Celebrating the heart of our town this Mother's Day in our photo series Rooted in Love: Motherhood. We had the honor of collaborating with the talented Brigitte Park to capture the beauty and strength of local mothers, as parenting comes in all shapes and forms. These photographs tell a unique story of love, resilience, and the incredible bond of motherhood. Each mom shared their reflection around the journey and precious moments with their children around iconic Santa Barbara locations.

TN: As an artist, how do you balance the desire for self-expression and motherhood?

HN: When possible, I try to find spaces where they can intersect – either in my work or the creative practices that I share with Khải. It’s not easy, but when I see the impact that it makes on him – how it expands his understanding of my identity or agency over his own creativity – I know that it is worth it. I have a supportive partner who makes sure that I don’t forget that I am an artist!

TN: What has been the most surprising or unexpected aspect of your motherhood journey so far?

HN: I’m surprised about how much it has shifted my emotional landscape and with whom I connect. Having a network of other parent-friends is the secret to staying sane, having fun in the journey, and modeling friendship for Khải.

TN: How do you hope to inspire Khai and what ways do you try to inspire his creativity?

HN: It’s always sad when I hear a child say that they can’t draw. I try to take judgment out of the process of creativity and validate whatever he makes as important experimentation, rather than the path to an end project. He’s actually been more of the teacher in this case and opened me up to work that is impermanent and imperfect.

I try to be there as much as I can when he asks for help, because it’s only a matter of time before he stops thinking I’m cool!

TN: What has motherhood taught you through your daughters?

MY: When we were pregnant with our first daughter, my husband and I aligned on the goal of raising a strong, confident female. This goal pushed me to exemplify that for our girls every day and throughout the major themes of my life. Little did I know that their confidence and passion would teach me new ways to approach my path. In essence, we taught each other how to take on the world with confidence and grace.

TN: How do you hope your daughters will remember your relationship:

MY: I have always been open and supportive with my girls, and they know I am there for them 100%. I hope they will take this openness into their relationships throughout life and pass it on to future generations.

TN: What is one of your favorite memories with Kiki?

MY: One of my favorite memories with my younger daughter was when she was just over a year old, we were out at a restaurant and she kept dropping her spoon. I kept asking “Please stop, Kiki, please stop” and finally she looks at me and says, “I’m so funny!” It taught us in the moment that they are who they are from the beginning. They have a core personality and to this day she’s still funny!

KB: What are the most profound ways motherhood has changed you?

TN: My journey around motherhood has been more delightful than I could have imagined. Granted some days are hard, like the lack of sleep, the good truly outweigh the bad. Nothing can replace the laughter of your child and the delight on their face when they see you first thing in the morning. I’ve gained a new level of gratitude for having my son that I could not have possibly comprehended before motherhood.

KB: How has motherhood reshaped your understanding of strength and grace?

TN: I have a new understanding of “it takes a village” because we all truly need the village and support. I appreciate other moms who have taught me so much, whether it’s just checking in or observing their interactions with their children. The tools I have to be a strong mother come from those that demonstrate this level of care themselves! I have the deepest respect for all parents, caretakers, and teachers.

TN: How has your sense of style changed since becoming a mom?

MD: Since becoming a mom, my style has become all about comfort - I have to be honest, a lot of yoga clothes and athleisure for a long time. Now that my kids are older, I really try to integrate more beautiful texture fabric and color. Comfort is still paramount, but KAAREM has been amazing for key pieces that keep me comfortable and look good!

TN: How do you balance your identity as a professor and motherhood?

MD: As a professor, motherhood has given me a lot of my drive and motivation. My identity is there, it is integrated in the work that I do and integrated in the way that I am raising my kids, so those three are really tied together.

TN: What are the threads that bind you with your girls?

MD: The threads that bind me with my girls are definitely laughter, we all love to laugh. My kids have a rockin’ sense of humor! Also, our love for food and our love for family - putting family first.

TN: You are a busy mom, a marketing expert, and co-founder of Let’s Make Messy Art - how do you find moments of quiet and connection to all this chaos?

KR: How I find moments of quiet and connection in the chaos of motherhood is to understand that moments are not something extravagant, it doesn’t have to be. You just have to make the best of every day, whether it is a trip to the grocery store or maybe carpooling with your kids. Those can already be meaningful moments; you essentially tune out all the noise and have real conversations with your kid. This can start when they’re 2 years old or [my daughter is now] 4 years old. Those are the moments we will remember.

TN: How has Luna changed you?

KR: Some ways that my daughter has changed me is that it has really made me prioritize the way I spend the moment at home with her - not that I have to be productive, but to truly be in tune with what she needs and the moments of quiet that we want at our house and how we curate our space to be peaceful and calm and not just overworked every second, every minute of my day.

TN: How have your daughters impacted or changed your life?

VJ: Before I had my daughters, I felt like I lived my life day to day more or less just existing. My daughters gave me more purpose and made me want to live my life to the fullest.

TN: How does the concept of "timeless elegance" resonate with your experience of motherhood?

VJ: The way I raised my daughters was hugely influenced by how my own mom raised our family. She was always the portrait of elegance, even while raising 5 children, I admired the way she carried herself and had so much pride in her role as our mother.

TN: When you reflect on your role as a mom, what legacy do you want to leave? Or how do you want your daughters' to remember you?

VJ: My mother believed how you treat other people is a reflection of how you were raised. I hope that I set a good example for my daughters and that they treat everyone with decency and kindness. For how my daughters remember me, I hope they remember my work ethic, that if I put my mind to something, I gave it my all, no matter what that was.

TN: What has been the most surprising or unexpected aspect of your motherhood journey?

VJ: Growing up myself in Korea and raising my daughters in the United States, I was surprised at how involved I got to be as a parent when my daughters were in grade school and it made me so happy to get to be a part of it all. Getting to volunteer at their school functions, signing them up for all sorts of extracurricular activities and just getting to be with them through all those experiences is something I truly cherish.

TN: As the co-founder of KAAREM, what qualities in clothing make you feel both comfortable and confident as a mother?

KB: Comfort and confidence, for me, come from clothes that move with you, especially through this tender and unpredictable stage of motherhood. I find myself reaching for pieces that feel kind on the body, that offer room to breathe, and that feel quietly strong. These are the clothes that allow me to show up fully… in all the ways motherhood asks of me. Can I nurse on demand with this garment?! :)

TN: Do you feel there is a connection between motherhood and the ideas of comfort, craftsmanship, and enduring beauty?

KB: Absolutely. Motherhood has made me more aware of the kind of world I want to help build for my daughters and for future generations. In both parenting and making, I’ve learned that the quiet details matter: the things no one else sees, but that are deeply felt. Creating with care, whether it’s a garment or a moment with your child, feels like an act of love, and sometimes, an act of resistance.

TN: How do you find moments of quiet and connection amidst the demands of motherhood?

KB: Sometimes it’s in the stillness of a late-night nursing session, or the slowness of folding tiny clothes. These moments aren’t loud, but they’re full of presence. I’m learning to notice the small things and to let go of the pressure to do it all. That release has created more space for connection and reminded me that the quiet, ordinary moments can often be the most meaningful.

TN: When you reflect on your role as a mother, what do you hope to leave with your daughters?

KB: Everything I do is for them. I just want them to know how much they matter… That they’re part of this long thread of care, creativity, and community. I hope they grow up seeing that change is possible, and that how we move through the world, with compassion and intention, really does make a difference. I feel that legacy isn’t about doing something big. It’s just about showing up with heart, again and again.

Brigitte Park is a Korean-American originally from the Orange County Area in Southern California. Capturing images on film since 2017, she then began to style, creatively direct, and do makeup to fully execute her visions.

An alumna of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Brigitte graduated with a bachelors of science in Earth Science with an emphasis in Climate and Environmental Science. The experiences she gained from her studies while at UCSB encouraged and inspired her to pursue photography and focus on utilizing second hand clothing as her resource for styling material.

Starting at the age of 12, she began exploring photo/video editing, animation, and graphic design and has utilized her self-taught skills in her school projects as a way to create a more artistic approach to her academics. Her creative passions have led to many amazing collaborations and projects: from music videos, film projects, and brand development, Brigitte always strives for excellence through strong communication and alignment towards a common goal with her clients and collaborators.

Her experiences and encounters throughout her life have made her a strong advocate for the increased inclusivity within visual media as she firmly believes that everyone should be able to creatively express themselves and have inspirations that they can relate to represented in the media they consume. Her goals in photography, and in whatever other creative pursuits she engages in, are to capture the beauty and vulnerability in her subjects in a way in which they are able to find that beauty and vulnerability within themselves and be proud of it.

Website: bpakphoto.com
Instagram: @b___pak