In the summer of 2019 Joanna Novak was five months pregnant and struggling with her existing role as a writer and her emerging role as a mother – questioning whether motherhood would change or destroy her art. It's around this time that she discovers abstract expressionist painter Agnes Martin and embarks on a journey to immerse herself in Martin's life.
JoAnna Novak joins Taya Jae to discuss the intersection of mental illness, an eating disorder, art and motherhood, and what she learned from Martin along the way.
JoAnna's book, Contradiction Days: An Artist on the Verge of Motherhood is out now from Catapult press.
