not productive to put a lot of pressure on myself. Q: We're so excited baby is here!!! What have you learned in the first month? What has surprised you? A: Pretty much everything surprised me! I was so focused on preparing for labor that I didn't spend much time considering what came after. Right off the bat I was surprised by the physicality of birth, even after a pretty straightforward delivery. I felt like no one told me about the days of pain and difficulty moving around, but I probably just wasn’t listening. One of the biggest things I've learned is to be open to figuring out what works for our family and baby as we go, and not being attached to anything we had planned. Before she was born we thought we knew how we were going to feed her, what gear we needed or didn’t need, our plans for traveling, etc. and pretty quickly realized we were either wrong or should try different options. Q: Have you received any advice that really resonated?A: It's really nice that so many friends and even women I don't know as well have been open to talking and sharing advice. For me, the best advice has been practical. A friend recommended a book called Moms on Call mostly for the daily schedules they provide for every step between 0 and 6 months. Getting on a schedule for eating, napping, and sleeping overnight has been the best thing we've done. 5 weeks in we're doing pretty well with it and I can honestly say I've been getting enough sleep!Q: What's next for your artwork? What are you looking forward to?A: Commercially, I'd love to work on more things for babies and kids. It's been so fun working with Tubby Todd on products we now use every day at home. In my personal work, I'm hoping to get back into the ceramics studio soon. I haven't worked with clay for years and it's sounding really nice to work on something tactile again.
