With a single Instagram post, feminist artist Hein Koh just won the Multitasker Of The Year award. Last month, the mother of two posted a photo taken in September 2015 for throwback Thursday. The photo shows her sitting up in bed, breast-feeding both of her twin daughters while working on her laptop.
"My #twins were 5 weeks old and despite the sleep deprivation and frequent (every 2-3 hours, 24-7, 45 min at a time) #breastfeeding, I was still getting shit done," Koh wrote in an accompanying caption. "#MarinaAbramovic thinks children hold women back in the art world, but as@dubz19 put so aptly, 'FUKKK THAT'... Becoming a #mom (of twins no less) has personally helped me become a better #artist — I learned to be extremely efficient with my time, prioritize what's important and let go of the rest, and #multitask like a champ."
Art world shade aside, Koh made an important point about being a working mom. She took a major challenge (caring for two infants while keeping her career afloat) and turned it into a learning opportunity for herself and her artistic process.
Koh added that her approach isn't perfect for every mother: "I'm also not saying that artist parents are better artists than non-parent artists, or that choosing not to be a parent will deny you access to these learning experiences. What I am saying is that parenting is like any other challenge in life — the biggest fucking challenge in my own life thus far — and if you embrace it and figure out creative solutions, you can emerge a better person."
Since posting the photo, Koh's received an outpouring of support from her followers and fellow moms. The Instagram post has more than 1,300 Likes, and her Facebook post has more than 7,000.
"Thank you for posting this. I remember when [I] gave birth to my twins, next day [I] was sending invoices to my clients from the hospital bed," one Instagram commenter wrote.
Another echoed Koh's sentiment that having a family can actually lead to opportunities in other parts of your life: "I found that in my career [s]urrounded by single women I was constantly made to feel as if I could not be successful having a family! I didn't understand it as I felt my children and family pushed me to want so much more and work even harder. Now a mom of 5 including a 2-year-old and 7-month-old twins I live an even more fulfilling life working from home working less hours than my corporate job yet successful and being the best mom I can be. Some people thrive in [c]haos and we make the best Mompreneurs!!"
Motherhood comes with much added responsibility, of course, which everyone handles differently. And we need to do more to support women's choices, whether they work or not, and whether they decide to become mothers or not. That includes pushing for paid leave, reproductive rights, and other policies that make it easier for all women to access all the available choices — but it can also mean applauding women for sharing their personal stories.
That, plus Koh's willingness to admit that yes, sometimes her life as a working mom is chaotic, is probably why this Instagram post is getting so much attention. Check out Koh's full post below. Don't be surprised if this starts playing in your head as you read.
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