Motherhood, Creativity, and Community

In Conversation with Amelia, Holly and Jordana

Motherhood is a journey that shapes, softens, and strengthens – often in unexpected ways. And it’s an experience that’s as expansive as it is intimate. For our Sana collection campaign, we set out to celebrate this experience in all its forms.

We were honoured to collaborate with three incredible women – Amelia Rushforth, Holly McCauley, and Jordana Henry – each of whom brings her own unique perspective on motherhood, creativity, and the friendships that sustain us. More than muses, they are artists, designers, and storytellers, navigating the shifting landscape of womanhood with honesty and grace.

Below, they reflect on the ways in which motherhood has shaped their work, the power of sisterhood, and the talismans they hold close.

Amelia Rushforth


Your photography has such an intimate, almost dreamlike quality. How has motherhood shaped the way you see and capture the world?

Motherhood has softened me in a way that l look to capturing the moments that invoke emotion in my work. Most of my work is now driven by love and being able to capture it for others is something I’m always grateful for.

This collection is about connection and storytelling through jewellery. Do you have a piece of jewellery that holds sentimental value for you?

Most definitely my antique wedding band l found in a jeweler at the very tip of Tasmania when we travelled Australia a few years ago. I remember walking in to the gorgeous little antique store with my three eldest daughters and immediately falling in love with it but just not sure if l should spend that much money. All of my girls kept saying, “do it Mum!” And I’m so glad l did. It will always remind me of that special time for us. I never take it off.


Of the four beads in the collection – Cherry Blossom Agate, Calcite, Aventurine, and Jasper which do you feel most connected to?

I love the Cherry Blossom Agate, I’m always searching for a little more peace and calm while parenting four little ones.

This collection is about connection and storytelling through jewellery. Do you have a piece of jewellery that holds sentimental value for you?

Most definitely my antique wedding band l found in a jeweler at the very tip of Tasmania when we travelled Australia a few years ago. I remember walking in to the gorgeous little antique store with my three eldest daughters and immediately falling in love with it but just not sure if l should spend that much money. All of my girls kept saying, “do it Mum!” And I’m so glad l did. It will always remind me of that special time for us. I never take it off.


Of the four beads in the collection – Cherry Blossom Agate, Calcite, Aventurine, and Jasper which do you feel most connected to?

I love the Cherry Blossom Agate, I’m always searching for a little more peace and calm while parenting four little ones.

Jordana Henry

Your art has such a tactile, emotive quality. Do you see a connection between the creative process and motherhood?

If I think about this on surface level, I would have to say that I find motherhood pretty uninspiring when it comes to my arts practice. If anything I would consider my practice as being purely “me” before and during mothering. But then if I look at my artwork over time and how they have changed through the seasons of my life, I can see that becoming a mother has subconsciously had a significant impact on my artworks.

How do you create space for yourself while giving so much to your art and your family?

It’s a constant juggle and something I’m not entirely sure that I’ll ever master. I guess I just try to prioritise what feels most important to me in that time. Usually that is being with my kids but sometimes I have to have time alone in the studio before I can give my whole self to them in a genuine way.


Which bead in the collection speaks to you the most?

I’m a pink girl. I love the Cherry Blossom Agate.

How do you create space for yourself while giving so much to your art and your family?

It’s a constant juggle and something I’m not entirely sure that I’ll ever master. I guess I just try to prioritise what feels most important to me in that time. Usually that is being with my kids but sometimes I have to have time alone in the studio before I can give my whole self to them in a genuine way.


Which bead in the collection speaks to you the most?

I’m a pink girl. I love the Cherry Blossom Agate.

Holly McCauley

It’s rare to have conversations about motherhood without mentioning the importance of community. What has sisterhood and friendship meant to you in this chapter of your life?

We were not meant to mother alone. Raising children is not something that should be done in a vacuum, I’m such a believer in sharing this chapter of my life with others who are on a similar journey. Parenthood is such a huge shift in life and having others around you who you can learn from, vent to and who your children can look up to is so important. I’m lucky that so many of the women who I’m on this journey with, have been in my life well before we became mums. I want my kids to know that they have family outside of our nuclear family, and through my friendships, I think they truely feel this.

As a graphic designer and gallerist, how do you balance creativity and motherhood?

Motherhood is the ultimate creativity! Although my vocations have always been in the creative fields, they are still “work” for me and sometimes the creativity can get lost along the way, I feel this is so true for so many people who work in similar ways. I feel most creative in how I live, what I do and how I do it, I want this sense of creativity and curiosity to be ingrained in my kids as normal.


Which bead resonates with you most, and why?

I love the deep red of the Jasper stone. I was so drawn to its colour as soon as I saw it. When I read that Jasper is a grounding force, a deep exhale, I felt this is a feeling a really want to cultivate more in my life.

As a graphic designer and gallerist, how do you balance creativity and motherhood?

Motherhood is the ultimate creativity! Although my vocations have always been in the creative fields, they are still “work” for me and sometimes the creativity can get lost along the way, I feel this is so true for so many people who work in similar ways. I feel most creative in how I live, what I do and how I do it, I want this sense of creativity and curiosity to be ingrained in my kids as normal.


Which bead resonates with you most, and why?

I love the deep red of the Jasper stone. I was so drawn to its colour as soon as I saw it. When I read that Jasper is a grounding force, a deep exhale, I felt this is a feeling a really want to cultivate more in my life.

SHOP

Sana

Sana is a tribute to womanhood in all its forms – an offering to those who mother, those who support, those who carry love in their hands and history in their hearts.

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