Meet Kathleen
I’m Kathleen Ann Harper of The Well-Crafted Mom, a place where moms can find their way through the messiness of motherhood with new ideas, resources, and art (with a lower case “a”).
I had a pretty rough time of it when my two boys were little. Not for any big reasons, just lots of small ones. Like being an introvert in a household of loud boys. Being a perfectionist in the complicated roles of wife and mom. Always feeling like I should be doing more, better, or something other than what I was doing.
I wrote my book, The Well-Crafted Mom, in 2015 and, at the time, I didn’t feel particularly well-crafted. I felt too rough around the edges. A little too odd. Too quiet when I was feeling particularly shy. But then I remembered reading about how artists in different cultures make sure that their creations have flaws. Called the “humble stitch” or “humility block” in early American quilting, flaws are believed to be intentional to show that the artist was only human. Native American artists added a mistake, a spirit bead, as a gate for the Great Spirit to enter the art. Imperfections show that things are handmade and because of that, they have more value in this world that’s quickly moving further and further away from the personal touch.
“Flawed can be more perfect than perfection,” wrote Gretchen Rubin in The Happiness Project. And that’s how I’ve started thinking about myself – because it’s certainly how I feel about the moms in my groups and programs. The more I see their edges, the more beautifully crafted they become.
Here’s what makes my life feel well-crafted …
I’m a mom. Everything I do goes through the filter of being a mom first, even now that my boys are a tween and a teenager. This used to be hard and often frustrating. But now, it feels like a lens over the spotlight of my love. (It took a lot of personal growth and time to get to this place.)
I’m a tap dancer. I tap dance all the time (which often drives my husband a little nuts). I tap in front of the microwave while I’m waiting for my chai tea to warm up, on field trips with my sons’ classes (something about the acoustics in museums is particularly nice), on hikes with my family, and pretty much everywhere else. I’m in an intermediate tap class every Tuesday at lunchtime and I think I might be the youngest one there. (The oldest is a mighty tapper who might be close to 80).
I’m always reading. When I was growing up, my mom would take me and my five brothers and sisters to the library on Saturdays. The librarian would let me check out 15 books (five more than anyone else) and over the next week, I’d read through all my books and all of my brothers’ and sisters’, too. Right now, I’m addicted to young adult fiction. My current author crush is Maggie Stiefvater. If you want to disappear into a book, this girl will get you lost in her stories.
I had a pretty rough time of it when my two boys were little. Not for any big reasons, just lots of small ones. Like being an introvert in a household of loud boys. Being a perfectionist in the complicated roles of wife and mom. Always feeling like I should be doing more, better, or something other than what I was doing.
I wrote my book, The Well-Crafted Mom, in 2015 and, at the time, I didn’t feel particularly well-crafted. I felt too rough around the edges. A little too odd. Too quiet when I was feeling particularly shy. But then I remembered reading about how artists in different cultures make sure that their creations have flaws. Called the “humble stitch” or “humility block” in early American quilting, flaws are believed to be intentional to show that the artist was only human. Native American artists added a mistake, a spirit bead, as a gate for the Great Spirit to enter the art. Imperfections show that things are handmade and because of that, they have more value in this world that’s quickly moving further and further away from the personal touch.
“Flawed can be more perfect than perfection,” wrote Gretchen Rubin in The Happiness Project. And that’s how I’ve started thinking about myself – because it’s certainly how I feel about the moms in my groups and programs. The more I see their edges, the more beautifully crafted they become.
Here’s what makes my life feel well-crafted …
I’m a mom. Everything I do goes through the filter of being a mom first, even now that my boys are a tween and a teenager. This used to be hard and often frustrating. But now, it feels like a lens over the spotlight of my love. (It took a lot of personal growth and time to get to this place.)
I’m a tap dancer. I tap dance all the time (which often drives my husband a little nuts). I tap in front of the microwave while I’m waiting for my chai tea to warm up, on field trips with my sons’ classes (something about the acoustics in museums is particularly nice), on hikes with my family, and pretty much everywhere else. I’m in an intermediate tap class every Tuesday at lunchtime and I think I might be the youngest one there. (The oldest is a mighty tapper who might be close to 80).
I’m always reading. When I was growing up, my mom would take me and my five brothers and sisters to the library on Saturdays. The librarian would let me check out 15 books (five more than anyone else) and over the next week, I’d read through all my books and all of my brothers’ and sisters’, too. Right now, I’m addicted to young adult fiction. My current author crush is Maggie Stiefvater. If you want to disappear into a book, this girl will get you lost in her stories.
I’m a planner. I like making lists, figuring out solutions, gathering ideas from all different kinds of places and putting them all in one location. Kind of like what I did with writing my book. But I also like mapping out vacation and stay-cation ideas, planning activities for my family, and arranging birthday parties, mostly for the kids but my 50th birthday was pretty frickin’ awesome, too. Dance floor + disco ball + 80s playlist = best party ever.
One of my favorite times each month is when I gather a group of moms together and we talk and make crafty things at my dining room table. It’s especially special when we can sit outside on the deck and watch the hummingbirds and finches at the fountain while we talk. I always say that the backyard is my favorite room in the house because everything out there is either my husband’s responsibility or the gardener’s – there’s nothing that needs to be done by me.
Thank you for coming by to visit. I hope you feel at home.
Hugs,
Kathleen
Want to learn even more about me? Check out this super cool infographic my very own life coach Christy Miller of Point Be Coaching made for me.
One of my favorite times each month is when I gather a group of moms together and we talk and make crafty things at my dining room table. It’s especially special when we can sit outside on the deck and watch the hummingbirds and finches at the fountain while we talk. I always say that the backyard is my favorite room in the house because everything out there is either my husband’s responsibility or the gardener’s – there’s nothing that needs to be done by me.
Thank you for coming by to visit. I hope you feel at home.
Hugs,
Kathleen
Want to learn even more about me? Check out this super cool infographic my very own life coach Christy Miller of Point Be Coaching made for me.
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