Creative Parents: Sunny Jackson (functional artist and mother of two)
"Everything has its time and its place."
Hello! Happy New Year! It’s 2026, and as my feed has been telling me, the Year of the Horse. I really felt the energy of the shedding Snake last year, and I’m leaping into the horse’s energy. I love reading and listening to cultural practices that look deeper into the meanings and messages that have inspired humans for thousands of years. This, hopefully, will end up being a BIG year for us (again - lol!). I’m excited to share more as the months go on, but it will not be a static year, that’s for sure. 2025 was a great example to me of why trusting the universe for its plan and staying open to new directions is a grounding experience — all while manifesting what I want to come next!!
So, the first Creative Parent Substack of 2026 with Sunny Jackson fits in really nicely with this theme of looking deeper. The functional designer contacted me last year about writing about her “living sculptures of wood, crystal and light”. I knew I would make it work somewhere. Her twinkling and shimmering sculptures bring the wonders of the world around us in daily life, while offering reminders of how fleeting life is and how small our own existence is within the solar system. Yet equally, how all energy is connected. I also really think her commitment to sustainable crystals is critical to this conversation, as is the human labour and cost to the earth. I highly recommend reading Sunny’s discovery of ethically sourced crystals from artisanal miners in the Himalayan region of northern Pakistan, here.
“Every crystal’s journey — from mine to collector — is tracked and verified through Provenance Proof blockchain technology developed by Gübelin Gem Lab in Switzerland. Each artwork includes an NFT documenting the crystal’s mine origin, extraction date, and full journey to my Bali studio and ultimately to its collector. I’m among the first artists to integrate blockchain transparency into contemporary sculpture, offering collectors a level of provenance and integrity rarely seen in the art world.”
After reading through her Instagram posts, I found a post that really resonated with me and the sacrifice of parenting, and I knew she would be perfect here on Creative Parents: “As a mom who has chosen to be present in every aspect of my children's development from day 1, it has also meant sacrificing years that would otherwise be consumed with making art. Only recently have I been able to delve more into my practice, and wow, it feels good to come back to that place in me! At the same time, I wouldn't have done it any other way. I have no regrets whatsoever, and I still maintain that my greatest works of art in my life are and will forever be my children. I am tested all the time, and sometimes I need reminding. Sometimes I just need a hug from these two wonderful boys, and all the stress just melts away.”
Oh gosh, how I resonate with this. The push and pull of a creative career. To want to be at my desk, speaking to artists and designers and looking at all the inspiring artworks and projects in the world. And yet, the comfort and security of being mum, holding my girls. Though Sunny and I went in different directions, with Sunny deciding not to work while her boys were little, and for me, going back to work after a couple of months — though with them home with me! I think there is space for this open dialogue. And one I always put down to choice. Both Sunny and I chose our careers and the time we spent at home with our children. She mentions honouring the “inherent nurturing and intuitive wisdom of a more matriarchal society” and the impact this would have on the design industry, “by embracing more holistic family values and redefining how we structure our professional lives”. This might look different for so many families. But again, it’s about recognising the choice to stay home, flexible work arrangements, and extended paid maternity leave for self-employed artists and designers. And again, the choice of when to return. I could access 3/4 months of paid maternity leave from the Australian government, but once that finished, I returned to work.
Lucky that I can find space in my mind to work with children around. But maybe also why, after four years, I felt exhausted and drained? However, as mentioned, this energy is staying behind in 2025, with a new imbued energy of 2026.
I hope this interview is a beautiful way for you to start your new year. Here is the Q&A of Sunny Jackson, functional artist and mother of two:
Can you tell us about your art & design practice - what do you create, with what, and why?
I create functional art - sculptural pieces that merge light, natural materials, and emotional resonance. My work often integrates aged wood, quartz crystals, and lighting to create objects that feel alive and invitational. I’m fascinated by how a single object can hold an intention, a story, or a vibration that quietly transforms a space. My aim is to make pieces that remind people of their own light - art that’s not only beautiful but serves as a symbol of self-expression and possibility.
How did you get here?
Like a lot of creatives, it’s been an unconventional path. I’ve always felt a pull toward making things that felt different; objects that blur the line between art and utility. Over time, that evolved into a practice that draws on my background in design, my curiosity about consciousness, and my love of storytelling through objects. Each chapter- living in different countries, becoming a parent, building businesses - has woven into the way I work and what I care about creating.
What inspires your work?
I love discovering why certain objects or ideas have made their way into society through the ages from a philosophical point of view. I enjoy unravelling what’s not so obvious, because there’s always a story there; a significant piece of knowledge that forms how we came to embrace a certain ideology over time. Eckhart Tolle suggests that flowers are the transmutation of consciousness into form; a bridge between the physical world and the formless realm, representing the “enlightenment of plants.” Tolle believes that experiencing the beauty of a flower can awaken humans to the beauty within themselves. I believe the same is true with the materials I’ve chosen to work with, in particular, crystals. They, too, are a symbol of this metaphor for enlightenment. That humans, like crystals, can undergo a transformation where they become more transparent to light and presence, allowing for a deeper connection with the present moment and our true selves.
When did you know you wanted to become a creative? Was there an influential figure growing up?
I think being a creative person isn’t about a single moment when you suddenly know you want to be creative. It's about a process that evolves over time. It’s either in you instinctively or it’s not. For me, it would be impossible to go even a single day without expressing my creative mind. I’ve learned that it’s also my own antidote to worry. If I start to spiral into a negative thought pattern, I just choose to focus back on an idea I’m engrossed in, and I’m immediately lifted out of the dark and back into the place that feels like home. Creativity is like coming home to myself - every single time.
What have been some of the highlights of your career, and what do you have coming up? Do you have a favourite project?
I’ve always been creative, and when I was a kid, I wanted to be an inventor. I was always coming up with new ideas, and I didn’t know what other career would fit my constantly creative mind, other than being an inventor! I decided in high school that becoming an architect would allow me to fully realise my passion for designing whimsical spaces and myriad other ideas. I ended up discovering landscape architecture, which felt like a marriage between my creativity and my love of nature and the outdoors. I grew up on a bison ranch in Iowa and spent my summers in the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park, so I was very much guided by the great outdoors and nature as a muse.
My career highlights began as an assistant professor of Architecture at Arizona State University, to working on huge projects like the Cardinals stadium in Phoenix, Arizona, to then living and working in the West Indies in the Caribbean, designing 5-star hotel projects and jetting around small islands for work. It was quite the dream job, to be honest. I’ve always embraced my creativity, but I also needed a life full of adventure, so naturally, my path was not so linear or traditional. Eventually, I ended up in Bali, Indonesia, and besides my childhood farm, it’s the place I’ve lived the longest, and where I feel most like myself. It felt very natural to lead my own art practice, creating on my terms and for the values that I inherently hold dearest to me. I know that my greatest career highlight is still ahead of me with Sourcelight, the smaller, portable version of my signature crystal light art. It’s a project I’ve been developing for the past few years, which I’m quite excited about. It feels like the clearest embodiment of what I need and want to share with the world.
Who is in your family and their ages?
My husband, who is an anxiety and coherence guide, and our two boys, Blu and Kofi, who are 12 and 9.
Where are you based, and why did you choose this area? It would also be great to reflect on your own home and design choices with your family in mind.
We spend most of our time in Bali, Indonesia. There is a reverence for craft and a palpable creative energy here that feels like the right soil for both our work and our family. Our home is close to the beach. I would describe it as cosy and surrounded by a big garden. It is filled with lots of natural light, an amazing cross-breeze and a home that nurtures all of our individual needs. I have a spacious design studio upstairs that is my personal sanctuary and full of light, while the kids largely occupy the downstairs with their numerous projects and hobbies. My oldest son is really into building traditional Indonesian kites at the moment, so there are workshops on every floor at any given time of day! Then there’s the surfboards, soccer balls, skateboards... A lot of time is spent hanging out in the kitchen. We cook everything from scratch, so there’s a lot of time spent in this room. Having children has made me even more intentional about allowing spaces to evolve to their own natural rhythm - spaces that feel inspiring, functional, and able to grow as we do.
Do you have any advice for creative parents?
I was fortunate to focus on being a stay-at-home mother to my two boys in their early years while I transitioned out of my more traditional career as a landscape architect and into full-time mothering. It really is a full-time job, especially when your children are very little. As they got a little older, I was able to breathe more fully into my art practice, and that’s when I began the path I’m on today as a functional artist and designer of signature crystal light art.
I think a lot of parents feel the pressure to keep their careers tracking forward at the expense of being fully present for their children when they are young. And while I often itched to get back into my creative work when my boys were still toddlers, I let my mothering come first. I knew I would never get those years back, and I knew they were the most pivotal for my kids as well. I chose to stay there until I could more fully devote myself to my creative practice. This was intentional, and I don’t regret any of it.
It does mean that I’m launching my biggest project yet in my late forties instead of my thirties, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Everything has its time and its place. And besides, age is just a number. What matters is how much energy you have for the thing you’re building. And I will attest to the fact that one does need A LOT of energy for each one - parenting and your creative pursuits. Trying to juggle both at the same time is no doubt challenging, but just as equally rewarding.
What are your thoughts on the approach of the design industry to parents?
I think the design industry, like many others, still operates through a lens of traditional masculine values and capitalist viewpoints. Especially for mothers, the expectation to maintain the appearance of constant output and availability is very real. I believe if we did more to honour the inherent nurturing and intuitive wisdom of a more matriarchal society, we would see huge shifts in how the industry supports parents, not just mothers but fathers too. By embracing more holistic family values and redefining how we structure our professional lives, we would find tremendous support on so many levels.
Do you have a mantra or quote that keeps you going?
Create what you most need to find. It’s my reminder that the work I feel called to do is often the same thing that brings me back to myself.
Thank you for this - these artworks are stunning! I’ve never seen anything like them.
Love how two people with slightly different approaches to early motherhood can discuss that without seeing the other’s choice as a condemnation of her own, like you and Sunny have here. As we know from real life, this is very common, though we’re usually only shown the opposite online.
Landscape architecture sounds like an amazing job. I’m a graphic designer for a sign maker and while 98% of my work is very practical signs, sometimes we re-draw the client’s building, so it looks prettier in the proof than photos of, say, a rusty old shed, and this is my favourite part of the job. But to actually design the whole space would be incredible!
Hello, so happy to connect with you 🤍 I just subscribed to your content, and I hope you feel like subscribing to mine too 💌 xx