Esther, once part of the Maasai tribe in Kenya, shares how one woman empowered her to become an activist and better mother.
Us, Through Our Own Eyes
Kottavei
USA
V. Kottavei Williams is a mixed-media artist in Georgia, USA. Her work depicts mothers as powerful, vibrant, and engaged. Her series “Us, Through Our Own Eyes” is meant to empower mothers across the globe.
I've always been a creative spirit and was about four years old when I began acknowledging myself as an artist. I've also always felt a kinship with women and girls, so my art deals a lot with the issues women and girls face. I want to show and tell our stories from our perspectives. The art I create empowers me by giving me the platform, as a woman, to tell our stories visually and by taking command of what imagery reflects me and other mothers.
When mothers see my work I want them to feel something--anything! I've found that we reveal only the parts of motherhood that are good, but we have other truths, especially about how powerless motherhood can make us feel. After my third son was born, I suffered from post-partum depression for a year. During that time a lot of my art about motherhood was not pretty, but it was truthful.
Once motherhood becomes part of who you are as a woman, your perception of the world around you changes. You now need to not only see the world through your eyes but also your children, and I frequently look to my children (I have five boys!) to help me retain my childlike wonder as an artist.
Motherhood is like holding a mirror up to one's soul and taking a long look. Our children both reveal and reflect us as parents, whether good or bad. The most challenging part of being a mother and an artist is finding time for both. In my heart of hearts I gave birth to five children but I am a mother of six children: my art is the sixth. I spend time nurturing it and helping it grow, just like my birthed children.
About The Artist
V. Kottavei Williams' art tends to capture the essence of women, girls and couples through the simplicity of a spare moment taken completely out of context. As an artist, she considers herself to be a continual work in progress. Whether it be paintings, art quilts, body castings or poetry Kottavei draws from a place of intuition and vivid imagination. V. Kottavei Williams learns the rules in order to bend them to her creative will. Creativity pulses through her veins and seeps out of her pores. The process of making art for her is a wish, a meditation and a prayer all rolled into one. Learn more about her work at www.sagebelly.com .
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