Portrait of a Mother: In conversation with Katie Merchant

To mark International Mother’s Day, we’re proud to launch Portrait of a Mother—a new series celebrating the creative lives of women who inspire us. For our first feature, we speak with Katie Merchant: creative director, stylist, photographer, and first-time mother. Known for her quietly cinematic imagery and evocative eye, Katie brings a sense of beauty to the everyday. Through her Substack thank you, ok, she shares glimpses of life at home—seasonal meals, textural moments, and reflections on early motherhood. We spoke with Katie about how this new chapter is shaping her style, her creative rhythms, and the rituals that anchor her days.

Q:  As a creative director and first-time mum, how has motherhood influenced your aesthetic or the way you approach storytelling through your work?

A:  So far, the core of my aesthetic has stayed similar to what it was before motherhood: being inspired by the colours, simple beauty and sensory experiences of the everyday. That being said, a whole new world has opened up as I explore life with a new baby, which feels very expansive. I've also been reinvestigating references from my childhood which I’ve always been aesthetically inclined toward: clothing I wore, meals I ate, special table settings by my mother, and of course the books. 

I've been referencing Babar a lot lately - even before Lucy was born I was dipping back into the world of Babar. There is a strawberry souffle in Babar Learns to Cook by Laurent de Brunhoff that has left an indelible impression on me since childhood. I found the book again a few years ago and it inspired a souffle exploration. On our current bedtime story rotation is the classic Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd - there is a spread with a tableau featuring “a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush" which I love - I could see that easily inspiring a future still life. I've always enjoyed creating playful worlds through my work and I'm excited to see how it evolves as I continue on this journey of motherhood.

Q:  What has surprised you most about this new chapter—from the emotional to the everyday?

A:  This new chapter is full of surprises! Emotionally, all of the cliches are true but the feelings still came as a surprise. When we made it through the birth and Lucy was placed on my chest, the feeling was otherworldly. She was born at 6:30am and there was this intense red sunrise. It was a wild ride.  Another cliche that rings true is that it all goes by so fast - we are now almost 6 months out and I can't believe it. I'm trying to appreciate being deep in this sweet world for as long as I can - or as long as time will allow, because it really is slipping by so quickly. The other thing that surprised me so much was the instant connection I feel with other mothers, from friends to acquaintances to strangers, to my own mother. 

For the everyday, something that surprised both my husband and I was the unpredictability of the baby's size. While I was pregnant she was tracking to be a big baby and my mother had warned me "not to bother with any clothing under 12 months size". When Lucy arrived we were shocked by how tiny she was and had to immediately get some newborn onesies (which last about 3 weeks). Then there’s also completely losing all of your free time, but we are making it work. Before having a baby, I thought I had prepared myself for this loss, was prepared for all of this but it’s totally different actually experiencing it - everything is a surprise.

Q:  Your visual world is so rich with texture and nostalgia—has becoming a mother shifted the lens through which you experience or document beauty in the everyday?

A:  I don't know that the lens has shifted yet - it's all still very new to me. I do cling to moments of beauty each day and am definitely spoiled by them with a new baby. To look at something with fresh eyes, though, is wonderful. For example, it’s finally spring here in Toronto and the trees have started flowering. Flowering trees will never not blow my mind, they are simply sublime. I’ve been taking my daughter on long walks, introducing her to the trees and it thrills me to think about seeing them for the first time. 

Q:  In moments of quiet—between feeds, naps, or stroller walks—where are you currently finding creative inspiration?

A:  I find inspiration where I always have, through films, books, cookbooks, magazines, through memories of past trips, through thinking about the future. Luckily I can look at most of these things while the baby sleeps on me. And even on stroller walks - I get inspired by going to the grocery store! 

Q:  Your Substack feels like a sensory journal—filled with seasonal meals, textures, and small, beautiful rituals. Has cooking or sharing meals taken on a new meaning since becoming a mother?

A:  At present, cooking and sharing meals have become quite regimented as we care for Lucy (who is not yet on solid foods), which is very different from how it was before she was born (and before I was pregnant really). So, if we do have time to share a meal (especially one that we haven’t cooked) it feels like such a luxury. Recently we had an exquisite experience at a hotel in Toronto ordering room service - this was complete heaven for me as a new mother. 

Now that it's spring and time for outdoor farmers markets I'm really looking forward to the ease that fresh produce provides in the kitchen, and making simple, delicious meals fast. I'm looking forward to watching my daughter experiencing foods for the first time and sharing with her my favourites, discovering what her tastes will be. It seems she will be starting solid food right around the time of strawberry season - there's probably very few things better than a baby trying a strawberry.