how this began…
I’ve always thought the words matter,
and I’ve also always had a weakness for beautiful greeting cards.
I love how they carry language from one person to another.
Still, creating a publishing house was not one of my life’s ambitions.
Then I became a mother.
Like many women, I became one before I ever heard the word matrescence.
Discovering it was like finding a dress that finally fit.
There was a word for what I was experiencing:
the enormous physical, psychological, social and emotional transition
of becoming a mother.
And once I had the word, I started noticing all the places where the
words for mothers were missing.
The card shelf was one of them.
Before becoming a mother,
I had a card drawer full of exceptional baby cards too,
often before I even knew who they were for.
But afterwards, I found myself looking for something different, something that spoke directly to the woman becoming a mother.
It was rare to find.
It felt like one of the main characters
was missing from the celebration.
I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
One of the most profound human experiences didn’t even have
a card category.
New house, new job, new baby…
New mother hadn’t made the list.
I started to see this for what it was: a cultural omission.
New mothers are as common as new babies.
The card shelf was simply reflecting what our culture had learned to celebrate. So I made the cards I couldn’t find.
I make these cards for mothers,
And for people who think
the words matter.
Bonnie is a mother of two little ones, Milo & Araminta (Minty), living in Seddon, Melbourne with her husband.
Drawing on her background as a mental health professional and her lived experience in matrescence,, Bonnie’s work sits at the intersection of language, emotion, and design.
Channelling a background in music and language, she weaves a love of words, patterns and aesthetics into the evolving language and visual identity of Matrescence Press.
While hoping to see the word matrescence added to the dictionary for future generations (hello Peanut), she sincerely hopes the word “brainstorming” survives alongside it.
For reflections on matrescence, language, and the creative process, visit @bybonniemarshman
Photography by @jennahkingphotography
Discovering the word matrescence can be a powerful moment of recognition.
But knowing a word and being able to speak a language are two very different things.
Matrescence Press exists not only to introduce the word matrescence, but to help build a living language around it -one that can be spoken, shared, gifted, and understood in everyday life.
Matrescence Press
Matrescence Press is an Australian publishing house creating language and artefacts that help people recognise and acknowledge the becoming of a mother.
What began with a single collection has grown into a broader interest in how mothers are recognised by themselves and others in matrescence, and the role language can play in helping them feel seen.
Collection I, Welcome to Matrescence, is the first of several collections planned.