Artist Posts Tandem Breastfeeding Pic To Prove Children Don’t Hold You Back

This American artist, Hein Koh posted an old image to her Instagram page this week of her tandem-breastfeeding her five-week-old twins while working away on her laptop. The post, which was a response to an article in the Guardian in which another artist, Marina Abramovic admitted she had three abortions to avoid sacrificing her talent for children. In a retort, Hein Koh wants mums to know that motherhood doesn't have to be the end of creative life. She penned a heartfelt message to other mums to encourage them:

"What I am saying is that parenting is like any other challenge in life - the biggest fucking challenge in my own life thus far - and if you embrace it and figure out creative solutions, you can emerge a better person. It's important to think about the ways in which these challenges can help you move forward, rather than hold you back."

The full post is just lovely:

#tbt 5/19/15 when my #twins were 5 weeks old and despite the sleep deprivation and frequent (every 2-3 hours, 24-7, 45 min at a time) #breastfeeding, I was still getting shit done. #MarinaAbramovic thinks children hold women back in the art world, but as @dubz19 put so aptly, "FUKKK THAT". All Marina knows is her own experience, and it may be true for her, but that is not everyone's experience nor truth. Becoming a #mom (of twins no less) has personally helped me become a better #artist - I learned to be extremely efficient with my time, prioritize what's important and let go of the rest, and #multitask like a champ. I learned to function (even if barely) on very little sleep, and out of the chaos, insanity and even torture at times, a flood of new emotions entered into my work, becoming more interesting & layered as a result. I'm also not saying that artist parents are better artists than non-parent artists, or that choosing not to be a parent will deny you access to these learning experiences. What I am saying is that parenting is like any other challenge in life - the biggest fucking challenge in my own life thus far - and if you embrace it and figure out creative solutions, you can emerge a better person. It's important to think about the ways in which these challenges can help you move forward, rather than hold you back. #artistmom #tandembreastfeeding #multitasking #heinkoh #greenpoint #brooklyn #nyc

A photo posted by Hein Koh (@hein_koh) on Aug 18, 2016 at 8:28am PDT

She posted an old image (her twins are now 17 months) this week entitled 'multi-tasking' assuming other mum friends and fans would find it funny, but she had no idea the image would go viral and cause such a huge reaction, women everywhere are hailing her a momboss, a hero, high-fiving her creativity, her encouragement, empowering women to embrace motherhood and work without losing their creative edge, and in managing to tandem breastfeed and manoeuvring a laptop at once (huge high-fives for that alone, we say!). In an interview with Today, she explained:

"I understood where she was coming from...it's a prevalent view in the art world — but I'm sick of all this prejudice towards motherhood in the art world," Koh told TODAY Parents. "People just assume you won't be as committed — that because your attention is divided between family and career, then you're just not as committed of an artist." "I think they appreciated my words — a positive message about how you don't have to give up on your dreams when you become a mom, that challenges can actually make you a better person and better at what you do," Koh said. "I think the photo and my message celebrated...the kinds of heroic things that moms do in private, just trying to keep up with our own lives. Every mom is a heroine in that sense."

Every working mum knows how hard it is to juggle the stress of working and being a mum, so we applaud Koh's approach, just because you work and embrace motherhood, doesn't mean you are any less committed to either. Aim for the sky, mamas! Some of Koh's cool art:

Shot for scale - my #sculpture in "Or Bust" at @honeyramka, next to Janice Sloane's awesome head. #honeyramka #art #contemporaryart #56bogart #bushwick #brooklyn #heinkoh #janicesloane A photo posted by Hein Koh (@hein_koh) on Jul 10, 2016 at 8:59am PDT

#Painting on a #sculpture. Detail of a new piece, will post the whole thing soon. It's hard to tell but the painting is on a spiral of string. #glitter #cosmos #universe #galaxy #acrylic #softsculpture #art #contemporaryart #heinkoh #greenpoint #brooklyn

A photo posted by Hein Koh (@hein_koh) on Jun 13, 2016 at 8:39am PDT

Tell us what you think, does motherhood hold you back creatively, or can you apply your creativity to motherhood and feel just as fulfilled? Comment below or email us: editorial@HerFamily.ie.