Maternity and polymer clay 

When I was pregnant, many people warned me that free time was finished for me. I wasn't going to find time to spend with my husband or reading a book. Most important, time for clay would be reduced to a few sessions a year when my son went away on a school trip.

- Furthermore, they said to me, you don't have your parents in Valencia, so you won't be able to send the child to his grandparents. You two are alone, you can't live your lives on a whim anymore.

- And then you have a full-time job. Do you think that after spending nine hours a day with your patients (I am a product manager in a jewellery workshop that employs chronic schizophrenics) you will want to come home to your workshop and design little necklaces? No, Ana, forget it; polymer clay is just for people without children.

What these people didn't know is that we, polymer clay artists, are in love with our material. The passion we feel for it makes us find time where there is none.

It's true that I haven't the same amount of time as before, but that hasn't held me back. The solution to combining both has been to organize my time efficiently.

The time I spend breastfeeding my child is perfect to imagine new forms, finishes or textures. As soon as the feeding is over, I draw and make notes in a notebook. So when I sit with a piece of clay I don't waste time thinking about what I want to do.

I have started several pieces and each one is in a different phase of completion. Some are still in the modelling phase, others ready for curing, and others for retouching, polishing, assembling ... That way I can choose which piece fits the time I have.

I attempt to keep the workshop as orderly as possible, the table sufficiently clear, the tools available at all times, and the things that I'm not using are put away. This way, I feel energized to be creative and don't give in to laziness.

The moments in which my son sleeps are perfect for claying, as well as those in which he plays. I like to place him in his hammock, near to me, so in addition to playing with clay I can watch him all the time.

I am still on maternity leave, and obviously I have more time, but I'm sure that when I get back to work I will organize those precious minutes to indulge in one of my greatest passions.

And then I will tell you.