I am Jennifer Schildknecht, aka Moon Mama.
And before you ask, it's pronounced shield-connect.
Hey, it's not as complicated as it looks, but folks still seem to have a hard time with it.
I'm a wife, mama, painter, lover, healer, and writer...not necessarily in that order....an all 'round Creative Soul.
I'm wife to Tim, who is sometimes known as The Canadian, and Mama to Parker, Bonnie, Will, Sam and Hannah.
I like to call myself a "multi-media" artist...not the same thing as a mixed-media artist. I paint (on walls, on floors, on furniture, on clothing, oh and sometimes even on canvas!); I draw, sew, quilt; sometimes I even do a little "mixed media", but often my creations are a hodge-podge of any or all of the above. I'm not really sure there's a name for the sort of creating that I do. I'm not really sure I want to be pigeon-holed as a particular "type" of artist anyway.
Moon Mama....everybody asks, so I suppose I'll spill it.
Yes, there's a story. Of course there's a story. Isn't there always a story?
I've always been fond of painting the Man in the Moon, but once upon a time, I created a mysterious smiling face, closed eyes, contented but mischievous smile...on the dark side of the moon....with the glowing crescent to one side.
My sister told me "that is not the Man in the Moon; that is a woman".
Hmmph! I set out to prove her wrong.
But no matter how many times I painted that moon-face, no matter how hard I tried to prove my sister wrong, it was still a woman's face!
Humbling myself, I went back to my sister....
"OK, so....If she's not the MAN in the Moon, what DO I call her?!!"
She studied her for a moment before declaring
"Moon MAMA! That's what you call her! MOON MAMA!"
And so it was.
My new creation was called Moon Mama.
She became my logo. Folks began to recognize her before they recognized me.
Somehow I myself became known as Moon Mama, and it stuck.
I even ran into people who, though I'd known them for a while, didn't know my name was Jennifer; they only knew me as the Moon Mama!
A few years back, I decided to reinvent myself.
I tried to change the name....getting away from the Moon. Couldn't do it.
When I started a blog....couldn't find a suitable name that didn't have a "moon" in it. Tried to design a new logo....same thing.
I finally realized that the recognition was valuable and I should make the most of it; I was stuck with Moon Mama.
The original blog is Mama in the Moon and that's where I talk about art and life.
I once again became comfortable known as Moon Mama.
Then I was overcome by the desire to branch out....to grow and expand and to find ways to help others.
I wanted my work to make people happy, and I wanted to help them to feel good....good in their bodies, good in their minds, good in their spirits.
I've struggled my entire life with a string of chronic illnesses (and you can read about those here if you really want to)...with pain and limitation, with lack, and I decided I'd had enough of that nonsense.
Personal responsibility and the light, the strength, the power that's inside each one of us...I've learned so much about these attributes since I put my foot down. And I'm always discovering new ways to help...myself and those around me.
My desire is to teach and support anyone else who is struggling and wants to change things and start to live again!
So here we are....
I'm starting again.
Hard as I tried, I could not get away from the Moon!
As many times as I said "I'm over it....over that phase of my life....over the Moon".....
yep....everything seemed to revolve around the moon; it took a while to dawn on me that I was saying "over the moon"....a phrase that means great joy.
Yep, sometimes Moon Mama needs to be whacked over the head with that cosmic 2x4!
So I listened and Moon Mama is now operating under the name of Over the Moon Creative Possibilities!
I've been working for a while now helping to empower others through creativity workshops, especially children and teens, but I'm now offering life coaching and Reiki healing sessions, as well as more adult workshops. I'm planning to hold more art shows and I'm dreaming of holding retreats in the near future.
And now, for the first time ever, I'm fulfilling a childhood dream---I have a cozy and colorful space of my own in a historic building overlooking downtown Athens, perfect for fulfilling all of our creative dreams!
