Parent Artist Project
guidance for a sustainable life as professional parent-artists
In 2020, I found myself with a newborn and struggling to balance my creative career with making a living and the demands of family life, so I reached out to several parent artist friends of mine to learn how they’ve adapted, grown, and sustained their lifestyles as parent artists over time.
These 6 conversations contain some 50+ years of parent artist wisdom, that, I hope, will bring comfort, belief, and tactical & strategic approaches to help new and soon-to-be parent artists find inspiration & solidarity on the path, which often seems the exception to the norm in our creative industries.
These recordings now represent perspectives from a (very) specific point in time (Covid, Fall 2020-Spring 2021), but the universal wisdom each guest shares makes them a valuable lifeline to any newly-minted parent artist. Enjoy, and I encourage you to share them with any parent artist friends who could benefit!
Abdul-Khaliq Murtadha (AK)
Actor | Writer | Teacher
Actor, professor, and father Abdul-Khaliq Murtadha (AK) shares his journey of balancing artistry and family over decades of work in regional theater, TV, and academia. We talk about how becoming a husband and father young reshaped his path, what it means to build a life around presence instead of prestige, and the lessons he’s learned from both the triumphs and trials of parenting while pursuing an acting career. AK opens up about money stress, creative identity, spiritual grounding, marriage dynamics, and the power of journaling and storytelling to stay emotionally present. For parent artists navigating love, ambition, and survival all at once, this episode is full of hard-earned wisdom, warmth, and soul.
Originally Recorded on 4/18/2022
Oriana oppice
Director | Producer | Actor
Director, Producer & Actor, Oriana Oppice, shares her journey from pursuing an artistic career in LA and New York to building a life and creative practice in Chicago while raising two young children. Oriana opens up about how motherhood reshaped her artistic momentum, career expectations, and identity—and how she’s learned to adapt, slow down, and embrace long-term creative planning. Parent artists will find so much resonance in Oriana’s insights on guilt, community (or lack thereof), shifting priorities, and the invisible labor of making art while raising children.
Originally Recorded on 11/16/2021
Jacob Sherburne
In this simultaneously funny and philosophical conversation, Actor, teacher, and fight choreographer Jacob Sherburne shares the winding journey of building an artistic life while raising two kids. Jacob opens up about ADHD, the messy glory of marriage, presence, letting go of shame, and how his son has become an unexpected creative collaborator. For parent artists searching for honesty, humor, and solidarity in the contradictions of art and family, this conversation should hit the spot.
Originally Recorded on 4/14/2022
Tori & Kurt Zischke
Actors
Married actors Kurt and Tori share the real, unfiltered journey of raising a child while working as journeymen in regional theater. From auditioning with a 15-month-old in tow to dancing five weeks after a C-section, they open up about the improvisation required to parent as performers. They reflect on parenting in current state the theater industry, the challenges of child care during gigs, and how having a kid shifted their career priorities and perspectives.
Originally Recorded on 11/21/2021
brady evan walker
Screenwriter | Filmmaker
Screenwriter and filmmaker Brady Evan Walker shares his evolving journey as a parent and artist navigating career shifts, emotional growth, and emerging technologies. From the challenges of losing jobs due to parenting demands to rethinking what success looks like post-pandemic, Brady opens up about redefining ambition, blending creative work with parenting, and embracing new frontiers like NFTs, the metaverse, and content marketing as platforms for artistic expression. His exploration of emotional intelligence, alternative career models, and parenting strategies offers powerful resonance for parent artists seeking balance, possibility, and creative renewal.
Originally Recorded on 11/23/2021
jenny lane
Author | Playwright | Screenwriter
https://www.jennifer-lane.net/
Writer and playwright Jenny Lane shares her multifaceted creative journey—from ghost-writing sci-fi erotic romance to landing major agents, working in editorial, and raising a young child through a pandemic. We unpack how she’s juggled freelance work, novels, screenplays, and teaching, while navigating identity, rejection, ambition, and the surprising joy of new motherhood. Jenny offers real talk on what success means to her now, why she never waits for permission, and how sharing storytelling with her son fuels her creativity.
Originally Recorded on 4/29/2022