Mother’s Day Collection interview with Amanda Schutz
Photo by Andrea Hanki Photography
Getting to know Amanda
Illustrator, Creative Director + Owner at Curio Studio
FW: Give us a glimpse into your career and how it looked in the years leading up to the pandemic?
Amanda: I started my design shop, Curio Studio, about 18 years ago. My career has taken many twists and turns! I started the studio solo, worked with a business partner for a portion of time, went back to solo, and have had many talented staff along the way. The studio has focused mostly on branding, print design and illustration projects. More recently, we have expanded those services to adapt to an ever changing digital world. Many of our design outputs often include digital products for web, social media and animation. The constant for me in the work itself has been a strong blend of illustration and visual art within the landscape of graphic design.
As my career journey went along, I have discovered strategies for attracting the right types of professional relationships and partnerships. This has led to projects and outcomes that (hopefully) have meaningful impact. Fast forward to today, while I do spend a bigger portion of my time directing and organizing within our team, I still make an effort to still create myself. Creating is a big part of what I find fulfilling in my career and I never want to lose that aspect.
FW: Can you summarize what your journey into motherhood looked like ?
Amanda: I wasn't actually sure motherhood would happen for me, despite that I desperately wanted it for many years. I spent the early portion of my 30s figuring out where to land after a divorce, and eventually met my husband on an online dating website! He was working in communications at the time and we romanced over a shared interests and similar upbringings. He decided to go back to school to be a respiratory therapist and right when he was doing some initial practicum work in hospital (meanwhile I was going through a studio rebrand, staffing changes and other family challenges) we decided to get married. Since all of that wasn't enough on our collective plates, we thought why not try to have a baby as well. Two months before we were set to wed in Jasper, I found out I was pregnant. Jacob Jasper was born the following January. Our son is now four years old and keeping us both very busy.
My journey into motherhood has been interesting to reflect on. So much of my creative output has been connected to what I have come to learn and appreciate within my role as a mother. In recent years, many of my visual art projects have been focused on nature and environmental issues, which I know comes from a place of wanting to understand and nurture this world Jacob will be left with. I will often draw comics and illustrations with narratives around motherhood. I make these comics to help me remember those special moments and also share a common narrative around what parents go through. Finally, when I became pregnant, I very much craved connection with other designer/art director women and mothers. Building these friendships felt important, I wanted to help women celebrate what they create despite all the challenges in life. This is why I started Canadian Women in Design, a website showcasing stories of all types of women in my industry.
FW: What does your current work/life situation look like balancing roles of mother and designer?
Amanda: I could tell a few fun stories of how the current situation is going... including naked toddler walk-ins on client video chats! My son also answered a couple client calls on my cell or sent emojis to my colleagues on slack. I have had weeks where I have not had time to shower for days and wearing clothing with food stains, etc. I am sure most mothers are dealing with these moments and so much more.
I'm fortunate to have quite a bit of control over what work/life looks like as I am my own boss. That said, the balance is never easy and I find myself having moments where it feels that I have not enough time to do my best at both roles. I do think this struggle is universal among most mothers and when things feel rough or exhausting, I try to access my 'toolkit' of support to get through it. This includes the amazing people that believe in me, my tools for managing stress, and the simple notion that we can decide to take rest and start again tomorrow.
I have had my share of meltdowns and making mistakes in work tasks or how I behave. I have found the most healing way to move through those challenges is to own/acknowledge the experience, take steps to do better, and most importantly... forgive yourself. This has come up over and over in both my professional and personal spaces during this pandemic.
FW: What inspired your Mother’s Day graphic?
Amanda: Adult Shirt: When you jump into motherhood you come to realize the comfort that can come with finding your mama 'comrades' so to speak. When you find other mothers you can connect with (this could be about parenting style, priorities, career focuses, family values etc.) it can be SUPER helpful in building a solid support system.
Kid shirt: This one is all about being playful and fun with your child :) Simple pleasures with my kid has got to be one of the best aspects of motherhood.
Parenting through the pandemic
FW: What does a typical day for you look like right now?
Amanda: Wake up and chat in bed with my son, drink coffee/answer emails, do an activity with my son (art, yoga, bike, play toys, play 'school' etc.), lunch as a family, afternoon work and meetings, supper, family time, son goes to bed (and usually fights bedtime these days!), and finally, my ME time (which can include illustration work, bath, yoga, and/or Netflix), bed. Repeat... I did recently make a comic about my day.
FW: What are the best and worst pieces of advice you’ve gotten as a working mother?
Amanda: Best advice: The most important thing your child needs is you. A friend told me this and I come back to it over and over.
Worst advice: Sleep when the baby sleeps. HA. I get the sentiment but get real. Naps and bedtime is my window to make stuff.
FW: How have you managed balancing your workload in a time when childcare has been sometimes unavailable or sporadic?
Amanda: We split childcare 50/50 in our household. I am mom in the mornings, my husband is dad in the afternoons. We cram in extra hours on evenings and weekends as needed. I know this sounds exhausting but I have grown to love illustrating later in the evening and my husband loves getting up at 5 a.m! It has been working well overall and I have grown to love this routine. I should mention, we are extra spoiled with flexible work life as my husband left his other FT position in January to work for my studio full time. This has been extra helpful with stress around work/life balance as if something comes up for anyone in our family, we just flex the schedule and deal with it without having to answer to an employer.
FW: What supports and/or resources have made it possible for you to take on both career and child-rearing responsibilities?
Amanda: We did have some childcare support from my parents before the latest lock down but since December it has just been my husband and I. I actually can't believe we have not had one drop of childcare in 5 months, haha. As far as other resources, the main support that I have been leaning on these last months is late night texting/messages with friends.
FW: What have been some of the biggest challenges or changes to your work life since the start of the pandemic?
Amanda: I am a little bored of the groundhog day style routine that we seem to have in our household? I'm sure everyone feels this way. While I appreciate the flexibility of doing little pockets of work at different times of day, I don't think it's healthy long term. I sense that most parents are burnt out by trying to manage it all, honestly. As for changes to work life, my studio has been working remotely for over a year, so I am not in the same physical space as my talented team mates. We make it work with slack and video meetings, but it has been challenging to lead my team the way I want to when we are in separate spaces.
FW: Has the pandemic impacted how you parent your child/ren?
Amanda: Yes. I feel we move a bit slower and savour some activities I would have not had time for when my son was in FT daycare. I have had time to work on a few parenting 'projects', too. My son and I have been baking and delivering cookies to people throughout the pandemic. I am also trying to work on what I am modelling to my son, like communication skills, working through tough emotions, etc. Easier said than done.
FW: How have the demands of motherhood impacted your career?
Amanda: I have a bit of an energizer bunny thing going and motherhood has undoubtedly forced me to examine my commitments in life. I have had to shelf some items like post secondary teaching, volunteering on boards, and a variety of side projects. My spare time is limited so I use every second on activities that replenish and fill my well now (family time, making art, exercise, friendships, rest). I don't regret this at all, I feel very much on the right path these days.
FW: Have you formed a personal motto or philosophy surrounding your recent experiences?
Amanda: This is a period of time where it's OK to 'survive' but not 'thrive'. As in, this is not a time to be making great accomplishments, career wise... just making through the day is enough right now.
FW: Has the pandemic positively impacted your career/life in any way?
Amanda: In soooo many ways! I get way more fresh air these days, I am in my garden more, I make more traditional art (as I am working out of my home studio where all the art supplies live), and I get to be around my two favourite boys most of the day. To be honest, if it were not for the pandemic I don't know if I would have hired my husband at the studio, either. This choice took months to make but the convo was sparked by the first lockdown. It was framed from a place of me learning how to ask for (and receive!) support and has been a huge step for me to lighten my load and refocus on creative output.
FW: If you had to pick, what would be the biggest thing mothering through the pandemic has changed your perspective on?
Amanda: When the world feels broken or chaotic, one thing that is within my control is how I mother. Yes, I still feel the weight of societal issues and this does not go away. Instead of letting it overwhelm me, I try to channel it back into what I actually have capacity to nurture under my own roof.
Check out Amanda’s apparel + print contributions to our Mother’s Day Collection with The Branded Good!
