Do What YOU Do Best

This week I was looking around at illustrators' blogs and websites and had that old sinking feeling again.  You know - those jealous inklings, feelings of inadequacy.  You hear Wayne & Garth in the back of your head chanting, "We're not worthy."  

I was feeling a little old. My 30's are fast coming to an end and I was feeling decidedly unhip.  But guess what - that is not a productive mode, so I knew I had to snap out of it. 

I have never been one to follow the crowd, not as a kid and not as an adult.  So why would I concern myself about not feeling like I'm following some super cool illustration trend? 

Why would I want to be one in a sea of the same - hip or not? 

So I asked myself a simple question - what do I do best and am I doing it?

What I do best is inspire folks to be creative - big and little folks.

I've had 14 years of solid practice of inspiring kids to live creatively.  My artist daughters are the proof of that.  That top photo is my youngest daughter who decided last week she wanted to try painting with her toes.  You have to love the irreverent and kooky preteen years!

So what do I do best?

Inspire

Live Green

Make Stuff

Breath Beads

My work will never be hip, it will be sweet and sensitive.  Honest and creative.  That's me.

A promise to myself:

I will not waste time any longer thinking of what I can't do or compare myself to others.

I will work everyday to inspire, help families life creatively and bring my crafty goodness to as many kids as possible!

So what do you do best?  Blog about it and share your story with me.

P.S.  Hip work can be sweet and sensitive, honest & creative - but it wouldn't be if I were doing it because it wouldn't come from a place of authenticity for me.

Building a Visual Vocabulary

In keeping with my no short-cut theme, I have been working hard on building a visual vocabulary in my sketchbook.  I've ordered a few really cute kids clothes catalogs and have been sketching the wee folk and their stylish duds.  Of course the trick is to change their facial expressions to give them some life, no we don't want kids looking like they crawled out of a JC Penny catalog. 

You can't really abstract something until you know it - you have to be able to draw proportions and have a hint of truth in simplified or stylized drawing of kids.  So while these will never be anything more than exercises in observation they are an important step in improving my drawing skills.  It also helps me expand my idea of what kids are wearing and improve upon my small stable of hairstyles.

Of course drawing from life is great too, but good luck getting a toddler to sit for any longer than a doodle!

Snowflake Bentley

Aren't snowflakes just amazing?

I'm sure you have seen Mary Azarian's illustrations in Snowflake Bentley.  I love them, in fact this is the book that set me on my illustration path.  After seeing this book, I thought to myself, I have to do this, whatever this IS, it's what I want to create. 

I think like many new moms I fell in love with picture books.  I would collect them for my children and read to them everyday.  When my youngest went to preschool I volunteered in the school library.  It was there that I studied my favorites and when I ran across Snowflake Bentley my heart went a-flutter! 

Through that school librarian I connected with a local illustrator.  That illustrator, an SCBWI member, graciously answered all my newbie questions and introduced me to the SCBWI.  I'm so thankful beyond words! I'm thankful to that librarian, the artists who inspire me with their amazing work and my peers in this profession who have encouraged me along with the way.  And it all started with a snowflake.