This Artist's Evolution from "Crazy Film Life" to Mom Life

Do you remember your pre-mom life?

Maybe you went out to eat a lot. Or you loved the clubs. You traveled. Or lived in a different apartment every year because you wanted to. In general, you did a whole lot of whatever you wanted to because you could.

We all have that version of ourselves that looks completely different than the one we see staring back at us in the mirror today. But some of us really took the “whatever we wanted” to the extreme.

Meet Beth Gatza: Mother + Artist.

If we could sum up Beth’s pre-mom life in five bullet points, they would be:

• Mohawk

• Car sleeping (or couch or beach or whatever was available)

• Beach showering

• Film sets around the world

• Art teacher to celebrity children

We spent our interview with Beth with our jaws literally hanging open as she shared crazy story after crazy story of her life as an artist in the film industry in her 20s. There's no way we could do them justice in a blog post, so we're not even going to try.--you can listen for yourself here. But we will share some AHA moments and life lessons we learned during our conversation.

How not asking for what you’re worth can create a reckless lifestyle

Beth described herself as reckless in her pre-mom life, but also used the word "timid" when talking about how she struggled to ask for what she was worth. Can you relate to that? If you've ever "worked for experience," gave away your time and talents for free, or didn't demand to be paid what you deserve, you probably can. But it really hit home for us when we realized this: 

Being timid and being reckless can be two sides of the same coin. 

Because when you're too timid to ask for what you need or require what you deserve, you're actually being reckless: with your livelihood, your wellness, and sometimes even your safety. So the next time you're tempted to skip advocating for yourself, ask yourself if that timidness is actually a recklessness that could harm you. 

Beth's mohawk and couch-hopping, along with her working on sets for dirt cheap or even nothing created a tough exterior that, on the one hand, made people respect her, but also created a fair bit of precarity for her. 

Hitting rock bottom before finding a path that honors you

This is a tough pill to swallow, but it's one many of us can relate to. We often don't make a positive or healthy change until it's beyond clear that our lives are out of control. Sometimes you hit the lowest point before you realize what you're capable, and what you deserve. Beth is a master at falling down and getting back up, restarting over and over. Listen to her story to be truly be inspired by her resilience and ability to reinvent herself--it's pretty unforgettable. 

When the “crazy artist life” meets motherhood

The life of an artist doesn't need to be chaotic and unpredictable. Beth has proven that by creating a life where she incorporates her daughter into her art life. Watch her YouTube series "9 paintings in 3 weeks" for a glimpse at how she integrates art into motherhood. She genuinely feels inspired by her daughter, and feels that motherhood has impacted her creativity and art life positively. Not only that, she's found a way to make her career as an artist one that is both satisfying and is well-balanced with her life as a mom. That is no small feat! Beth speaks about the beautiful convergence of combining all your passions together to create the life you've always wanted. 

When you follow your dreams for your career, you reduce mom guilt because aren’t pulled between an unfulfilling job and your family 

Let that one sink in. This is a huge argument for integrating your dreams and passions into your career. When you love what you do, it's much easier to balance a job you enjoy with family life, rather than trying to extraneously fit in creative pursuits on top of work and parenting in an attempt to find fulfillment. We know this may be way easier said than done, and we know that sometimes a job is just a job. But if you've been struggling with whether or not to take a major step to launch a business or monetize a passion, think of it this way: it may actually alleviate your mom guilt. And that's good for everyone.

Mother Plusser Takeaways: 

1.  Not asking for what you need or deserve is a form of recklessness--believe in your own worth and advocate for yourself.
2. It's OK to fall down, restart, and reinvent yourself. You get unlimited tries. Don't give up. 
3. Making your dreams into a career can actually reduce your mom guilt and create a better work-family balance. 

Don't miss Beth's unforgettable story and lessons--listen here!