Today, I’m thrilled to feature humor writer Julie Vick in this latest installment of Finding Art In Life, my Substack conversation series that highlights the work of more mother/artists. (Thanks again to our previous interviewee,
! You can read that convo here).Now, if you haven’t read Julie’s work before, you’re welcome, because your day just got a little bit brighter and a lot a bit funnier.
Julie has the rare ability to make the chaos of parenthood not just relatable but laugh-out-loud funny. Whether she's sharing survival tips for working parents or poking fun at the absurdities of modern life, Julie’s wit and warmth shine through in every piece she writes. Her book Babies Don't Make Small Talk (So Why Should I?) has become a go-to for parents who need a good chuckle amid the madness.
Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Real Simple, Parents, McSweeney’s, and The Washington Post; and most importantly, one of her tweets once appeared in In Touch Weekly. She also writes the Substack Humor Me, a newsletter about humor and writing.
And now, onto Julie.
1) Where is the most unexpected place you've found inspiration as a parent?
Probably just in the mundane. I like a lot of observational humor that points out the funny things in everyday life (like this headline — Man Brings Lunch From Home To Cut Down On Small Joys — from The Onion which is one of my all-time favorites) and there are so many small moments in parenting that feel like they can easily become a humor piece or essay.
Some of the everyday routine things that come with parenting — like pushing a stroller or doing the dishes — has provided me inspiration for new pieces or even just the space to work through some ideas in my mind. But if someone had told me before I had kids that there would be a lot of ways to find humor in the basic task of making dinner for kids I probably wouldn’t have believed them.
2) When you parent your creative self, what form of discipline do you use?
I try to take a gentle parenting approach when it comes to some writing practices. I think writing advice (not unlike parenting advice) can feel hard to follow and not all of it will be right for everyone. I’ve heard people say that you have to write every day and can’t take breaks. But I definitely don’t have time to write every day and I’ve taken long breaks from writing before. I think those things have helped me come back to it feeling more refreshed and sometimes the breaks give me the space to come up with new ideas or solve problems in something I’m working on.
But I also just have to helicopter-parent myself sometimes by reminding myself that a little bit of writing in small pockets of time can add up to a lot and that the perfect conditions for writing rarely exist as a parent. Even if you think you’ve got a full day to focus on writing, the universe will inevitably throw a sick kid into the mix.
I think the time constraints of parenting have also fueled my creativity at times. Knowing that I only have a short amount of time to do something can often be the motivation I need to get it done.
3) Who are your caregiver-artist inspirations?
I am inspired by a lot of funny women who are moms. People like Tina Fey, Mindy Kaling, and Jessi Klein. These women are super funny writers and performers who are also moms and it’s interesting to see how parenting plays a role in their lives and work.
Tina Fey has said that some things her young daughter said inspired some of the lines for Tracy Jordan on 30 Rock and when I read memoirs by funny women who also talk about their parenting lives I always appreciate it. It feels like there is sometimes a writer vs. mom dynamic set up — that you can only be really good or focused on one or the other, and it’s nice to see women who show that doesn’t need to be true.
To read more hilarity from Julie, you can follow her on Instagram, X, and her Substack Humor Me by
.Also! Check out:
“Would-You-Rathers for Your Summer Vacation” The New Yorker, June 2023
“Classroom Valentines By Emily Dickinson” The New Yorker, February 2023
“The Best Animals to Watch Your Baby, According to Hemingway” The New Yorker, July 2022
“We are the Babies of the World, and We Are Keeping Track of People Who Are Being Jerks About Us” McSweeney’s, March 2024
“A Camping Trip With Young Kids, As Imagined By Me Before Having Kids” McSweeney’s, July 2023 and the 9th most read piece on the site in 2023
“Serving Meals to Young Children, Or Working in an Upscale Restaurant” McSweeney’s, May 2023
“Holiday Air Travel Haiku” McSweeney’s, December 2022
“Collective Nouns for Parenting” McSweeney’s, January 2022
And of course, listen to my latest podcast episode with mother/painter Alexandra Carter, who gave birth unexpectedly on her… bath mat.