A collection of lullabies to enjoy
I Look After You is a collaboration between two new parents, illustrator Sonya Montenegro and singer/songwriter Joan Shelley.
Each month you will receive one of Joan’s favorite lullabies accompanied by illustrations by Sonya that brings it to life, along with some discussion between the two of us — on being creative while navigating motherhood, music as medicine and much more. The result will be a slow songbook, gently building a library of sweetness to pull from when we need soothing, when we need to be held by music. For those enthusiastic supporters, there will also be some gifts in physical form that we will send out later in the process. Maybe more. We shall see how it goes.
We wanted to present lullabies in an immediate and raw form in an effort to make it feel as close to singing to a friend in the room. Because how else should lullabies sound?
Similarly, Sonya will be illustrating by following her first gut inspirations while listening to the lullabies — seeing each lullaby as an exercise, a sketchbook prompt to keep her hand moving even when there are always small beings calling her away to tend to other things.
This project helps us both keep creating when time is scarce.
Our hope is that new (and seasoned!) parents and caregivers will find this to be a deep well of music to learn, share, and enjoy, as well as a soft place to rest together in this weary world right now. We hope you will think of this as a gift, to yourselves and also to us.
A little more about Joan:
After performing and touring for the past 10 years, the arrival of my daughter has brought a welcome, if a little chaotic, change of pace. I’ve recorded more than 7 studio albums, all rich with instrumentation, but have always loved the unfussy and direct quality of field recordings and the way traditional music is shared from person to person. I wanted to give my daughter the best songs I knew - the ones with the sturdiest melodies, like a well built boat, and filled with mesmerizing imagery. This project fuses many needs within my own life. In the past I have found this to be a good sign that someone else might find it useful too.
Find Joan here and on IG: @joanshelley
A little more about Sonya Montenegro:
I live in Kentucky with my partner and two daughters, Iris and Sula. Sula is almost three years old and Iris is 7 months old. I collaborate with my sister Nina as The Far Woods Creative Studio, creating printed artwork, books, zines and textile art. While not at all a singer, I love love LOVE to sing, and do so any chance I get. But once I became a mother I quickly realized, to my dismay, that I knew very few lullabies to sing to my new baby. I wracked my tired brain — what songs did I know by heart?! Yes — I sang Twinkle, Twinkle to her, but it immediately felt glaringly inadequate. And the only others that jumped to mind were Christmas carols — goodness NO. Joan and I are creating this collection for caregivers like me, who want to gather new-old songs to sing to our little ones, and hopefully enrich our families with timeless tunes to pass down and around.
