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Bella Maris is a talented illustrator from Belgium, or, in her own words, a "mom who draws." She creates relatable comics capturing real moments from her everyday life, sharing relatable facts that might make you laugh.

Maris' comics usually revolve around her common challenges and lifestyle, often including her boyfriend and kid in the stories. "All I want is to put a smile on someone’s face when they read my comics. I’m happy if I could make them feel seen and they can relate to my stories," the artist told Bored Panda in a previous interview. 

More info: Instagram | bellaillustration.com | twitter.com | youtube.com

Balancing the roles of an artist and a mom may have its beautiful and challenging moments. We reached out to Bella to learn how motherhood has influenced her creative process. The artist shared, "I could go on and on about how much motherhood has inspired me, not only as a person but also in my creative process. There were countless moments where I thought, 'Hmm, this must be fun to draw about'—from my pregnancy journey to the challenges of motherhood. The truly inspiring moments for me would be how things have changed before and after becoming a mother. This topic alone gives me hundreds of ideas to draw about!"

At the moment, Bella has more than 114 thousand followers on Instagram. The artist shared that her audience is amazing. "I am so grateful for the support they have given me over all these years. When I started my comics, I was just a woman in my 20s sharing the struggles and funny moments that happened in my life. Now, as a mother, it feels like my audience has grown with me. We share so much laughter together that I usually communicate with them in the comment section of each of my comics and in Q&A sessions on my Instagram stories.

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Certainly, there are people who may find my new content less entertaining or relatable, so I take their feedback into account and try my best to provide a good balance of old and new content. Simultaneously, I get to meet a new group of people who are also parents and share their stories with me. I really look forward to this new chapter of my life with all my audience."

Balancing the roles of an artist, mom, and individual is quite a challenge. We asked Bella to share a glimpse into her daily routine. She told us that her schedule underwent a significant transformation during her pregnancy due to health conditions. This period required extensive consultations with her doctors and an extra focus on self-care. "Since our son was born, my husband and I have spent a lot of quality time bonding with him. I also took my time to recover and begin my breastfeeding journey. We would go on walks, play, read books, sing together and watch my son develop new skills each day.

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As for my creative work, I have 3 full days a week where I can focus and dedicate my time to drawing. In the evenings when my son is asleep, I can relax and enjoy my favorite TV shows, play board games with my husband and our friends, also sometimes with the help of the family, we can have a date night!"

The artist revealed that she would love to share more about pregnancy, motherhood and how challenging it can be to raise a child in the future. "As I mentioned how much this journey has inspired me, I have piles of ideas about those topics that are ready to turn into fun comics and illustrations. However, I don't want to pour everything out at once and overwhelm my audience. Since the beginning, I have been drawing comics about real situations that happened in my life, when something happens to me and I think 'I can't be the only one!', I turn those moments into comics and share them with my audience."

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The artist has also started a YouTube channel where she teaches how to draw easy things. "I made them for myself and for parents who want to teach their kids to draw. I also share my work in progress, speed draws, and more! You can find my channel with the name 'Bella Illustration' and I am also now on TikTok under the same name. If you are curious about how I create my comics and other illustrations, please follow me. Thank you! I appreciate every one of you."

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See Also on Bored Panda