Emma Sookrah is a textiles designer specialising in hand embroidery and embellishments. She’s a mother to her son Micah who’s 6 months old.

Motherhood and creativity 

Finding time to be creative has been challenging but it has also become more important and something I always make time for. When I get some creative time I truley treasure it. Now I have Micah to provide for I have been creatively challenged and motivated to really push myself to start creating, designing and selling my own work. 

Motherhood and confidence

Motherhood has been such an eye opener and I have found it very liberating from the noise and pressure of society. Micah is my world, he is my focus and he is what matters. I’m soaking up each day of maternity leave. I also feel I have gained confidence in my self worth. 

Managing time

I am very lucky, my mum works part-time, so on her days or afternoons off she will look after Micah. I work from home which is great. I have found I need to be a lot more organised with my time and really plan out the hours I have dedicated for work. 

Difference between the way you work now and the way you worked before being a mother

Before being a mother I was doing a lot of work for other people which although I enjoyed, I felt my ideas were being taken and skills were not being realised. Now, I’m working on more freelance projects as well as focusing on my own work. I feel in control. I’m a lot more productive, time efficient and enjoy setting my own time and rate. 

Your work environment 

I mainly work from home. We have a spare room which I have set up to work from. If I want to get out I also will go to a local coffee shop and spend time working there. 

Plans for the rest of this year

I will be working on a lot more freelance projects, and am currently looking for a stable part time role. I will also be focusing more on creating my own products to sell, having stands at craft fairs and eventually a pop up shop. 

Read our previous interview here and follow Emma on Instagram.