September 2022
Wellspring Mother Artist Feature:
Feature 3
We’re delighted to introduce you to Mother – Artist, Anne Marie Draganowski, a writer & fiber artist inspired by cities, crowds, obstructed views, and the plants that manage to live among them. Anne Marie resides in Saint Paul, MN with her husband and seven children.
We encourage you to follow her @annemariedraganowski and read her full interview below!
We’re so grateful to share Anne Marie’s inspiration and wisdom with you!
Mia + Jess
Anne-Marie hard at work in her creative space
WELLSPRING: Please share with us your name, where you are from and what medium (s) you work with.
ANNE-MARIE: My name is Anne Marie Draganowski. I live in Saint Paul, MN. I'm a writer and a fiber artist.
WELLSPRING: To what do you attribute your style of making? (This may include: influences, art movements, artists, etc...)
ANNE-MARIE: I grew up with a mother who sewed daily as a creative outlet. When an aunt passed along her sewing machine to me when I was in my early 20s, I finally took lessons and have managed to carve out space for this hobby in every living situation ever since.
WELLSPRING: Where do you look for inspiration?
ANNE-MARIE: I'm inspired by cities. Specifically architecture, crowds, obstructed views, concrete, and the plants that manage to live among them. I am fascinated by the work spaces of creative people.
WELLSPRING: What excites you about what you are working on right now?
ANNE-MARIE: I usually have a couple of projects in various stages. Right now I'm sewing some overalls for my toddler and planning a jacket for myself. For times when it's not practical to be at my sewing machine, I'm slowly handsewing a shirt together.
I love every step of a sewing project. Planning is fun and exciting because it means sketching, researching and shopping. Cutting is mentally challenging and keeps my heart thumping because one false cut could derail an entire project--or be the jumping-off point for a pivot I never imagined. Sewing and pressing are tactile pleasures. Handsewing the final bits like buttons and hems are meditative and quiet.
“Five boys and two girls, ages 18 down to 3. So many years of just making it, squeezing in creativity like my sanity depended on it. Which it does. I learned to combine things, like knitting while nursing. Or making oilcloth-backed, Wabi-Sabi seat covers for our 15-passenger van.”
WELLSPRING: Please share how/where you see your faith intersect with your creative expression as a mother artist.
ANNE-MARIE: I believe we're all vessels for what God wants to do and say in the world. He's given me the gifts I have, and what I do with them is my gift back to Him.
WELLSPRING: How has your motherhood journey impacted your creative process or your way of seeing/thinking?
ANNE-MARIE: God uses the pains and joys, loneliness and laughter of motherhood to soften my heart to hear His voice, which I then try to express in my making. My motherhood informs my creativity; without my creative voice I would not be the same mother that I am.
Seat covers for her 15-passenger van
WELLSPRING: What encouragement or wisdom would you share with another mother wanting to pursue her creative call?
ANNE-MARIE: Melding these two integral parts of myself with grace takes patience and practice. During the more intense seasons of motherhood, when I couldn't make headway on anything that would stay done and couldn't even seem to put two thoughts together, the image of winter was comforting to me. During winter all the earth seems dead, but down below the freezeline, the roots are gathering strength for a productive spring and summer. Winter can be a crucial part of the creative process.
WELLSPRING: Please share with us where we can see, read, or experience your creative work: (i.e. social media, website, exhibits, concert info, blogs, books, etc...)
ANNE-MARIE: I have a tiny but growing grid on Instagram @annemariedraganowski
We hope you enjoyed this Wellspring Mother Artist feature!
Stay tuned for more, we’ll be aiming to release two each month as part of our Open Call Collaboration, you can check out the details here. Interested in being featured? Send us an email over at wellspringmotherart@gmail.com with a statement of interest and share your Instagram @ handle or other social media presence.
