Doing Things My Own Way - Lucie Flynn

Lucie Flynn is an artist and mother who lives in Surrey. She first started getting involved in MM when she was a new mum living in North London in 2010. Lucie works in a studio attached to her home creating paintings and limited edition prints for gallery shows around the world as well as creating large-scale street paintings. She makes her own rules on motherhood and has no qualms in admitting that being a parent is the hardest and most exhausting job in the world - EVER!

WEBSITE - HERE
​INSTA - HERE
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I definitely would not of been able to write a piece about my life until this exact moment, I am a massive believer in things happening at a time that is right. Life has thrown me a lot this past 6 months and I feel very grateful to of been asked by MM to write this piece now, at a time when I am taking a much more holistic approach to my life.

Motherhood and lifestyle was something that I used to separate - I was not very relaxed when it came to my parenting style, which is surprising as a so called chilled creative type! I was one of those people who found the structure of routine extremely important - looking back I guess this did give me the freedom to be more flexible in other aspects of inspirational guidance to my two children, now aged 9 and 12. I did take them both to art fairs and galleries form birth and up, most of my friends are artists/designers of sorts - we are all into fashion and collecting in some shape or form so naturally my children have been surrounded by art, design, fashion and music since they were still in my belly. I am a very honest and upfront person and have installed the importance of talking openly with my children. They have always had the opportunity to be part of my working life too, this includes how I spend any downtime for example being outdoors in nature, exercise, good food and culture as well as my working life as an artist, preparing for shows, working in a very untraditional way, pushing myself out of my comfort zone and most importantly thoroughly enjoying what I do - making artwork!

It was only once both my kids were in pre school that I felt I could really concentrate on my career and give it my all. My life is reflected in my painting, everything works hand in hand - which is why finding a balance to fit everything in is so important. I generally say yes to most projects that I have been asked to be involved with and this has resulted in me working on things that I am genuinely terrified to do but I never regret it. My partner has taught me to say yes and paint, if you don’t like it you can always go over it - that philosophy has brought me out of my shell a lot. However lately there has been a lot more going on in my personnel life which has needed my full attention and the juggling at points has become pretty insane.

In November 2022 both my mum and partner became seriously ill at the same time - my mum was hospitalised with severe depression on the same day my partner was told he had cancer - it was a lot to take on to say the least. As well as this my son had just started secondary school and was finding it extremely challenging, the first term included detentions and regular phone calls from various teachers telling me how he was causing disruptions, refusing to do tests and not complying to pretty much every request - this of course was really stressful as my head and heart were overly consumed with worry for my mum and partner but I had to try and keep on top of what was going on at school too. Don’t worry I am definitely not perfect and did in fact have several phone calls from the school that ended in me putting the phone down due to the high level of stress I was under at the time, after all there is only so much one can take on board. I hated seeing my son so unhappy in school and nine months down the line I am finally looking at getting him assessed for ADHD and have the school working with me in a more supportive capacity. My daughter is a deep soul and we talk a lot about everything thats going on, she understands things are tricky for me sometimes and involves herself in helping out and generally being the calm one of the household. My mum is out of hospital and looking after herself independently, my partner is slowly turning the corner post surgeries and daily treatment - things are settling down (for now).

A lot of my friends and family kept telling me throughout ‘oh wow, you are so strong, it’s a lot to deal with’. Maybe I am so strong because as an only child I have always just got on with stuff, no matter what. My mum is also a very strong woman - installing the importance of speaking your mind and to talk through problems that weigh you down. Or maybe I am not special at all and simply getting on with the daily grind. I believe now more than ever before how everything that life throws your way is a lesson, the things I have learnt this year alone have made me look at my work and life in a completely different light. I supported my mum though a really serious illness, I cared for my partner who was dealing with life changing disease and treatments, I tried to keep busy with a few carefully selected work projects, I definitely took self care seriously, I helped and continue to work with my son’s often challenging behaviour and yes there is the very real fact of still wanting to look and feel good with a spring in my step. Once a nice bottle of wine on a Friday night would kick the worries away, now I am leaning more towards a hydra facial followed by water and an early night - yes really!

In writing this piece I hope to communicate something of myself that is authentic by showing that we can all experience challenging times and to not be held back by them. Look for inspiration in places that you may of not considered and possibly view life from a different perspective - this can be the best route forward when we are stuck. Women are incredibly resilient and open creatures, the amount we can do continuously astounds and surprises me.

Personally I don’t see that things are going to slow down or suddenly become stress free any time soon so I am going to be living in the chaos, embracing the unknown and trying to work with everything that is thrown my way. I hope that some you reading this can connect with where I am coming from. If like me you love a list then see below for some of my quick fire feel good hacks- and most importantly DO THINGS YOUR OWN WAY.

Do not be afraid to be yourself Trust your gut
Speak to your girlies
Go for a walk and look around you Don’t bother dwelling on the past Get an early night
Don’t feel you have to fit in
Take inspiration from something new Love what you have
Be honest
Lots of love Lucie x