Having a Family Doesn't Mean No Artist in Residency Program
Published on HivePostify by @akipponn · Sun Jul 19 2026
Since the beginning of this month, I've been taking part in a one-month residency program at Denkstatt, a woodworking studio in Seiffen, Saxony, Germany, a town well known for its wooden toys and woodworking.
[Denkstatt - Kreativzentrum | Denkstatt Erzgebirge | Kurort Seiffen/Erzgeb. ](https://www.denkstatt-erzgebirge.de/)
Seiffen is about three and a half hours from Leipzig, where I live, by public transportation. In Germany, traveling seven or eight hours by train or car isn't all that unusual (I think), so this feels more like a shorter medium-distance trip.
Being this close has made me realize that it's actually possible to balance a residency with family life. I also wanted to write this post to encourage parents of young children who might be wondering if it's possible.
Looking back at a failure three years ago
In 2023, I also spent about a month away from my family for a production stay at the university in Linz, Austria, where I had previously studied. It was part of the Culture Moves Europe artist support program. It wasn't exactly a residency, but in terms of being away from my family for a month, the situation was similar.
At that time, my child was still in kindergarten. My partner took her to visit for about a week during my stay, but to be honest, I didn't care my partner well and things became a bit ... or quite difficult.
We got through it, and although I reflected on what had happened, I still wanted to have an environment where I could focus completely on making things. I was glad I had that opportunity.
Worries and planning
Because of that experience, I didn't spend a long period away from home in 2024. I only went on the Hive Fest travel for less than a week to attend a conference.
In 2025, my child was older, so I joined a two-week residency in Chemnitz, about an hour and a half from home. There were a few days when my partner couldn't stay at home, so my child joined me at the residency during that time.
Everything went smoothly without any major problems, and I thought, "This kind of arrangement seems to work." Also I fly to America to join Slow Food event and away from home for a week. It worked too.
These successes in 2025 made me feel positive to participate in residency programs. Then, at the beginning of this year, I found the residency in Seiffen that I mentioned above. I applied without making a detailed plan, thinking it would probably work out somehow. Still, remembering what had happened three years earlier made me a little uneasy. I also felt that leaving all the childcare to my partner would put too much of the burden on one person.
After I was accepted, I made a few adjustments from the beginning.
- Timing it during my child's summer vacation My partner and child often travel together or visit family during the summer holidays, so they are frequently away from home. It's not that I'm being left out—we just naturally end up doing different things because sometimes I'd rather stay home or I'm interested in something else. I thought that if they weren't going to be home anyway, it would make sense for me to be away too. - Summer vacation also makes it easier for my child to visit me In Germany, kindergartens are fairly flexible, but once children start elementary school, attendance becomes compulsory and it's much harder to take time off. My child's school is relatively flexible, and last year they joined me during my residency in Chemnitz. Since Chemnitz was the European Capital of Culture and my residency was related to that program, they were able to miss two days of school.
- Close enough for a day trip if necessary A one-way journey of three and a half hours is still close enough that I could return home in a day if necessary. One of the hosts even told me, "Quite a few people commute to Leipzig for work." Hearing that made the psychological hurdle much lower.
What I learned by actually doing it
Originally, I hadn't planned to go home every weekend. But there were weekends when my family was at home, and after traveling back and forth for two weekends in a row, I realized that three and a half hours didn't actually feel that long.
On the train, I chat with AI about ideas that come to mind, work on grant applications or blog posts, or simply think quietly about my projects.
The change between the mountains and the city also feels refreshing.
I realized that I didn't need to make a perfect plan from the beginning. I could adjust things as I went along. That flexibility may be the most important part of balancing both.
It also helped that the hosts were very flexible. One week I had a medical appointment in the middle of the residency, and when I asked about it, they simply said, "Of course, go ahead." The two other residents also moved between Seiffen and other places depending on their own work and health, while using Seiffen as their base. Watching that made me realize that I could simply talk with people and decide together.
Showing that you care matters
Another thing that seems small but has made a difference is simply showing that I care about my family. Going home from time to time, sending messages to ask how they're doing, seeing them off when they leave on a trip, or making simple sandwiches with whatever is in the kitchen. It doesn't have to be anything special.
If I become completely absorbed in making things and stop communicating, or if I don't go to the station to meet them when they visit (although I still sometimes think, "They're adults—they can get here on their own..."), that's when the same kind of problems we had three years ago begin to appear.
It's a very basic thing, but it may also be the most important foundation. There's no need to overdo it. Just keep doing the small things whenever you can.
In closing — for anyone hesitating
I don't want to divide people by gender, but I imagine there are people—especially mothers—who hesitate to apply for residencies because they feel they shouldn't.
I'm not usually too concerned about what other people think, but I do sometimes wonder if that's how I'm being seen. Still, I think everyone should find what works for them. When I talked about it with the residency hosts and the other residents, their response was, "Why don't you stay longer? Your child is already grown up, right?" It felt like a very East German way of thinking, where women working is simply normal.
If you think about the timing and the distance, and stay flexible after that, it can work. Having a family doesn't mean you can't join a residency. If you're hesitating, I hope this post gives you a little encouragement 😊
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家族がいても、小さいお子さんの保護者でもレジデンシーに参加できる！という内容の投稿を書きました。今回日本語版はnoteへ。よかったら覗いてみてください。 https://note.com/akipponn/n/nf58459274387
Tags: #family#life#artist#japanese#blog#pal#pob#silverbloggers