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I loved all the celebs who brought their moms to the Oscars last night. And I loved the tributes to moms in the acceptance speeches, especially Jared Leto's "thank you for teaching me to dream" and Angelina Jolie sharing her mother's love for art and film. But even better than these moments was the acceptance speech for best original song, "Let It Go" from the movie Frozen. Mom Kristen Anderson-Lopez, with husband and writing partner Robert Lopez, gave credit to her daughters for inspiring the biggest movie song of the year.
Katie and Annie, this song is inspired by our love for you, and the hope that you never let fear or shame keep you from celebrating the unique people that you are. Thank you, we love you.
That gave me chills -- and not just because Anderson-Lopez tears up and her voice cracks. I love that she's encouraging her daughters to celebrate what's unique about themselves. That's one of the best gifts we can give our children, the ability to recognize and love whatever is at their very core as individuals.
And I thought it was bold of Anderson-Lopez to call out fear and shame as the blocks that hold us, especially girls, back. We don't like admitting that we are sometimes beholden to those two emotions -- but we are. Naming them hopefully gives people like Katie and Annie power over them.
Most of all, I loved hearing from a mom who creates at the Oscars. I feel like plenty of artists are quick to give their moms credit for helping them achieve. But we moms are creators ourselves. Sometimes it feels like being a mother and being a creative person are mutually exclusive. You don't feel like you have time to write, or paint, or dance, or whatever it is that sets your soul on fire. But somehow, some of us find a way. In my mind, motherhood and creation come from the same spark.
Do you feel like you have time and space to be creative -- how do you find that time?
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