COURTICE -- An art therapist is showing new mothers a baby doesn't have to be the only new creation they welcome into the world.
Susanne Watson-Bongard offers art and wellness programs for all ages with her company, Art and Soul Express.
The studio is home-based with a focus on new and expectant mothers they can also give birth to their own creative abilities. In addition to the art, the workshops offer a variety of honest perspectives and experiences in pregnancy.
Ms. Watson-Bongard said mothers find the program refreshing since they can relate to others in their situation.
"It's beneficial for new moms and expectant moms to get together in a creative environment and talk about the ups and downs of motherhood," she said. "You don't always take the time that you need to for yourself. It's important to get out of the house and talk to other moms and hear their stories."
She describes the programs as "art studio meets spa revolution," illustrating the relaxing atmosphere of the environment.
No artistic background is required, which Ms. Watson-Bongard hopes is something that will be born out of creative exercises throughout the sessions.
Ms. Watson-Bongard, who has a fine arts degree from York University in addition to a degree in art therapy from the University of Western Ontario, designs infant and toddler apparel that she sells in local stores such as Ben and Hailey's, Country Cottage, Lovell Drugs, Wee Ones Wear, Pebbles and Posies and the Cuddly Bunny Company. A portion of sales go to Hearth Place Cancer Support Centre in Oshawa where she facilitates art therapy groups.
At the workshops, women can create their own paintings, clay pieces and baby clothing designs. Ms. Watson-Bongard said it is her two daughters, ages two and a half and 14 months old, who truly inspire her work and she encourages people to create art works that are meaningful to them personally.
"Parents can get a real kick out of the (designing process) that celebrates the newness of a baby and not knowing where they might go and what they will do."
The idea to put together a business plan for the programs was conceived while she was on her second maternity leave from her job at Sunnybrook Hospital, where she worked with war veterans for five years.
Once she left to explore her creativity on her own, she found the process of finding interested retailers slow at first.
"I knew that going back to Sunnybrook wasn't what I wanted or needed. That wasn't the way to use my creative energy."
Opening the studio in her home has given her a lot more freedom and allowed her to let go of societal expectations and find a healthy balance between parenthood and personal endeavors, which her workshops emphasize.
"Women are trying to do everything right: you feel guilty putting your kids in day care and going to work but you also feel guilty for staying home with them and not going to work," she said. "I hope to bring women together, to bring moms together and break those 'good mom' myths," she said.
Program prices vary, visit www.artandsoulexpress.com or call 905-440-4351 for information.
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