Domesticity, the Enemy of Art?

Someone once said, and sadly I'm not sure who, that 'domesticity is the enemy of art.'
I'm sure that for a lot of musicians and artists that could well be the case. It's one thing gradually building up a reputation when you are single, and quite another when you have the responsibility of a family. Many disappear as domestic life takes over. However these 'disappeared' would probably not have stayed the course anyway.

For those who continue in the field of music, generally, it is because they have no choice. It is an all consuming passion to play their instrument and to listen to others. It should be remembered that Vermeer, who had 10 children, specialised in painting calm domestic interiors - with never a child in sight...
Very little will distract the dedicated artist from his/her path.
So when family comes along sometimes sacrifices have to be made. Frequent trips away from home are never easy, but the up side is that when not travelling, children see far more of their fathers/mothers than those in conventional jobs. A balance has to be reached.

In our case domesticity certainly wasn't the enemy of art but the engine! Robin has composed some of his best pieces after significant events on the domestic front. His first concerto, 'Concerto Primavera', was composed after the birth of son number one.
Many pieces have been named after various pets that have given us a great deal of pleasure and often the 'spirit' of that pet is shown in the music, 'Molly's Jig' for example is a lively, bounding piece written for our late black Labrador.
So after yesterdays blog when son number two was sick, it was no surprise to me that Robin was able to calmly take himself off and immerse himself in his music!