In celebration of motherhood, we revisit the home of visual artist Caroline Walls and her wife Emma hill to learn about their family traditions, the lessons they have learned, and how they will be spending Mother's Day this year.
Caroline wears the Lahni Long Sleeve Top in Washed Black with the High Waisted Flare Jeans in Antique White.
Hi Caroline! For those who haven't seen our previous Journal with you, can you introduce yourself and what you do?
I'm Caroline Walls, a visual artist and mother to Luna, our 2 year old daughter, with my wife Emma Hill; who is currently pregnant with our second daughter due in July. The work I create explores themes relating to womanhood, sexuality and identity and since the birth of our daughter I’ve furthered this exploration to include notions of fertility, birth and motherhood.
What is your favourite part of being a mother?
All the cuddles and the sheer joy of seeing our daughter experience new things for the first time. Her vocabulary continues to expand and she's better able to voice her wants and needs and explore the things that most interest her. It’s such a pleasure, and often very funny, watching her become a little individual - she’s incredibly outgoing and has a passion for music and playing with her little guitar or art box.
Emma wears the Lahni Long Sleeve Top in Antique White with the Kin Trackpants in Black and
Caroline wears the Lahni Long Sleeve Top in Washed Black with the High Waisted Flare Jeans in Antique White.
What valuable lessons have you learnt from your mum?
Self-confidence and an attitude that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Both of our Mums are easy-going and very family orientated so we hope this is reflected in the household we are creating for our growing family.
What lessons have you learned from your daughter?
She has given us a greater sense of perspective and this has allowed us to really embrace living in the moment, encouraged us to slow down and enjoy the quiet moments. As we are a rainbow family, she’s also inspired an intense sense of pride for our family make-up and for all the other families that are uniquely different to most.
Caroline wears the Lahni Long Sleeve Top in Washed Black with the High Waisted Flare Jeans in Antique White.
What values do you hope to instil in your daughter?
Kindness that extends to others, animals and the planet. A sense of curiosity, playfulness, integrity and a love for self.
What family traditions do you have, or hope to create?
We enjoy eating together as a family which has naturally meant our dinnertimes are very early in the evening these days. One of our favourite family traditions is going to our local Vietnamese restaurant for a Sunday night feast of pho and noodles.
Caroline wears the Lahni Long Sleeve Top in Washed Black with the High Waisted Flare Jeans in Antique White.
Can you share with us your favourite way to spend time together?
We love the outdoors and being in nature - we spend a lot of time on walks around our home in inner Melbourne which is close to Merri Creek, CERES, Collingwood Children’s farm and some beautiful parklands. Melbourne’s lockdowns last year put a hold on our travelling but we’ve been making up for lost time and heading down the coast or up north at every opportunity as Luna loves the beach.
Now more than ever, we are leaning on our family and loved ones to support us in our pursuit of work/life balance. How have you approached achieving this balance?
Being self-employed and having my art studio within our home means I’m able to move between mothering and working with some sense of freedom. Emma and I work alongside each other within the business in different roles which has allowed us great work/life flexibility that we don’t take for granted, as the parenting is always shared. While our daughters are young we both want to be very involved in their development and growth day to day so a working week is fairly unstructured unless there is a particular deadline or project in the works.
Caroline wears the Lahni Long Sleeve Top in Washed Black with the High Waisted Flare Jeans in Antique White.
Tell us about your self-care practice - how do you nurture yourself?
That’s something that often falls to the wayside but time outdoors each day really brings some calm and clarity to a busy mind. Simple things like a dinner with friends or an exercise class gives us that time to nurture ourselves and fill our own cups.
How will you be spending Mother’s Day this year?
It’s a big day in our household with two Mums to celebrate! But really we hope to visit one of our community markets, then go for a picnic at one of our favourite spots - a slow day enjoying each others company.