One day, as Coleen Hubbard waited for her youngest daughter to emerge from preschool, she was just about ready to surrender to the nagging voices in her head: Give in! Just give in! You're a mother! You're not a writer. You're a slave to the carpool. Your sweatshirt is stained. You'll never finish the play in time to submit it to the festival in Montana…Then her daughter jumped into the car, waving the picture she'd crayoned in class that day: it showed a towering, vivid woman, dressed in purple, standing taller than the trees, arms outstretched toward the sun above. "Who's this?" Coleen asked. "It's you, Mommy," her daughter replied…Coleen was surprised, and then inspired. The picture (now framed and hanging above her desk) reminded her that her strong, creative self still radiated, even in the frenzy of day-to-day family life, visible to her daughter even when the vision was temporarily lost to herself. Now, having forged a writing career while simultaneously raising her three daughters, she shares her inspiration, humor, and hard-earned wisdom in this powerful, practical guide. She includes interviews with other mothers who are pursuing their passion for painting, writing, acting, dancing and other creative arts-women who strive for the seemingly impossible balance between motherhood and the muse. With this book, you too can find the big purple mommy within…and learn to master the art of mothering even as you give birth to your creative work.