Mother Lode (noun):

1. A principle vein of precious metals such as silver or gold.

2. The origin of something valuable and in great abundance.

3. A new online community for musicians who are mothers.

So what’s this all about, then?

Mother Lode is an independent blog and online community, run by a small but dedicated team of volunteers. We exist to:

• Nurture the physical & emotional wellbeing of musician-mums, a cohort who are frequently at risk of burnout;

• Discover practical ways musicians-mothers can improve or adapt their creative practice to meet the demands of parenting;

• Share knowledge, contacts and resources;

• Influence positive change in the Australian music sector by challenging embedded accessibility barriers for working mothers.

Hold up. Let’s clarify our language.

We acknowledge that gender is fluid and not all people who give birth are female. Across this site we use ‘mother’ in reference to the female or non-male parent/carer of a child. This includes but is not limited to:

Non-binary or GNC parents, both birth & non-birth mothers in a same-sex relationship, foster mums, step-mums, adoptive mothers, single mums, transgender mums, and cis-gendered female birth parents.

While the conversation around working dads in the music industry is equally valid (and very necessary if we are to achieve gender parity!), we at Mother Lode are focusing on female and non-male experiences of “music making while child raising”.

Who is it for?

Mother Lode is primarily for independent or self-managed musicians who are mothers. However, other creative mums might find our resources useful! It’s a big party and you’re all welcome.

• Music industry workers (publicists, managers, soundies, etc);

• Freelance creatives (designers, filmmakers, illustrators, etc);

• Visual or performing artists;

• Writers;

• Arts administrators, producers or NFP organisations;

• Anyone who dares to maintain a creative life while raising children.