Juggling Motherhood, Bookmaking, Self-Publishing and Big Feelings — What I’ve Learned

🌸 Juggling Motherhood, Bookmaking, Self-Publishing and Big Feelings — What I’ve Learned

When I first started dreaming of Hello Petal, it was during maternity leave — in those hazy, in-between hours where days blurred and ideas quietly sprouted. It felt impossible then, and even more impossible now that I’m back at work, balancing another layer of life alongside motherhood, creativity, and business.

How could I write, illustrate, and publish a whole book — while raising two small children, working, running a household, and trying to hold onto myself in the middle of it all?

The truth is, it wasn’t tidy. It was messy, slow, and often overwhelming. But it also taught me some of the gentlest, truest lessons I’ve ever learned.

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🍼 Motherhood and Creativity Don’t Compete

For a long time, I thought becoming a mum meant closing the door on creative dreams. My days felt too full, my energy too thin. But what I’ve found is that creativity and motherhood can weave together.

Yes, there were sketches done with a toddler on my lap. Yes, I lost count of how many times I wiped food off the floor before getting to my own work. But those interruptions became part of the process — and part of the story.

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✍️ Bookmaking Isn’t Just About Books

When people ask about my debut, I could talk about ISBNs, layout files, or printers. But the truth is, bookmaking taught me more about myself than about publishing.

It taught me patience.
It taught me to keep going, even when I didn’t feel ready.
It taught me that gentle progress is still progress.

And it reminded me that even late bloomers bloom.

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📦 The Self-Publishing Rollercoaster

Self-publishing can feel lonely. There’s no team of editors or marketers carrying you along. You wear every hat — writer, designer, distributor, accountant, social media strategist and content creator.

Some days it felt heavy. Other days it felt empowering.
But always, it felt like mine.

Each step of progress you make is tinged with a weird mix of accomplishment, fear, doubt, excitement and trepidation. Not being able to see tangible results immediately can make you really question if it’s all worth it some days. The what-if’s can easily creep in. But then there are also those unexpected moments where things suddenly seem clear again and your path forward doesn’t seem so strange or scary at all.

There’s something beautiful about creating a book outside the traditional mould — imperfect but heartfelt, built step by step with stubborn love.

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💛 Big Feelings Are Part of the Process

I’d love to say I handled it all with grace, but the truth is: I felt it all.

The doubt. The comparison. The exhaustion.
But also the pride. The joy. The quiet magic of seeing something that lived in my heart finally live on paper.

And maybe that’s the point. Bookmaking, like motherhood, is an emotional landscape. You learn to hold space for all of it — the fear and the wonder, the tiredness and the beauty.

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🌼 What I’ve Learned

• Slow is still worthy.
• Small steps still add up.
• Your dreams don’t need perfect conditions to matter.
• And you don’t have to wait until life calms down to begin.

Because it turns out… the “perfect time” is when you start anyway.

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✨ Closing

Hello Petal is more than a book to me. It’s proof that creativity can survive the chaos. That gentleness belongs in both parenting and publishing. That late bloomers — in books, in life, in motherhood — are never too late.

So if you’re juggling, doubting, or carrying big feelings of your own — you’re not behind. You’re right on time for your story.

💌 Preorders for Hello Petal close August 31. Beat the price rise and secure your copy today!

Order here!

Like the flowers in Hello Petal, each post blooms from a different part of this journey. You can read more of my blog posts here.