Brightly Burning

Brightly Burning

A creative workshop for primary caregivers

The first offering of this workshop was on June 8, 2023. Thank you to Pratt Institute and HASTAC for hosting and believing in this project. The second iteration was provided throughout May 2024, made possible by Scribente Maternum.

About this offering:

"Rather than viewing care work as characteristic of the noun ‘motherhood,’ [we consider] it as the action of mothering, which includes anyone who is engaged in the practice of creating, nurturing, affirming and supporting life.” (from Essential Labor, Mothering as Social Change by Angela Garbes, quoting an anthology titled Revolutionary Mothering edited by Alexis Pauline Gumbs, China Martens, and Mai’a Williams.) Brightly Burning is an interactive, generative workshop mainly for writers who are primary caregivers of small children, though all caregivers of all types of human beings are welcome, in addition to anyone else who would like to join to discuss/write about themes including caregiving, self-care, time and creativity. Parents, doulas, aides, direct support providers, caregivers to/for the elderly, caregivers to/for the disabled, babysitters, nannies and so on are welcome. Participants need not only identify as writers; they may identify as artists as well and use the time and prompts/offerings to work/reflect on their craft. This is a space for caregivers to emote and to share. It is for us to come together and feel taken care of, albeit for a short amount of time (one hour per session). It is an opportunity for us all to unearth kernels of creativity that we may have buried or ignored on account of being someone else’s pillar. Brightly Burning serves as an escape, a haven, a beacon. Because society sees caregiving and creativity as being at odds with one another, it is vital that we create spaces where caregivers are encouraged to practice and release their creative impulses.

Novelist Doris Lessing (1919-2013), who tried to “keep brightly burning that lamp above the dark blind sea which was motherhood,” would not allow herself to be submerged by the chaos of taking care of her home and children. She was fully aware of the “stressful and burdensome” role of the caregiver, which includes “physical and psychological strain over extended periods of time, [and] is accompanied by high levels of unpredictability and uncontrollability, has the capacity to create secondary stress in multiple life domains such as work and family relationships, and frequently requires high levels of vigilance.” (from Physical and Mental Health Effects of Family Caregiving by Paula Sherwood PhD, RN, CNRN and Richard Schulz, PhD, published in American Journal of Nursing in 2008). A lesser known strain of caregiving includes a forfeiture of time and space to dedicate to creativity, which may lead to loss of identity, resentment, depression and/or other health issues.

In this workshop, we are asked to think about and dissect our own narratives in a nonjudgmental way by giving ourselves the gifts of time and reflection. We are asked to keep brightly burning our ideas, our own selfhood, and whatever makes us who we are.

Moving forward, the workshop will ideally be available on Zoom regularly. A future dream iteration may also include in-person gatherings with qualified childcare. For more information and/or to partner on this project, please reach out.

Participant Feedback

(no sources to protect anonymity of participants)

“I loved the emotional vulnerability and validation I experienced through this workshop. A person who I spoke with during the workshop ended up meeting up with me in person and we became immediate friends which was so lovely. This workshop facilitated that friendship by bringing us together, and I think the openness and time we were given was a huge part of that.”

“This was the first and only space I had heard of that was made for caregivers.”

“I would love it to be longer. Although the shortness is valued because of the very little time caregivers have for themselves.”

“I really liked responding to the quote and excerpt and then doing our own writing/creating as a follow up. Sometimes it’s hard for me to START and having that excerpt as a beginning point really helped. Guided making is so crucial for folks in caregiving positions. To have someone guide you through it, rather than using your own brainspace to think of WHAT to make or write or do.”

Love this potential group for the future and community. We need to hold this sacred shade to confer, write together and share! It was wonderful. Loved the prompts and reading selections too.

Quiet, reflective, thought-provoking space. I liked that it was a quick hour — easy to commit to. Somehow we managed to exercise our brains and write quite a bit in a short period of time.