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Create Anyway: The Joy of Pursuing Creativing in the Margins of Motherhood is the latest book by Ashlee Gadd, founder of the motherhood blog and podcast, Coffee + Crumbs. As a mother who enjoys creating, I found Create Anyway to be deeply encouraging and refreshing. As a mother of young children, pursuing anything creative used to make me feel guilty.
Doing something that I enjoyed felt like a waste of time since it didn’t immediately benefit my family in any way. Over time, however, I realized that creating and pursuing hobbies I enjoy is neither sinful nor foolish and I found that making the time for creating has actually made me a better mom. Ashlee seems to completely understand where I and many other moms are coming from.
She begins Create Anway by reminding mothers that, “One of the first things we learn about God in Scripture is that He created, and one of the first things we learn about ourselves is that we are made in His likeness. If God is the first artist—and we are a walking, breathing reflection of Him—this means our desire to create is hereditary, a fundamental imprint of His Spirit in us. Right off the bat, God tasks mankind with taking care of the earth and naming the animals. From the very beginning, God calls us to be good stewards of His creation and invites us to co-create with Him. God filled the world with good things and calls us to do the same —to showcase hope, light, beauty, and restoration as part of the ongoing process of God’s glory infusing the earth.” (pg. 29-30).
Create Anyway continues to inspire moms in the rest of its chapters with lovely photos taken by Ashlee herself and interviews with other moms who are also creators. She writes as a mom who understands the balancing act of creating while mothering. Create Anway itself is evidence of her creating anyway in the margins of motherhood and I’m thankful for that because it gives me hope that I can do the same.
I particularly enjoyed her challenge to be disciplined as a creator in Chapter 9. It was a good reminder for me to consider what faithfulness might look like in the ways God’s gifted me creatively and a good reminder to pursue those things with excellence as an act of worship.
I love the content of Create Anway and its lovely details including the rose gold letters on the cover, its glossy pages, and the inclusion of a ribbon bookmark. This was a book that has richly blessed my soul. If you are a mother who enjoys creating in any form, you’ll enjoy this book. I’m so grateful to Ashlee for writing Create Anway and I eagerly anticipate reading more from her in the future!
