Moms making waves

by MEGHAN CORBETT

photo by TERAH HOOBLER

When it comes to parenting, it does indeed take a village. That support can come in many different forms, but for a group of nearly 300 local women, it stems from a love of surfing.

What began in 2018 as a Facebook group for surfing mothers is today the Wrightsville Beach Surf Mamas. The goal of the group is to empower mothers to reconnect to their passions and build community, according to LISA DUNLAP. “As we all know, motherhood and the postpartum phase can be really challenging for women. There is so much isolation, changes in our bodies, and less time for things we love,” she says. “For us surfers, it’s even harder. We have less time to devote to surfing, our bodies look and feel totally different, and it can be overwhelming and intimidating to get back out there when you haven’t surfed in years.”

“Brooke (Acas), Juli (Cullins), and I each had similar ideas and missions for a surfing moms group in Wilmington at different times,” Dunlap says. “Our current mission is to empower rad moms and their families who live in North Carolina to reconnect to their passions again, build confidence, prioritize themselves, and build community through surfing.”

By providing the infrastructure needed for moms, Dunlap says the group allows members to be better mothers and partners – and better surfers. The Wrightsville Beach Surf Mamas meet regularly to hit the waves for both moms-only and family-friendly surf sessions. Surf lessons help members improve their skills. And in addition to time spent on the water, the group also organizes moms nights out and child care trades.

This kind of support enables mothers like JULIMARIA CULLINS, who grew up in a family of surfers, to get back on their boards. The camaraderie of the Wrightsville Beach Surf Mamas community reminds her of the one she knew in her youth. “I grew up surrounded by surfing women. My childhood best friend’s mom was the world champion surfer in 1983, and I always had a surf girl crew,” Cullins says. “Therefore, when I became a mother, I missed having a group of females to be with in the water.”

BROOKE ACAS is a Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach native. “I grew up surfing in Wrightsville Beach and enjoyed working at Bert’s Surf Shop as a teenager. I was able to work with some great seasoned surfers there that taught me how to read the waves and understand the ocean better,” she says.

Although the women come from different backgrounds, their collective families, careers, talents, and knowledge have allowed this group to thrive. Plans for future growth include organizing surf retreats in the Outer Banks this fall and to Puerto Rico next spring, and eventually, the group hopes to expand to other communities along the North Carolina coast. According to Dunlap, their success is due to member input and the importance it holds; consistency in meetups; child care trades so that all surfers have the chance to get a break; including dads in family meetups to encourage moms to come without the guilt; and including all levels of surfers to make sure everyone has fun without exclusions.

The Wrightsville Beach Surf Mamas can be found on Facebook or followed on Instagram @WBsurfmamas. W

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Many who are passionate about art already know that paying for a dedicated studio space is something you get to do, rather than something you have to do. Of course, trying to pursue art as a career with no sales is very difficult if there are no funds (or bread) to put food on the table, you dig?

The notion of generating a return on investment is where I take issue, because the process itself is its own reward. After all, time is the most precious commodity we have and if you aren’t working in a field you love, you’re just working to broke.

Putting money into your career is the best possible investment, and having a studio outside your home can positively impact to your professional and personal development in a variety of meaningful ways. One is that having a dedicated space for work creates an added sense of intentionality and commitment.

Stephen King famously wrote about the importance of setting a routine in terms of training the brain for the production of art. The benefit of having a dedicated studio space outside the home is similar in that it establishes that mindset, where the space is exclusively for work.

Of course, this frees up space inside the home and eliminates the need to pay for a storage space. And significantly, especially for those who understand that clutter is sometimes a byproduct of creativity, there are no well-meaning individuals around organizing (aka hiding) essential equipment.

At theArtWorks™ we have approximately 38,000 square feet with 50+ working studio spaces dedicated to artists and artisans, whether visual, performing or literary. You can be in the business of art for yourself, without having to be by yourself.

We have a fine art gallery, pop-up markets and national expos. We advocate for art at the national, state and local level, connecting artists with opportunities for grants and assistance with advertising. The idea is this helps the artists here focus on what they are best at, namely, producing art.

It’s worth mentioning while on the subject of advertising that there is a difference between exposure and recognition. Exposure is a stepping stone to recognition; in the absence of it the work is essentially produced inside a vacuum.

If a tree falls in the woods and nobody hears it, does anyone care? Being here can potentially bring recognition and support from a community of patrons, which is essential for an artist to thrive and be successful.

Similarly, there are many advantages associated with being surrounded by a community of like-minded individuals. Our artists’ village is where the sharing of ideas flows naturally. You can be as independent or as social as you want, with 24-hour access to be here.

Credibility is another benefit, as having a studio creates a more professional impression for patrons versus trying to sell art out of an in-home studio. There’s also an added sense of security compared to having customers visit your home.

At theArtWorks™ a studio can be acquired for as little as $400 on a month-to-month basis and notably, all the funds are reinvested back into supporting our local community of artists. This is why we say we are a ‘for-purpose’ organization that is focused on helping people be happy and content instead of solely pursuing financial gains.