Maternity and creativity

Xiana and Claudia are two women involved in creative jobs. Xiana is the designer and illustrator behind her eponymous project and Claudia is the creative director at Naguisa. Having both been mothers for a few years now, they combine the task of developing their own brands with the vitality of their maternal endeavours.

Can you give us a brief explanation of your work? What does it mean to each of you to have developed your own career or trade and to work independently?

C.: My job at NAGUISA is to come up with ideas in any of the different departments, both at a strategic level and in the development of the collections and the communication campaigns. Thanks to the great team we have behind us, these ideas become a reality. NAGUISA has been and is my life project alongside my great partner Pablo. A significant part of my time over the past 12 years has been dedicated to the brand. I’ve really enjoyed this time and learned a lot; there have also been some bad times. I’m a perfectionist and highly committed to what I do; my work has become an obsession. At the same time, it’s given me a great deal of freedom, especially in terms of organisation and movement. It’s allowed me to travel and meet people from all over the world.

X.: I’m a textile designer and I have a brand for which I produce small numbers of printed scarves, embroidered accessories and other handcrafted items in collaboration with other artisans from my region. I also develop and design products for “Made in Spain” brands. Working independently involves a great deal of effort and a lot of uncertainty, especially at first. By contrast, you benefit from other things that are impossible to have when you work for someone else, like being able to choose what production model you want to use at all times.

Both of you became mothers when you were very young. Could you share more about your experience of motherhood?

C.: In my case, motherhood came at an unexpected moment. Improvisation is one of my skills (the one that makes Pablo most nervous) and it wasn’t any different when it came to this. When I fell pregnant, personally it helped me to overcome a difficult time; professionally it was a huge challenge and involved a lot of effort. With my first daughter, Lola, I wanted to do everything from the very start: raise her and work. NAGUISA was growing fast and we still didn’t have a well-structured team or family close by. Olivia arrived just eighteen months later… we thought we had endless energy… Right now I’m enjoying motherhood more than ever; it’s a really lovely stage that I’d like to freeze. Almost five years later, I’ve learned that I need to separate my work life from my family life and also to create a space for myself. Being a mum has made me grow as a person and enjoy life more.

X.: It might sound clichéd but it’s a very intense experience that’s hard to explain. There are very tough moments. In my case, it was quite complicated at the beginning. Emotionally, it’s a roller coaster and there are days when you get very little sleep so you’re more susceptible to things than you are normally. The relationship with your partner changes and you almost have to start from scratch again. Fortunately, all this slowly settles down and eventually they sleep through the night, so it’s much better (haha). No but seriously, once you’ve overcome the “trauma”, this little person suddenly teaches you so much and you don’t know what you’d do without her in your life. You learn to see what is truly important, what fulfils you. You let go of a lot of baggage to focus on this new life and, let’s be honest, on your own life as well. I think the most important thing that motherhood has taught me so far is that it’s really important to be at peace with yourself in order to raise and take care of someone else.