Mother’s Day Collection interview with Shauna Force
Getting to know Shauna
Multimedia Artist
Illustrator/Screen Printer/Apparel and Homewares Designer
Maker behind Fenwick & Co.
Photo by Andrea Hanki Photography
FW: Give us a glimpse into your career and how it looked in the years leading up to the pandemic?
Shauna: For the 13 years leading up to the pandemic I was co-owner and designer/screen-printing artist of Edmonton based clothing brand Salgado Fenwick. In the early years, I got a BSc in Human Ecology from the U of A, focusing on textiles and design. I was already working on Salgado Fenwick but it was great to get some technical knowledge to back it up.
FW: Can you summarize what your journey into motherhood looked like ?
Shauna: I didn’t always know that I wanted to be a mom, as a young teenager I did a lot of babysitting, they weren’t the most well behaved kids and I was like if this is what being a parent is like, forget that. Many years later having met the right person, my mind and heart did a 180 degree flip and I was all aboard the baby train. It was the best decision I ever made, I can’t image my life now without this silly, adorable, incredible little creature by my side. With two more minis on the way my heart is getting ready to love them just as hard. It’s so true, the saying having kids is like having your heart walking around outside your body. I don’t think you can ever know how true it is until you have kids.
FW: What does your current work/life situation look like balancing roles of mother and designer?
Shauna: At the moment I’m a full time caregiver part-time maker/designer. My days are full of all things toddler, reading books, playing chase around the kitchen island and lots of long walks. Nap time is go time, each day may goal is to have all the house stuff done before nap time so I can harness the full duration of nap time for productive work whether that be sewing up some baby joggers or designing a t-shirt print for a client.
FW: What inspired your Mother’s Day graphic?
Shauna: Going into this collaboration project, I was thinking about how there is just never enough time. Little ones grow and change way too fast, blink and you might miss it. It seems there is always more house or design work to do than I can get done. But as I was working through the design process, all that seemed to fall away and the most important thing is those sweet but fleeting moments of holding your little one close and how important it is to really savour those snuggles.
Parenting through the pandemic
FW: What does a typical day for you look like right now?
Shauna: My typical day starts anywhere between 5am and 7:30am. Every time I feel like we have hit a good routine, something happens to blow it up, like a new tooth coming in and sleep going out the window. My little one is a total champ and you would never know her teeth are bothering her during the day but nighttime can be tricky, so we have have lots of cuddles between the hours of 2am and 5am. When this is the case I try to lean in and hold her as long as she needs because all too soon she won’t want me to hold her anymore. I get teary just thinking about it.
Once our day has started we have a leisurely breakfast, we watch a little Cocomelon (her favourite of the moment) while I wake up, some days it takes longer than others. If the weather is good we gear up and head outside. Like many toddlers mine is a huge fan of being naked and not such a big fan of getting dressed so sometimes this process can take longer than it should. Often we just head out for a stroll in the neighbourhood, usually in the direction of the dog park so we can visit the passing pups. Other times we head to another local park like Hawrelak or Gold Bar to switch up the scenery.
Then home for a snack and glorious nap time! I get a majority of my design work done during these 2 hours. Occasionally I work in the evenings too, but honestly by the time we have done dinner, bath time and bed all I can manage is a bit of tv show with my honey and then to bed.
If I have a big project or deadline on the horizon, I call in the big guns aka the grandparents and they will babysit for a day or two, whatever I need. I am so thankful to have that support I don’t know what I would do without them!
FW: What are the best and worst pieces of advice you’ve gotten as a working mother?
Shauna: Best advice, don’t sweat the small stuff, so what if the house is a bit messy and accept help when it is offered. It takes a village to raise kids and in these strange times it might be from a distance, but if someone offers to pick up some diapers while they are at the shop, and you need diapers, just say yes!
Worst, I don’t remember getting any really bad advice, maybe things that aren’t for me. But I think the worst thing you can try and do is be perfect, no one is so lets not pretend.
FW: How have you managed balancing your workload in a time when childcare has been sometimes unavailable or sporadic? And what supports and/or resources have made it possible for you to take on both career and child-rearing responsibilities?
Shauna: I am exceptionally lucky in that I have two sets of grandparents that are retired and willing to help out when I need it. Even though they are always there I am hesitant to lean on them too hard because I don’t want to burn them out and I love spending time with my daughter and I don’t want to give too much away.
I love what I do and making things is something that runs so deep in my soul that I will continue in some fashion as long as I possibly can. So with that in mind I can get carried away and take on too much so I have had to be cautious to not over commit myself. Especially at the moment being pregnant with twins, I have been super exhausted and not able to stay up that extra hour to get things done.
With the current conditions it can be a bit tricky, if someone is sick or is on a required quarantine it can cut down on my productivity. However, people/clients are so understanding and accepting that things come up in these weird times or there is supply chain delays, and they just work with you to find a solution.
I always try to give myself extra buffer time because something pretty much always comes up, we stay out on a walk too long and the nap happens in the car or the stroller and I miss my work time for the day or there is an appointment. So if I think it is going to take me 2 weeks, I say 3 just to be sure I can get it done on time.
My husband is mostly working from home which can be a bit distracting for everyone but he has learned not to bother me during the all important nap time. If he wants to take a break and chat he does it when the baby is awake. With the high cost of child care, I don’t see myself returning to a full-time work schedule for the foreseeable future especially with three kids under three but I do hope to keep up a little bit of my business once we get into the swing of things… with lots of grandparent help.
FW: What have been some of the biggest challenges or changes to your work life since the start of the pandemic?
Shauna: When the pandemic started I was on quasi maternity leave from my co-owned brick and mortar business. So when the business closed shortly there after I was on my own to take it in a new direction and really tailor what I wanted to do. Fenwick & Co. became a hub to integrate all the mediums I love into a concept that fit my new phase of life. It is a fusion of illustration, screen-printing, textile design and sewing all in one!
Moving forward and starting over all at once, it was a bit intimidating and also freeing. I had to find my own personal style and take the time to develop the specific set of products that would work for me. Home and Baby products might seem like an odd fit but when you have small children you are at home so much interacting with all those home textiles, like tea towels and throw pillows why not have them appealing and functional!
Getting started there were supply chain issues getting the fabric in the colours I wanted took a couple months. There are still often shortages, but I am better able to deal with that now.
My passion project is a labour of love and is quite time intensive, so finding all the time I need in little snippets can be challenging but totally worth it.
FW: Has the pandemic impacted how you parent your child/ren?
Shauna: My daughter was only six months old when the pandemic started so I feel like I was just getting my parenting feet wet, but my daughter is an extrovert and she loves people! She is chatty and extremely friendly, these are qualities that I greatly admire and wish I didn’t have to squelch. I don’t want to have to keep her away from the park because she wants to hug all the kids there. I rank pretty high on the caution scale when it comes to all things Covid so we only see a small group of family. We haven’t been seeing many friends and Zoey doesn’t get to play with many kids, which is a real shame and I hope that the lack of interaction with other kids doesn’t change her loving nature.
FW: How have the demands of motherhood impacted your career?
Shauna: Motherhood combined with pandemic has completely changed my career path. Motherhood has become the top priority and my career is second and I’m ok with that.
Some days my husband wishes we could switch places and he could stay home, and there are days when I would gladly trade but for the most part I am so grateful that I get to spend so much time with my daughter and I’m the one that interprets her conversation for those less familiar.
I never imaged that I would be a stay at home mom, I just always pictured myself with a thriving business that would keep me out of the house most days. Now that things have changed and I no longer have that business I’m so happy to be where I’m at.
I’m so lucky to not have had to choose, I can be a stay at home mom and have my business on the side. I think having that other thing to focus on has made the pandemic a bit easier. Instead of feeling trapped in my house and social bubble, it has given me balance and somewhere else to focus my energies and not fall in to the depths of social isolation.
FW: Have you formed a personal motto or philosophy surrounding your recent experiences?
Shauna: I am trying to be kind to myself and work with the moto: Do what you can do and try not to stress about doing more.
We all have enough stress, we don’t need to beat ourselves up too. That being said, I can be a bit of a procrastinator so I do need to stay on top of the things that I’ve got going on or they can all build up to more than is manageable.
FW: Has the pandemic positively impacted your career/life in any way?
Shauna: I feel like I’m where I need to be now. I am flexible and on my own time, well sort of :)
FW: If you had to pick, what would be the biggest thing mothering through the pandemic has changed your perspective on?
Shauna: Family has always been super important to me but in the last year we have had to close ranks and rely on each other so much. More than ever I appreciate my own parents and the realization that you never stop parenting has become apparent to me.
Just today my Dad drove me to pick up my car from the mechanic. I don’t think I will ever be able to repay all the things they have done for me. Maybe it’s more like a pay it forward situation.
My Dad said to me the other day, “when you are a new parent you are in survival mode, you can’t fully appreciate what marvellous little people you have, but as grandparents you have the perspective and time to take it all in.” I don’t know if you can comprehend how much your parents did/do for you until you become one yourself. My parents and in-laws are amazing and I am so thankful to have them in my life as well as my daughters.