Hold Music
Re: Motherhood — curated by Ariel Aberg-Riger
A Look Behind: Hold Music
Less of a thought process, more of a feeling. I added images that hit me in the in between, that hovered, images where you can feel the potential coiled up and ready to unwind out, if you're ready for it.
How has being a mom reshaped the way you tap into your creativity?
Being a mom has reshaped and reformed how I create from all directions. I find that people often focus on lack—what is taken away from you as a creative when you parent—your time, your energy, your sense of self. And those are definitely things to contend with! But when I'm at my best as a mom and as a creative, I am tapping into the same thing, I just AM. Fully present, and responding and engaging to what is happening in front of me. I am always trying to access that place of play and flow and openness, and if I can manage to show up, to really, genuinely show up, parenting is an amazing educator for how to do that.
What unexpected moments or connections fuel your inspiration when you need it most?
My youngest is an incredible artist and just a wonderfully wild human—she inspires me every single day with how she moves through the world. Following her lead fuels me, always.
Ariel Aberg-Riger
Author & Visual Storyteller
Ariel Aberg-Riger is a visual storyteller who creates engaging, accessible stories about history, science, policy, and other forces that shape our lives. Her work explores issues of equity and social justice, on topics that range from environmental racism to the public library, and has appeared in The Atlantic, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Teen Vogue, and more. Her debut book America Redux: Visual Stories from Our Dynamic History won the 2023 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature and was a 2024 Finalist for the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award, in a addition to being named a Best Book of the Year by the New York Public Library, Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, and more (and a best book of the 21st Century by Kirkus Reviews). She is a big believer in the power of melding forms and morphing mediums to tell expansive stories, which means some days she's performing a visual story at Carnegie Hall and others she's projecting it onto the side of a 120-foot tall abandoned grain elevator. She lives with her wife and two kids in Los Angeles, California.