“I love to keep a sense of play in my life, to say yes, to take chances, not do the obvious, question everything and play in everything! It keeps me feeling alive and connected.”
1. Describe your current family situation
I have been married to a beautiful man for 13 years and have 3 children together with him. We also have a dog, 2 cats, 1 duck and 8 chickens in our ‘family’. We live in Portugal away from our extended family which brings its challenges.
2. In your eyes, what does ‘creativity’ mean and why is it important to you?
For me Creativity is about play. I love to keep a sense of play in my life, to say yes, to take chances, not do the obvious, question everything and play in everything! It keeps me feeling alive and connected (mind, body, spirit).
3. How do you carve out time and space within family life for your creative practice?
Creative practice can come into any aspect of life I believe but my own particular favourite creative practice is dance and I ensure that I make time for a little of that weekly. If I am not dancing, then I am thinking of ideas for dances, watching dance, listening to music for dance and that all keeps my creative juices flowing.
4. What kind of creative activities do you feel drawn to again and again?
Body practices, dancing in all forms.
5. How do you get inspiration flowing when you feel stuck?
Listen, watch, feel, move….
6. In what ways do you sabotage your own creative life?
Haha!! Good question! By not being present, getting sucked into overwhelm and stress state and losing connection.
7. Who or what are your creative allies or mentors?
So many people, all my dance colleagues, partners, friends, students and teachers. My sister, mum, all the other people that I buzz off…too many to say.
8. How would you describe the relationship between your creativity and your mothering?
My Creativity and mothering can go hand in hand but also mothering sometimes does the sabotaging!
9. To what extent does your creative work generate a financial income for your family? How does this reality compare to your aspirations around this?
Very little at the moment but I am certain that this will change with time. We are still at the beginning of a big project in Portugal that will eventually provide a space for lots of play and will become a family business too.
10. What would you say to a mother who is struggling to express herself in the midst of her family commitments?
I would encourage her to find time to do a little something for herself each day, whether it be to write, draw, dance and even if it’s only for 10 minutes! Or even 5.
11. Big yourself up, sister – share your current / most exciting projects, web and social media links:
Filming will soon commence on a film that I am dancing in, called Fire Resistant… You can support their crowdfunding campaign here.
In Central Portugal, my move, dance & play classes for kids will soon re-commence in Barril de Alva.
I begin leading some yoga courses in the coming weeks (Avô and Barril de Alva).
I am Tamzin, I am a woman. I live in the mountains of Portugal with my husband and 3 kids. We are developing a big project, a place to play, host workshops, retreats, holidays and more. I have always inhabited my body and moved my body mostly through dance but also through yoga and fitness practices. For me dance is life.
“To be open to the possibility of dancing more, anywhere, anytime, for any reason, in any clothes, with any thing is to shift to a mentality, a way of being, that greets every moment of life as an invitation to discover who you are and what you can do.” Kimerer Lamothe
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