Creative Moms, Creative Kids!

​When it comes to creativity, moms are often at the heart of the action! Today, Arts Quincy is celebrating three local moms and their imaginative kids to learn how they’re encouraging their kids to pursue their passions and still making time for their own creativity, too. 

Kara Hoffman
It’s not unusual for Kara and Eric Hoffman to wake up to the sound of music on a weekend. Their daughter Lydia (9) is in her 4th year of piano lessons with Kathy Flick here in Quincy, and she often gets up and gets right on the piano in the morning.
“It wasn’t necessarily like that in the beginning,” explains Kara, “But now, she’s self-motivated and really loves to spend time working on her music. She’s grown so much at it, and I love making breakfast and listening to her play.” 
Kara explains that to raise creative and involved kids, parents just need to open doors when they see that their child is interested. 
“We really believe in letting both of our kids explore the world and follow their own interests. We’re open to them trying new things and finding what fits them the best.” She explains. “And we celebrate each milestone. We get a new dress before every piano recital and make a big deal of it, for example. The encouragement just keeps them interested and growing.” 
In addition to taking piano and voice lessons, Lydia has found many other ways to get involved in the arts. She’s a member of the Kinderchor with the Quincy Symphony Orchestra Association, and she loves painting and doing crafts with her younger brother Connor. As a mom, Kara thinks that integrating creativity into the daily life of the family is really rewarding.
“I like to do creative things, too, so that helps. We do crafts, love to read, cook together. Getting involved in the arts is one of our favorite ways to create quality family time and make memories,” she says. 

Gretchen Wolfmeyer
Another local mom, Gretchen Wolfmeyer, agrees that it’s good to make creativity a family affair! 
“Engaging your kids in creative play when they are little can lead to a life-long love of the arts. When my kids were little, we would act out scenarios, dance, draw, sing, and play music.” Gretchen explains. “Taking art and theatre classes as well as music lessons have been time and money well spent!”
As her kids got older, more opportunities, like auditioning at Quincy Community Theater became available for everyone in the family. 
“As a family, we always celebrate getting through the audition — the hardest part — because it is such a challenge to put yourself out there! Over the years we have had triumphs and setbacks, but we’ve always talked about each one and looked at what else we could do to help nurture their love of learning through the arts,” she says. “The more you can work on something to boost their confidence, the better! We practice to ensure that whatever else happens, we can do our best.”
The Wolfmeyer kids have certainly done that with many creative endeavors. Thalia (18) has been involved in QCT, has been a teaching assistant for classes and is in Quincy Symphony’s upcoming production of Carmina Burana. Conall (16) has been in theatre at both QCT and at Quincy Senior High School and sings in the Electric Blue Showchoir and the Concert Corral. The family is also involved in astronomy and sees a connection between love and learning in the arts and in other STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) subjects. 
When everyone in the house is creative, including mom and dad, it’s a balancing act. The Wolfmeyers face those challenges with a lot of love. “We go through seasons in our house where one of us is taking the lead creatively with the others supporting and encouraging, and it is important to show your kids that taking this time for yourself is necessary at times,” she explains. “Just taking time to say “I love you” when you see each other can help keep you connected to the family before you go off to your own activity.”  

Kristina Dula
Another local mom, Kristina Dula, points out that being involved with creative pursuits has payoffs beyond the arts.
“In our family, we nurture creativity by exploring and encouraging their interests. Ryan (14) loves drawing, designing ships/cars and music. Layla (9) loves music, dancing, gymnastics, painting and jewelry making. We always talk about how our creativity distinguishes us from each other, and makes each person unique.”
Both of the Dula kids are also involved in Boy Scouts, which offers many opportunities to explore creativity and STEAM topics.  
“My kids are also really involved in sports, but the things they learn in the arts can apply there, too! There’s creativity in thought processes and there is confidence and problem-solving that builds in the arts that shows through no matter what activity they’re taking part in,” she says.
Kristina is another busy mom who works creativity into her daily life. In addition to owning her own bakery, Brown Sugar Pastries and Desserts, Kristina serves as the current chair on the board of directors at Arts Quincy and has been part of after school art programs with Arts Quincy. 
“There are ways to get creative wherever you look! For example, cooking and baking are something every mom is probably doing anyway,” she says, “so it’s a very natural fit for creativity. Try letting your kids decorate a cake or make a character with some modeling fondant. It can just be a part of your everyday life.”
“And,” Kristina adds, “if you really want to get creative, keep that Arts Quincy calendar close. There are so many organizations offering programing – much of it free- in this community, that it’s almost hard not to get excited about it. Attend a concert or a play, go to a festival or take a class. This is a really creative place to live and I encourage everyone to get involved.” 