We are all children: imagination, creativity and breast cancer from a mom who has been there.

Today’s post comes c/o Melanie Gordon – a Toronto based photographer of children and the magic of childhood. She is also a proud mom of an amazing 5 year old. Melanie was faced with breast cancer in the early years of motherhood and she has agreed to bravely share her story with us. Visit her site for more information on her brilliant imagination sessions. All images © Melanie Gordon

 

I felt like my life began when I gave birth to my daughter. I felt like THIS was my purpose. In the days and years that followed, I often felt like I existed somewhere in between the spheres of childhood and adulthood, struggling to balance my desire to let go and just play with the HUGE responsibility of being a parent. The seriousness of being responsible for another life is sometimes paralyzing, and yet such a gift.

Being deprived of sleep and working hard as a self-employed photographer while taking care of a child is really, really hard. Ironically, it can knock the magic of childhood right out of you. I was severely sleep deprived for the first two years of my daughter’s life and then I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Full stop. Not that this was the cause of my diagnosis, but certainly, being sleep deprived can lead to immune burnout and very poor self care. I was 38 years old.

My daily life suddenly became about agonizing decisions and realizations about possible negative outcomes. Breast cancer became my full time job.

 

But, I got a second chance. An opportunity to live a better life. To be a better person, mom, and partner. And I’m doing this by taking care of myself first so that the energy and love I have to share is fluid and without resentment. This makes space for all kinds of joy and imagination to occur, seemingly effortlessly. Who knew? It’s simple but it took me a long time to get here. I am 4 years post diagnosis and feel like I’m living my best life.

An unexpected gift of motherhood is that through nurturing my daughter I get to reconnect to my own inner child.

The truth is that we are all children.

What if our purpose is not only lovingly launching our children into this world, but allowing our children to reconnect us with the magic of childhood and in turn, with our authentic selves.

At the core of childhood is imagination and creativity.

As a parent you have the gift of helping your children to see themselves as dreamers and changers and makers of magic in their own lives. Your children have the gift of being your imagination guides.

What is so powerful about creativity is that it connects us to our true nature.

We are all naturally creative. But a lot of adults have creativity amnesia. We need to look to our children who are deeply engaged in the art of becoming. When we give children time and space to play, imagine and create, we empower them to be artists and visionaries, to be curious about life and to trust themselves. As a bonus, they inspire us.

Exploring creativity helps children make sense of their inner and outer worlds and gives them the confidence to express who they really are. I believe self awareness leads to greater happiness and success in life.

My healing journey through breast cancer has lead me through many questions about life and right into the heart of creativity. I believe in the power of art to inspire, connect and heal.

 

My mission is to help children be seen and heard and to empower them through creativity and photography.

Children have a radiance that is undeniable. I believe this radiance comes from their capacity to imagine, play and create. This is what I photograph.

We support our children’s capacity to trust their own radiance when we give them opportunities to express their unique voice and vision and listen without judgement.

To support my mission, I created a new kind of family photo session – Imagination Sessions – that inspires imaginative play and art-making with children. I capture moments of dreaming and discovery and transformation, making a document of the true spirit of your child and giving you a glimpse into who they might become. Beautiful fine art photographs will document this time in your child’s life, and show them as creative people. This will give them a visual history of being a creative person that will help them trust their own voice.

When children see themselves as subjects of art they feel valued and loved. They see themselves as extraordinary. They see themselves as protagonists in their own story.

For every Imagination Session booked before Mother’s Day, I will donate $100 to Rethink Breast Cancer. for their Baby Time Campaign. It is a true gift to be a parent. This Mother’s Day you can support me in helping breast cancer survivors have families. Fertility is a BIG issue for young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer and there is little research out there. Rethink Breast Cancer is working to change this.

Sometimes it may feel impossible to give your children everything you dream for them. All they need from you is love and the permission to dream big.

To book an Imagination Session contact Melanie at www.melaniegordon.com/imagination-sessions