Chaos plus limitations: Claudia Karvan's unique take on motherhood

Claudia Karvan with son Albee

Last month, Debrief Daily ran an extract from Motherhood and Creativity - part of my conversation with actor and producer Claudia Karvan.

Claudia and I met on a street corner in suburban Sydney near her home. She rocked up with her dog and a sore back from lugging her mothers' furniture around all day. So instead of sitting in a cafe, we took ourselves across the road to the park and conducted much of the interview with Claudia flat on her back in the grass, throwing sticks to her dog.

She was a joy to interview: relaxed, open, candid and funny. I really appreciated her wisdom about the choices she has made, both in terms of her career and raising her children, including her step-daughter, singer Holiday Sidewinder.

On the decision to have her first baby, she gave me what I thought was a particularly original answer:

I just felt like I could do whatever I wanted to, and I was sick of that. I wanted someone else to be my boss. I had no parameters, really, and I wanted some. There’s a certain kind of indulgence that comes with being young that I wasn’t really enjoying. Does that make sense?

I wanted to invite chaos into my life – that’s another way of putting it. I wanted to have some other priorities that weren’t set and guided by me. I don’t know where that feeling came from. I think I was just sick of myself! I wanted to make life a little bit more layered.

You can read the rest of the extract here.

I'll be talking to Claudia and writer, ad guru and broadcaster Jane Caro about this and other mothering-related issues at the Sydney Writers Festival this Sunday, May 24 at 3pm. Join us if you can! Tickets here.