How I Did an Artist Residency with My 2-Year-Old (and Accidentally Became a Performance Artist in Survival Mode)
There are many things I learnt soon after becoming a mom. One of the lessons that took me a back—and crept up from behind like an unsolicited philosophical insight at 3 a.m.—was that returning to work after childbirth is harder than starting the job for the first time. Or at least that was my experience. There are so many factors to consider, as you are now simultaneously providing care to a dependent human being while attempting to re-enter a professional identity you once believed was stab
How to Exercise the Mind (Gently) Back into Creativity After Childbirth
So, like many women, I spent my 20s in a committed relationship—with ambition. I was a performance artist with a dream (yes, italic-worthy). Based in Pakistan, I squeezed every drop out of time: working, curating, networking, traveling, stacking skills like a creative overachiever, and building something that resembled both visibility and financial stability. I also had another dream: to become a mother. To build a family. To nurture tiny humans while sustaining a meaningful partnership. Natur
Parenting My Child While Re-Parenting Myself
At first, it felt beautiful and instinctive—like stepping into a role I was naturally meant for. But slowly, almost quietly, the cracks began to show. Not in my life on paper, but within me—my patience, my emotional capacity, the parts of myself I hadn’t fully healed. Because parenting doesn’t just raise a child—it reveals the parent.