how this began…
Like many women, I became a mother before I ever heard the word matrescence.
Discovering it was like finding a dress that finally fit.
It put a name to something I had struggled to find words for.
Knowing the word matrescence was helpful, but it didn’t necessarily help me connect with other women in it. I was surprised by how such a commonly shared experience could still feel lonely.
There were occasional nods of recognition:
“You’re in the thick of it.”
“You’re in the trenches.”
Small phrases that quietly said, “I see you.”
But for me the question became: How do we bring the language of matrescence out of books and into everyday conversation?
I’ve always had a weakness for buying greeting cards.
I love the way they carry language from one person to another, I love how they feel. Still, creating a publishing house was not one of my life ambitions.
Before becoming a mother, I bought cards for the new baby. After becoming a mother, I found myself wanting something that spoke directly to the new mother. It felt like she was missing from the conversation.
A new baby was being welcomed into the world.
The mother wasn’t being recognised.
I could see how matrescence cards might fill that gap. A tangible way of saying, “I see you.”
Somewhere along the way I realised I wasn’t just making greeting cards, I was trying to bring the language of matrescence into everyday life -one conversation, one moment at a time.
I made these cards for mothers to feel seen.
And for the women in their lives looking for a way to say:
“I see you”, too.
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.