Carving Out Time For A Dream

By Beverly Perkins

Alittle ray of sunshine just made its debut at a Friends of the Library event. “The Motherhood of Art” is a new book released by Plantation resident, wife, and mother of two, Marissa Huber. She co-authored the colorful publication about the delicate balance of motherhood and creative pursuits with Heather Kirtland of Maryland. The talented individual was born and raised in Plantation. She grew up bike riding to the

Marissa Huber with her mom Joan Basa Huber Town Mall, attending Peters and Plantation Middle schools, working at The Fashion Mall, and visiting the Helen B. Hoffman Library. Fast forward a decade and Huber went off to college at Indiana University where she received a degree in Interior Design before moving to Philadelphia. But her roots were calling, and she came back to the place she calls home to raise a family and to get her creative juices flowing again.

The book evolved because of the constant negative message that women, and particularly new mothers, receive that they cannot do anything for themselves once they have children. This ambitious duo disagreed and wanted to share their thoughts, advice, encouragement, and ideas of how to carve out time for creative endeavors. They did a beautiful job in the form of a conversational book inspired by the many other contributors that defied the “no more time to be an artist”.

Nothing inspires this Plantation artist more than connecting with other women who can make some time in their daily or weekly lives to pursue their dreams and interests, big and small. “I’m an artist who gained confidence, focus, and efficiency in my art-making after my son was born, and it went against what everyone was telling me as a new mom,” stated Huber.

Huber has been featured in various print and publications including HGTV Magazine as well as many projects across the nations such as the Brooklyn Art Library Permanent Collection. Most recently, she was asked to speak at the recent event at Volunteer Park because Sue Thomas from Friends of the Library has known her since she was 3 years old. In her speech she mentioned how influenced she was by having so many strong role models in her life including Ms. Thomas. Growing up Huber observed how mothers took the time to do activities with the kids, but also took the time to read a book not ignoring passions they still loved.

“It’s been a dream come true to go from an idea that lit us up, to something we could hold in our hands and share with you,” said Huber. “Heather Kirtland and I made a great team and we loved hearing from our online community ‘Carve Out Time for Art.’