From Highs To Lows...
I had a WONDERFUL, soul-recharging weekend teaching in Toronto, but woke up this morning with NO VOICE! I did the sensible thing and went back to bed once I got the kids off to school and slept most of the day.
Erin arrived home after school while Bethany stayed behind for the final practice of cross country running before the District meet tomorrow. When she and some of the other faster runners finished their laps, they were told to go and play on the playground equipment where Bethany fell from the monkey bars. The 3 hour visit to the hospital was really quite quick compared to some of our more recent visits and I had the presence of mind to grab my knitting on the way out the door, so the heel of my sock is almost done. Bethany has a buckle fracture to her LEFT wrist this time and will spend the next 3 weeks in a fiberglass splint.
Talk about coming back to reality with a bang!
I will blog more about everything tomorrow while I am home with her.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Giving Thanks and Heading Off...
I meant to post here so many times in the past few days. We had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving weekend, full of sunshine and warm temperatures (compared to earlier in the week when I turned on the heat, broke out my mittens and put the duvet on the bed) and great food. Yet, I was snipping floss and proofing charts for the show in Toronto.
My taxi arrives in about 5 hours, so I will make this quick.
In these tough, uncertain times, it is more important than ever to focus on what we DO have instead of what we don’t.
Celebrate the talents that you have been given. I love to bake, but since I also love to eat my baking, I save it for special occasions like Thanksgiving.
Celebrate the beauty around you. We are SO blessed to have such colours just beyond our doorstep. Our whole family went for a walk to enjoy the beauty and take a break from floss snipping.
Celebrate the tiny miracles in life. Bethany was in awe of the tiny chickadees landing on her hand to feed. We live in a wonderful world and sometimes we forget to treasure what is around us.
Celebrate that we have enough to eat. We shared some bounty with this fuzzy fellow, but it is important for us to remember to share what we have with our fellow human beings who are struggling.
Celebrate Life’s adventures. This path is close to our house in Mapleton Park. I am heading off on an adventure of my own to teach at the CreativFestival in Toronto for the weekend and I can’t wait!!
I just hope I packed everything!
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Life in the Fast Lane...
The lyrics of Emmy Rossum’s “Slow Me Down” keep running through my head as I sit here at the computer wondering where on earth the month of September went.
Actually, I know where I spent most of it. In 9.5 days of supply teaching, I have earned more than my last 3 months of Hoffman cheques put together. This has sometimes meant such a diverse day as Kindergarten art in the morning where I discovered one little boy had quite an appetite for white glue to remedial English at the High School level in the afternoon on a warm, sunny day with teenager who would rather be anywhere but in the classroom with the student teacher. I was there to make sure that she didn’t get eaten alive and discovered that being 6’8” with my 3 inch heels on comes in handy.
My family is adjusting to the transition of having to come home to the house without me in it, to laundry piling up and meals in the slow cooker, but I no longer anguish when I take a full day to draw for my portfolio. Before, I used to sit in front of the paper and berate myself for costing my family money by spending hours on something that didn’t bring in a guaranteed income within 30 days.
I am loving the variety of supply teaching and the many different levels of classes that I get to visit. One hallway of Kindergarten and Grade One children at a new school yesterday is convinced that I am the tallest woman on earth! I may be falling into bed much earlier or pushing myself to stay up and design or snip floss for kits after hectic days, but at least the edge of panic that I spent the summer facing as I wrestled with what to do is wearing off.
The entire world economic climate seems to teeter on the edge of crisis on a daily basis as the news blares out to us about stock market crashes and losses in the billions.
What they fail to focus on is the resilience of the human spirit.
Our ancestors and much of the 3rd world would shake their heads at us for the hand wringing and teeth gnashing that we do in our land of plenty. For most of our human history, we made do with less. Pioneer women made toys out of scraps of cloth while we berate ourselves as we look ahead to the holidays and the list of expensive plastic toys or electronic gadgets on our children’s wish lists. We worry about cooking a meatless meal or two a week when stewed pumpkin or squash are often staples anywhere in our world when meat is scarce.
As a race, humans have encountered incredible challenges and hardships before.
As a generation or two right now, our society seems to believe that we should be able to have it all... no matter what. This relentless consumerism in the face of economic uncertainty is most obvious as I walk the corridors of the high schools doing lunch time duty as I listen to teenagers talk about the latest brand names they have to have or use their cellphones to check the time instead of wearing a watch. Few of them have any idea about what hardship really is. It was MY generation that had grandparents who went through hardships during the war or remembered the Great Depression, not theirs.
We need to remember just how resilient we are. Sometimes it may require hard work, being tired or moving out of our comfort zone. Any dream worth chasing will involve sweat and tears as well as laughter and joy.
Maybe there are still parts of our society that still need to learn this lesson. I know that I am stronger and happier for relearning it myself!
The lyrics of Emmy Rossum’s “Slow Me Down” keep running through my head as I sit here at the computer wondering where on earth the month of September went.
Actually, I know where I spent most of it. In 9.5 days of supply teaching, I have earned more than my last 3 months of Hoffman cheques put together. This has sometimes meant such a diverse day as Kindergarten art in the morning where I discovered one little boy had quite an appetite for white glue to remedial English at the High School level in the afternoon on a warm, sunny day with teenager who would rather be anywhere but in the classroom with the student teacher. I was there to make sure that she didn’t get eaten alive and discovered that being 6’8” with my 3 inch heels on comes in handy.
My family is adjusting to the transition of having to come home to the house without me in it, to laundry piling up and meals in the slow cooker, but I no longer anguish when I take a full day to draw for my portfolio. Before, I used to sit in front of the paper and berate myself for costing my family money by spending hours on something that didn’t bring in a guaranteed income within 30 days.
I am loving the variety of supply teaching and the many different levels of classes that I get to visit. One hallway of Kindergarten and Grade One children at a new school yesterday is convinced that I am the tallest woman on earth! I may be falling into bed much earlier or pushing myself to stay up and design or snip floss for kits after hectic days, but at least the edge of panic that I spent the summer facing as I wrestled with what to do is wearing off.
The entire world economic climate seems to teeter on the edge of crisis on a daily basis as the news blares out to us about stock market crashes and losses in the billions.
What they fail to focus on is the resilience of the human spirit.
Our ancestors and much of the 3rd world would shake their heads at us for the hand wringing and teeth gnashing that we do in our land of plenty. For most of our human history, we made do with less. Pioneer women made toys out of scraps of cloth while we berate ourselves as we look ahead to the holidays and the list of expensive plastic toys or electronic gadgets on our children’s wish lists. We worry about cooking a meatless meal or two a week when stewed pumpkin or squash are often staples anywhere in our world when meat is scarce.
As a race, humans have encountered incredible challenges and hardships before.
As a generation or two right now, our society seems to believe that we should be able to have it all... no matter what. This relentless consumerism in the face of economic uncertainty is most obvious as I walk the corridors of the high schools doing lunch time duty as I listen to teenagers talk about the latest brand names they have to have or use their cellphones to check the time instead of wearing a watch. Few of them have any idea about what hardship really is. It was MY generation that had grandparents who went through hardships during the war or remembered the Great Depression, not theirs.
We need to remember just how resilient we are. Sometimes it may require hard work, being tired or moving out of our comfort zone. Any dream worth chasing will involve sweat and tears as well as laughter and joy.
Maybe there are still parts of our society that still need to learn this lesson. I know that I am stronger and happier for relearning it myself!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Fragility of Life...
Every now and then, there is a reminder of how precious and fleeting life can be. Yesterday, I was grumpy that I was running late for the Weight Watcher meetings that I lead on Tuesdays. I was down in the basement getting the tune Y.M.C.A loaded on to my iPod for the tie-in to how you can dance the pounds off, when suddenly there was a pounding on my side door. My neighbour was there with the tears streaming down her face because her husband had suddenly collapsed with some kind of seizure and she couldn’t turn him on his side as 911 had recommended. She is recovering from her own surgery not that many weeks ago. I raced over to do what I could and stayed until the fire and ambulance arrived. This afternoon, I learned that it was a massive brain hemorrhage and that he had passed away in his 40s.
My neighbour and I come from very different walks of life and backgrounds... and yet my heart goes out to her for her loss. Erin and her daughter are in the same class at school. It is far too easy for Erin to imagine what it would be like if something happened to Nick.
After a full day of teaching Kindergarten and having my legs hugged, I am also reminded of how much joy there can be in life as well. Working as a supply teacher is reminding me of just how deeply kids live in a state of wonder and learning. We would to well to learn from them!
It really is a wonderful and fearful cyclical dance we do through time as human beings. Perhaps it takes reminders now and then not to take anything for granted and to make the most of each moment!
Every now and then, there is a reminder of how precious and fleeting life can be. Yesterday, I was grumpy that I was running late for the Weight Watcher meetings that I lead on Tuesdays. I was down in the basement getting the tune Y.M.C.A loaded on to my iPod for the tie-in to how you can dance the pounds off, when suddenly there was a pounding on my side door. My neighbour was there with the tears streaming down her face because her husband had suddenly collapsed with some kind of seizure and she couldn’t turn him on his side as 911 had recommended. She is recovering from her own surgery not that many weeks ago. I raced over to do what I could and stayed until the fire and ambulance arrived. This afternoon, I learned that it was a massive brain hemorrhage and that he had passed away in his 40s.
My neighbour and I come from very different walks of life and backgrounds... and yet my heart goes out to her for her loss. Erin and her daughter are in the same class at school. It is far too easy for Erin to imagine what it would be like if something happened to Nick.
After a full day of teaching Kindergarten and having my legs hugged, I am also reminded of how much joy there can be in life as well. Working as a supply teacher is reminding me of just how deeply kids live in a state of wonder and learning. We would to well to learn from them!
It really is a wonderful and fearful cyclical dance we do through time as human beings. Perhaps it takes reminders now and then not to take anything for granted and to make the most of each moment!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Be Careful What You Ask For....
I’m not really sure if I am coming or going, but this isn’t the first time that life has suddenly gotten chaotic. I remember when I first made the decision NOT to return to the ad agency where I had been working up until Erin was born. Nick and I weren’t sure if we could swing things with me working from home. We knew that his salary alone wouldn’t be enough to cover our expenses, so I set about taking on every logo, copy writing and translating job that I could find in order to bring in as much as I could to help. Often, that meant working every moment that Erin was asleep for a nap or even until the wee hours of the morning. I even did my second cross stitch trade show ever with her as an infant. We flew my sister to Charlotte from Vancouver, Nick manned the trade show booth to take orders and I ran back and forth between show and hotel depending on my 3 month old’s feeding schedule!
When Bethany was born 4 years and 5 days after her sister, things hadn’t changed all that much. I’d become established as a cross stitch designer... enough that I didn’t do any trade shows that summer due to “my newest release”, but I had sold the rights for 3 designs to a Brazilian magazine for $1500 US, hoping that would give me at least a month of maternity leave. Sadly, the magazine took the charts and slides then disappeared from the address they’d given me without ever sending their payment. Bethany learned to sleep against my chest as I worked at the computer during her “naps” since she would cry whenever she wasn’t held unless exhausted.
Since I began supply teaching, I have barely had any time off. This is good because I really do need to replace the income that had dropped over 300% in the past 2 years from cross stitch. This is also frustrating because my fingers are itching to work on 2 new drawings for my portfolio and the book dummy for “One Grumpy Dragon” which I intend to take with me to the SCBWI conference in New York at the end of January. Then of course there is floss to snip for the CreativFestival.
Like I said. Be careful what you ask for... you just might get it!
I’m not really sure if I am coming or going, but this isn’t the first time that life has suddenly gotten chaotic. I remember when I first made the decision NOT to return to the ad agency where I had been working up until Erin was born. Nick and I weren’t sure if we could swing things with me working from home. We knew that his salary alone wouldn’t be enough to cover our expenses, so I set about taking on every logo, copy writing and translating job that I could find in order to bring in as much as I could to help. Often, that meant working every moment that Erin was asleep for a nap or even until the wee hours of the morning. I even did my second cross stitch trade show ever with her as an infant. We flew my sister to Charlotte from Vancouver, Nick manned the trade show booth to take orders and I ran back and forth between show and hotel depending on my 3 month old’s feeding schedule!
When Bethany was born 4 years and 5 days after her sister, things hadn’t changed all that much. I’d become established as a cross stitch designer... enough that I didn’t do any trade shows that summer due to “my newest release”, but I had sold the rights for 3 designs to a Brazilian magazine for $1500 US, hoping that would give me at least a month of maternity leave. Sadly, the magazine took the charts and slides then disappeared from the address they’d given me without ever sending their payment. Bethany learned to sleep against my chest as I worked at the computer during her “naps” since she would cry whenever she wasn’t held unless exhausted.
Since I began supply teaching, I have barely had any time off. This is good because I really do need to replace the income that had dropped over 300% in the past 2 years from cross stitch. This is also frustrating because my fingers are itching to work on 2 new drawings for my portfolio and the book dummy for “One Grumpy Dragon” which I intend to take with me to the SCBWI conference in New York at the end of January. Then of course there is floss to snip for the CreativFestival.
Like I said. Be careful what you ask for... you just might get it!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Of Birthdays, Bunnies and Beautiful Memories...
Today was my 43rd birthday and it was WONDERFUL!
Slowly, but surely, my life feels as if it is moving into a sense of order and purpose instead of one of regret and denial. Birthdays, new school years or new calendar years are like new beginnings. It is like a new box of crayons where every point is sharp and none of your favourite colours have snapped in half yet.
Yesterday, at the end of my Weight Watcher meeting, the delivery man from our favourite local Flower Shop walked into the centre with a big grin on his face and an armful of flowers from my wonderful husband. It was a birthday gift a day early in front of an audience... the man knows how to earn those brownie points!!! After walking home feeling like Miss Canada clutching my bouquet and waving at those who honked their horns, I put the lovely flowers down on the counter for a moment to snap their picture before arranging them in a vase. Here they are with the cut flowers from my garden.
This morning, after getting everyone off to school, I went exploring along with my Mom and John. We drove off in search of a new wool shop that the knitters I know had been RAVING about. London-Wul Fibre Arts is the home of Heidi Wulfraat. Walking into her wool shop was a bit like dying and going to heaven. Everywhere I looked, there were colours, textures, needles, accessories to taunt me, beg me to touch them and bring them home.
Did I mention that I finished the sock?? As I start the mate, I am already dreaming of the next pair to knit and so I just HAD to go look at wool..... right? Yarn Harlot would approve...
There is something SO INSPIRING about the way colours and textures can mix and match. I know that is what drew me into designing needlework and what keeps me imagining some images in threads and fabric rather than pen and pencil. I actually can’t wait to teach in Toronto next month if the reaction to the limited “sneak peeks” I’ve been showing off are any indication.
I found new stuff for my stash... and bless her heart, Mom bought them for me as a birthday present! How great is that!
Then it was off to an art supply store to pick up some watercolours that I need to work on a new piece. Some of my old ones are all dried up. The owner of the store and his wife both did Fine Arts at Mount Allison University, just like I did... but I discovered that they graduated a DOZEN years after I did. OUCH!
After a delicious lunch, I dropped Mom & John back home then raced to the school to pick Erin and Bethany up for their cross-country running session at the big park in our city with their school team. Another mother was driving them home, so once I was sure they’d met up with the coach, I headed home to check e-mail and play a tiny bit of Packrat. Those of you on Facebook know what a fun little game this can be... those of you who don’t, be wary of the cuteness and collections that lure you in and get you hooked!
The girls arrived home and Bethany was limping, covered in blood down one knee and elbow. My youngest had discovered the perils of running up hills, around corners and that gravel paths are not always forgiving. I got her cleaned up in a warm bath and bandaged up before my birthday dinner with my family.
Erin made me cry with her 43 things that she admires about her Mom and Bethany’s handmade coupons for a clean room, a day off and ice cream she’d buy me with her own money made me grin. I have such wonderful girls!! They even bought me my very own Webkinz (or should I say LittleKinz?) Gecko which I have named “Sneaky”.
After supper we let the bunny out for a play. Oreo is adorable, extremely intelligent and downright entertaining. I tried to shoot some video of her as well as this shot, but it may be a few days before I figure out how to put it on YouTube!
Tomorrow, I have my first day of supply teaching. I got my Local Permit and am on the list in this area with now 4 days of bookings already. It will be great experience, a chance to work with kids (which helps for staying in touch with their interests as a children’s book illustrator) and also goes a long way to replacing the income my family used to count on from cross stitch.
Now it is time to go to bed. I am looking forward to this year of being 43 and all the new adventures that are unfolding.
YAHOOOOOOO! Theo won Canadian Idol!!
Today was my 43rd birthday and it was WONDERFUL!
Slowly, but surely, my life feels as if it is moving into a sense of order and purpose instead of one of regret and denial. Birthdays, new school years or new calendar years are like new beginnings. It is like a new box of crayons where every point is sharp and none of your favourite colours have snapped in half yet.
Yesterday, at the end of my Weight Watcher meeting, the delivery man from our favourite local Flower Shop walked into the centre with a big grin on his face and an armful of flowers from my wonderful husband. It was a birthday gift a day early in front of an audience... the man knows how to earn those brownie points!!! After walking home feeling like Miss Canada clutching my bouquet and waving at those who honked their horns, I put the lovely flowers down on the counter for a moment to snap their picture before arranging them in a vase. Here they are with the cut flowers from my garden.
This morning, after getting everyone off to school, I went exploring along with my Mom and John. We drove off in search of a new wool shop that the knitters I know had been RAVING about. London-Wul Fibre Arts is the home of Heidi Wulfraat. Walking into her wool shop was a bit like dying and going to heaven. Everywhere I looked, there were colours, textures, needles, accessories to taunt me, beg me to touch them and bring them home.
Did I mention that I finished the sock?? As I start the mate, I am already dreaming of the next pair to knit and so I just HAD to go look at wool..... right? Yarn Harlot would approve...
There is something SO INSPIRING about the way colours and textures can mix and match. I know that is what drew me into designing needlework and what keeps me imagining some images in threads and fabric rather than pen and pencil. I actually can’t wait to teach in Toronto next month if the reaction to the limited “sneak peeks” I’ve been showing off are any indication.
I found new stuff for my stash... and bless her heart, Mom bought them for me as a birthday present! How great is that!
Then it was off to an art supply store to pick up some watercolours that I need to work on a new piece. Some of my old ones are all dried up. The owner of the store and his wife both did Fine Arts at Mount Allison University, just like I did... but I discovered that they graduated a DOZEN years after I did. OUCH!
After a delicious lunch, I dropped Mom & John back home then raced to the school to pick Erin and Bethany up for their cross-country running session at the big park in our city with their school team. Another mother was driving them home, so once I was sure they’d met up with the coach, I headed home to check e-mail and play a tiny bit of Packrat. Those of you on Facebook know what a fun little game this can be... those of you who don’t, be wary of the cuteness and collections that lure you in and get you hooked!
The girls arrived home and Bethany was limping, covered in blood down one knee and elbow. My youngest had discovered the perils of running up hills, around corners and that gravel paths are not always forgiving. I got her cleaned up in a warm bath and bandaged up before my birthday dinner with my family.
Erin made me cry with her 43 things that she admires about her Mom and Bethany’s handmade coupons for a clean room, a day off and ice cream she’d buy me with her own money made me grin. I have such wonderful girls!! They even bought me my very own Webkinz (or should I say LittleKinz?) Gecko which I have named “Sneaky”.
After supper we let the bunny out for a play. Oreo is adorable, extremely intelligent and downright entertaining. I tried to shoot some video of her as well as this shot, but it may be a few days before I figure out how to put it on YouTube!
Tomorrow, I have my first day of supply teaching. I got my Local Permit and am on the list in this area with now 4 days of bookings already. It will be great experience, a chance to work with kids (which helps for staying in touch with their interests as a children’s book illustrator) and also goes a long way to replacing the income my family used to count on from cross stitch.
Now it is time to go to bed. I am looking forward to this year of being 43 and all the new adventures that are unfolding.
YAHOOOOOOO! Theo won Canadian Idol!!
Friday, August 29, 2008
To Be Creative... Instead of Destructive
Well, I finally figured out how to get a hold of people at the Chinese web site and get in to politely e-mail each person who had downloaded an illegal version of Santa’s Dragon. I told them how sad I thought it was that they thanked the person who shared it, complimented the design... but stole from the person who created it. Oddly enough, I am now locked out of that portion of the site, so I have sent a second request to the authorities to confirm that they have removed the files as requested.
While it made me sad and grumpy for the rest of that day, I found that the best solution was to do something creative. My dear friend Barb and Stephanie Pearl-McPhee a.k.a. Yarn Harlot have me totally hooked on knitting socks now. Barb sent me some lovely wool to tempt me through my initial fears of learning how to turn a heel. I am now on my second pair of socks ever and loving it!
I also spent more time sketching to keep my drawing hands limber and that made me realize something very important.
While it still makes me sad to think that some people consider it permissible to share patterns electronically and I begrudge the time it takes me to police or defend my work, in the end it is up to each of us how we live our lives with respect to the world around us.
I can honestly say that I have tried to be more creative than destructive. They may have the ability to steal my work... but I had the talent to create it in the first place.
Honest stitchers, crafters, knitters, artists, musicians and other creative souls know how much power there is in creating something of beauty and bringing it to life. When we add beauty to the world, care for our planet or treat each other with respect and love, then we are making the universe a better place one act of creation at a time.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
In case you wonder why....
It has been a busy time. I’ve been labeling school supplies, getting a new URL to add to my collection that will be the page I show to Art Directors for illustration samples, working on class stuff for the CreativFestival in October and sketching or drawing like crazy.
I’ve also applied for a Local Permit so that I can supply teach here in Monition. I can fill in for teachers in either French or English and hopefully this will help me contribute to our family’s bottom line again.
I have been getting e-mails from so many stitchers and hearing feedback from shops who have upset customers. I am sorry that many of you feel hurt that I won’t be designing as much. Lots of you have been VERY supportive as well as regretful.
I just need to feel passionate about what I am creating instead of sad and angry! Lately, so many of the infringers have been moving to chinese and russian sites because Picassa and Multiply are starting to know some of us by name .
This is the type of infringer that made me decide to scale back on designing and move on to other things. For the first time, I am actually going to share the link to a site of illegal patterns, just to show you why I made my decision.
Stealing Santa's Dragon
This person not only chose to steal my design and scan it in illegally, they even took the image from my website to promote it! All of the stitchers who wrote such positive comments about the design are going to stitch my largest and most complicated design for free. They will treasure it, pass it on and probably never think twice about the fact that they helped the designer to give up on something that she loved passionately, because it was just too easy to steal what she spent 14 months creating.
When I have to spend two days jumping through hoops to try to get my stuff removed from this site, knowing that the infringer still has the illegal files to share, I know that I made the right decision to move on...
I just wish it hadn’t hurt so many honest stitchers and loyal shop owners in the process.
It has been a busy time. I’ve been labeling school supplies, getting a new URL to add to my collection that will be the page I show to Art Directors for illustration samples, working on class stuff for the CreativFestival in October and sketching or drawing like crazy.
I’ve also applied for a Local Permit so that I can supply teach here in Monition. I can fill in for teachers in either French or English and hopefully this will help me contribute to our family’s bottom line again.
I have been getting e-mails from so many stitchers and hearing feedback from shops who have upset customers. I am sorry that many of you feel hurt that I won’t be designing as much. Lots of you have been VERY supportive as well as regretful.
I just need to feel passionate about what I am creating instead of sad and angry! Lately, so many of the infringers have been moving to chinese and russian sites because Picassa and Multiply are starting to know some of us by name .
This is the type of infringer that made me decide to scale back on designing and move on to other things. For the first time, I am actually going to share the link to a site of illegal patterns, just to show you why I made my decision.
Stealing Santa's Dragon
This person not only chose to steal my design and scan it in illegally, they even took the image from my website to promote it! All of the stitchers who wrote such positive comments about the design are going to stitch my largest and most complicated design for free. They will treasure it, pass it on and probably never think twice about the fact that they helped the designer to give up on something that she loved passionately, because it was just too easy to steal what she spent 14 months creating.
When I have to spend two days jumping through hoops to try to get my stuff removed from this site, knowing that the infringer still has the illegal files to share, I know that I made the right decision to move on...
I just wish it hadn’t hurt so many honest stitchers and loyal shop owners in the process.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
All About L.A. At Last!
Sometimes, when you have an overwhelming experience, it takes a while to sort through all of the information and feedback that crammed into your heart, mind and soul during the experience. It is only after putting a bit of time and space between you and the event, that you gain enough clarity to actually put your thoughts down into words.
I read over my blog entries from LA and see how full of energy they were, but I really felt as if I was flying by the seat of my pants. I am sorry if you felt like I left everything hanging... I felt a bit like that as I was living it!
So here is the calmer entry about the SCBWI conference in LA.
It was WONDERFUL!
If you are thinking about a career in children’s book writing or illustrating, then you need to belong to the SCBWI organization and you NEED to attend one of these events! I learned more in 4 days of speakers, presentations, workshops, critiques and networking opportunities that I could have in MONTHS or even YEARS of trying to learn this stuff on my own here in Moncton! Reading listings in trade publications or visiting publishers’ websites does not give you the same information that listening to them speak in person!
The hotel facilities were very nice too. I could have shown you pictures of my impressive marble bathroom. I could tell you that when I put down a preference for feather pillows, they piled 5 of them on the king-sized bed so that I could almost nest in them at night. I thought the picture that spoke for itself was the view from my lanai/balcony looking down towards Avenue of the Stars. This is as close as I got to the railing... the dragon does NOT do edges!
You know my adventures from Saturday morning of racing around to Kinkos trying to salvage my portfolio. I turned it in on time and then had to wait on pins and needles for the Portfolio exhibition that night. The lighting in the tent wasn’t the greatest for looking at artwork and the tables were a bit too close together, but other than that it was a wonderful chance to look at the over 100 portfolios that had been submitted. They represented a wide range of ages, nationalities and abilities as well as styles. I already knew in my heart by then that there was SO much I would do differently for the next time. When the winning portfolio and honorable mentions were announced Sunday during the banquet, I was pleased to see that 2 of the 3 were illustrators that I’d thought had outstanding portfolios.
My review with Mark Teague on Sunday pretty much confirmed what I had begun to suspect. I have 2 different styles of artwork that I do and one is going to be MUCH more marketable in the picture book industry than the other. The tighter style that I did for the Hanen Centre or the Nanny Kay book are considered more “textbook” style in the USA. Not that there isn’t a market for that type of thing... it just isn’t the same one as picture books. It was SO helpful to speak to an illustrator who has more experience in the industry, especially one that was so kind and helpful. The fact that I absolutely adore his work only made the feedback more meaningful!
Before you start feeling sorry for me, understand that criticism and feedback are a necessary part of growth. If you don’t learn, then you can’t improve. If I don’t “deadhead” my lilac trees after they bloom this year, I won’t have as much growth and beauty next year!
Best of all, I heard from some of the people that had been involved in looking at my work Friday night and then seen the changed portfolio for the exhibition, that they were impressed at how much I had responded to the feedback and improved upon how I presented my work. Just wait until NEXT time folks!
After the portfolio review on Saturday, came the “Paint the Town Red” party by the pool. Since wearing red makes me look like Mr. Spock with the flu, I opted for a great dress with fringes and sticking little maple leafs up my long legs! I also had a Canada lanyard and a Canada beach ball which I spent 15 minutes lobbing about the dance floor as a volleyball before my energy ran out and I crawled off to bed.
Sunday was a fun day full of great workshops and I felt much more relaxed with the portfolio review over. My critique with Mark covered most of my questions and affirmed the “battle plan” that I’d begun to map out by then. When the final speaker of the day turned out to be something relating to Young Adult novels, I decided to skip the session and see a bit of L.A! Having just stuck my toes in the Atlantic ocean the week before, I decided that the highest priority on my list was seeing the Pacific ocean, so off I headed to Santa Monica! I sat and sketched on the beach in the late afternoon sun for almost an hour, bought a few tacky little souvenirs for my girls, shot a few photos and then wandered across the street to a wonderful Japanese restaurant that was surviving specially priced sushi for Happy Hour!! Yummmmm!
I walked around the area for another hour or so, marveling at all the outdoor shopping areas (where we Canadians need indoor malls!) and even taking photos of the cool Californian plants! Then I headed back to the hotel in time for the evening peer critiques.
By this point, I had decided to get as much feedback, ask as many questions as possible and make the most of every opportunity left at the conference, so I decided to sit in on a WRITERS circle to critique the picture book manuscript that I have written called “One Grumpy Dragon”. I was absolutely TERRIFIED of reading it aloud to the group because I still don’t think of myself as a writer. I’m more of an illustrator who created a story so that I could draw the pictures to go with it!
The feedback was VERY encouraging! They pointed out a few places where I needed to tighten the story or move things around that improved the whole flow of the fantasy counting book. I went back up to my hotel room that night and changed the story around, rewrote a few of the lines and had a new manuscript by the morning. I was even able to touch base with two of the members from that critique group to see if the new changes helped... and the feedback was great.
Monday was a blur of last workshops, exchanging e-mails and business cards with new friends and closing speeches. Then we had a wonderful autograph session with faculty members whose books had been available all weekend at the SCBWI bookstore. Do you think the dragon came home with more books in her hoard??? Let’s just say that I was quite relieved to find my luggage still under the weight restrictions!
Here is a photo of me with David LaRochelle. David was one of the first people I met at the conference when we shared a shuttle to the hotel on Thursday. If you have never read his INCREDIBLE Fantasy picture book called “The End”, you need to look it up at the library or find it on Amazon. It is SO clever and such fun to read!! I also bought a copy of his hilarious book “The Best Pet Of All” where a little boy invites a dragon home to live with him so that his mom will realize that a dog is a much better choice!
Monday night was full of suitcase packing and having dinner with some of the friends that I’d made over the 4 days at the mall food court near the hotel. It was reaffirming to discover that I wasn’t the only one who felt as if my brain had been crammed full of information to the bursting point!
I reserved a spot for myself on the 5:30 am shuttle and went to bed. Around 3 am, I woke to the sounds of multiple sirens and voices over a loudspeaker. A quick peek out my window revealed this scene across the street....
Someone later told me that this is the Screen Actor’s Guild building, but I don’t know if that is true. Apparently there was a small fire somewhere in the building, but it involved massive amounts of fire trucks, ambulances, two helicopters with spotlights.... and one dragon who decided to just get dressed then try to doze until my alarm went off.
Needless to say, I was a bit groggy by the time I got home to Moncton at 10:30 pm AST on Tuesday night. I was actually quite civil when my family got up and on the road to Bangor, Maine by 6:30 am the next morning for our 48 hour back to school shopping trip.
Now that FTP access to my ISP is working and I’ve been able to upload my photos as well as ruminate about the trip, I hope you feel more in touch with all the dragon’s adventures.
Believe me.... this is only the beginning!
Sometimes, when you have an overwhelming experience, it takes a while to sort through all of the information and feedback that crammed into your heart, mind and soul during the experience. It is only after putting a bit of time and space between you and the event, that you gain enough clarity to actually put your thoughts down into words.
I read over my blog entries from LA and see how full of energy they were, but I really felt as if I was flying by the seat of my pants. I am sorry if you felt like I left everything hanging... I felt a bit like that as I was living it!
So here is the calmer entry about the SCBWI conference in LA.
It was WONDERFUL!
If you are thinking about a career in children’s book writing or illustrating, then you need to belong to the SCBWI organization and you NEED to attend one of these events! I learned more in 4 days of speakers, presentations, workshops, critiques and networking opportunities that I could have in MONTHS or even YEARS of trying to learn this stuff on my own here in Moncton! Reading listings in trade publications or visiting publishers’ websites does not give you the same information that listening to them speak in person!
The hotel facilities were very nice too. I could have shown you pictures of my impressive marble bathroom. I could tell you that when I put down a preference for feather pillows, they piled 5 of them on the king-sized bed so that I could almost nest in them at night. I thought the picture that spoke for itself was the view from my lanai/balcony looking down towards Avenue of the Stars. This is as close as I got to the railing... the dragon does NOT do edges!
You know my adventures from Saturday morning of racing around to Kinkos trying to salvage my portfolio. I turned it in on time and then had to wait on pins and needles for the Portfolio exhibition that night. The lighting in the tent wasn’t the greatest for looking at artwork and the tables were a bit too close together, but other than that it was a wonderful chance to look at the over 100 portfolios that had been submitted. They represented a wide range of ages, nationalities and abilities as well as styles. I already knew in my heart by then that there was SO much I would do differently for the next time. When the winning portfolio and honorable mentions were announced Sunday during the banquet, I was pleased to see that 2 of the 3 were illustrators that I’d thought had outstanding portfolios.
My review with Mark Teague on Sunday pretty much confirmed what I had begun to suspect. I have 2 different styles of artwork that I do and one is going to be MUCH more marketable in the picture book industry than the other. The tighter style that I did for the Hanen Centre or the Nanny Kay book are considered more “textbook” style in the USA. Not that there isn’t a market for that type of thing... it just isn’t the same one as picture books. It was SO helpful to speak to an illustrator who has more experience in the industry, especially one that was so kind and helpful. The fact that I absolutely adore his work only made the feedback more meaningful!
Before you start feeling sorry for me, understand that criticism and feedback are a necessary part of growth. If you don’t learn, then you can’t improve. If I don’t “deadhead” my lilac trees after they bloom this year, I won’t have as much growth and beauty next year!
Best of all, I heard from some of the people that had been involved in looking at my work Friday night and then seen the changed portfolio for the exhibition, that they were impressed at how much I had responded to the feedback and improved upon how I presented my work. Just wait until NEXT time folks!
After the portfolio review on Saturday, came the “Paint the Town Red” party by the pool. Since wearing red makes me look like Mr. Spock with the flu, I opted for a great dress with fringes and sticking little maple leafs up my long legs! I also had a Canada lanyard and a Canada beach ball which I spent 15 minutes lobbing about the dance floor as a volleyball before my energy ran out and I crawled off to bed.
Sunday was a fun day full of great workshops and I felt much more relaxed with the portfolio review over. My critique with Mark covered most of my questions and affirmed the “battle plan” that I’d begun to map out by then. When the final speaker of the day turned out to be something relating to Young Adult novels, I decided to skip the session and see a bit of L.A! Having just stuck my toes in the Atlantic ocean the week before, I decided that the highest priority on my list was seeing the Pacific ocean, so off I headed to Santa Monica! I sat and sketched on the beach in the late afternoon sun for almost an hour, bought a few tacky little souvenirs for my girls, shot a few photos and then wandered across the street to a wonderful Japanese restaurant that was surviving specially priced sushi for Happy Hour!! Yummmmm!
I walked around the area for another hour or so, marveling at all the outdoor shopping areas (where we Canadians need indoor malls!) and even taking photos of the cool Californian plants! Then I headed back to the hotel in time for the evening peer critiques.
By this point, I had decided to get as much feedback, ask as many questions as possible and make the most of every opportunity left at the conference, so I decided to sit in on a WRITERS circle to critique the picture book manuscript that I have written called “One Grumpy Dragon”. I was absolutely TERRIFIED of reading it aloud to the group because I still don’t think of myself as a writer. I’m more of an illustrator who created a story so that I could draw the pictures to go with it!
The feedback was VERY encouraging! They pointed out a few places where I needed to tighten the story or move things around that improved the whole flow of the fantasy counting book. I went back up to my hotel room that night and changed the story around, rewrote a few of the lines and had a new manuscript by the morning. I was even able to touch base with two of the members from that critique group to see if the new changes helped... and the feedback was great.
Monday was a blur of last workshops, exchanging e-mails and business cards with new friends and closing speeches. Then we had a wonderful autograph session with faculty members whose books had been available all weekend at the SCBWI bookstore. Do you think the dragon came home with more books in her hoard??? Let’s just say that I was quite relieved to find my luggage still under the weight restrictions!
Here is a photo of me with David LaRochelle. David was one of the first people I met at the conference when we shared a shuttle to the hotel on Thursday. If you have never read his INCREDIBLE Fantasy picture book called “The End”, you need to look it up at the library or find it on Amazon. It is SO clever and such fun to read!! I also bought a copy of his hilarious book “The Best Pet Of All” where a little boy invites a dragon home to live with him so that his mom will realize that a dog is a much better choice!
Monday night was full of suitcase packing and having dinner with some of the friends that I’d made over the 4 days at the mall food court near the hotel. It was reaffirming to discover that I wasn’t the only one who felt as if my brain had been crammed full of information to the bursting point!
I reserved a spot for myself on the 5:30 am shuttle and went to bed. Around 3 am, I woke to the sounds of multiple sirens and voices over a loudspeaker. A quick peek out my window revealed this scene across the street....
Someone later told me that this is the Screen Actor’s Guild building, but I don’t know if that is true. Apparently there was a small fire somewhere in the building, but it involved massive amounts of fire trucks, ambulances, two helicopters with spotlights.... and one dragon who decided to just get dressed then try to doze until my alarm went off.
Needless to say, I was a bit groggy by the time I got home to Moncton at 10:30 pm AST on Tuesday night. I was actually quite civil when my family got up and on the road to Bangor, Maine by 6:30 am the next morning for our 48 hour back to school shopping trip.
Now that FTP access to my ISP is working and I’ve been able to upload my photos as well as ruminate about the trip, I hope you feel more in touch with all the dragon’s adventures.
Believe me.... this is only the beginning!
Friday, August 08, 2008
Home... Off... and Back Again!
I promise I will update everything tomorrow. The rest of the conference was an amazing whirlwind of information and the flights home were very long. I got home late Tuesday night and took off with my family for a 48 hour back-to-school shopping expedition to Maine!
We got home tonight and are tucking the girls into bed, peeking at the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Games, sorting out the laundry mountains and downloading all the e-mail.
I will update things tomorrow before my sister arrives with her husband for a week!
I promise I will update everything tomorrow. The rest of the conference was an amazing whirlwind of information and the flights home were very long. I got home late Tuesday night and took off with my family for a 48 hour back-to-school shopping expedition to Maine!
We got home tonight and are tucking the girls into bed, peeking at the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Games, sorting out the laundry mountains and downloading all the e-mail.
I will update things tomorrow before my sister arrives with her husband for a week!
Saturday, August 02, 2008
When The Going Gets TOUGH... The Dragon Hunts for Kinko's!
Talk about a roller coaster of emotion. I just turned in my portfolio for tonight's portfolio review competition and it bears absolutely NO resemblance to the portfolio that I brought down in my carry-on!
All of yesterday's sessions were incredibly informative, overwhelmingly helpful, impressive and inspiring. It was affirming to be with almost 1000 people who work in the children's book industry or hope to one day.
Everyone has been so gracious in answering pesky questions from the very tall Canadian dragon!
The Professional Track luncheon gave me incredible insight into how an Editor's mind works, how hard their job is when they go to bat for a book to the marketing and sales departments of the publishing houses etc. I'd never looked at things from their point of view before.
At last night's wine and cheese reception, I was lucky enough to have Bruce Coville ask to see my portfolio in reference to a comment about dragons vs. unicorns. He pointed out which images were my strongest and told me that I should move things around in the portfolio so that my strongest images were at the very front for the judges, editors and art directors who will be walking through the exhibition to see. They have a lot to look at and will only have a few glances at best.
GREAT ADVICE from someone who has been in this industry a LOT longer than I have. I just felt a little nervous taking ART advice from a writer! (Silly Dragon!!)
After that, we had a gathering just for illustrators with Cecilia Yung (Art Director and VP at Penguin Young Readers), Freida Gates (who puts together key events in NY for SCBWI) and Dilys Evans, Art Buyer. The session talked about what works in self-promotion and what doesn't, what editors/buyers/art directors look for in portfolios etc. Again, I heard that you only have a FEW images to grab them with... and the worry in my stomach turned to full blown terror. I was able to ask a wonderful woman to look through my portfolio to see if she agreed with Bruce... and she even called Dilys over to look at a few of our books and offer advice.
By 10:30 at night (2:30 am back home) I walked up to my room almost in tears, but determined to make the changes I needed to before turning in my portfolio. Out came all my little explanation tags. As they pointed out, the pictures need to stand on their own. Out came my first page promo slick and in went the image that had made them all laugh "The Fear of the Blank Page!"
I then swallowed my pride and divided my portfolio into two sections - one for the contest tonight with my strongest images in it, and the back half of my portfolio with the tighter Hanen Centre, Owen and more detailed illustrations in what they called my "more textbook illustration style". If I pick up work from publishers like that, that works too.
Then... I went to sleep around 11:30 California time.
I woke up at 5:00 am here (9:00 am back home) from a dream of reading to a dragon. I grabbed my sketchbook and the only 2 pencils I had and began to draw a new spot illustration to introduce the Children's Book section of my portfolio. I inked and coloured a little picture of a teddy bear with a backpack on and offering an apple in one paw then coloured it will the coloured pencils I brought along. I also called home to talk to Nick and the girls because hearing my family's voices reminded me of why I am here and who I am doing this for.
The time was now 7:30 am. I showered, dressed, grabbed some stuff from my little fridge and went down to find out if the business centre would be open early.
It wasn't.
So another illustrator and I jumped into a cab and drove to the nearest Kinko's.
THANK GOODNESS for Kinko's!!
There, I was able to make colour copies of the little bear, a two page spread from Just Nanny and Me that they felt was strong, print out some new computer text titles for the two new sections, use their paper trimmer, buy some double-sided scrapbook tape and jump back into the waiting cab. We made it back JUST as the first session of the morning started at 8:45 am!!
While I believe in my artwork and my own personal style, I also know that the wisdom I received last night and my willingness to rearrange stuff, simplify and play editor may have just saved me from being totally dismissed as "not ready to play in the big leagues."
I am a bit punchy, a bit trembly... but I honestly believe that I am MUCH stronger for this drastic pruning experience. I am also incredibly grateful to have had access to such experience and input BEFORE the competition tonight. Having seen some of the other artwork here, I am sure I don't even stand a chance of winning the top prize, but I have heard so many stories of how shows like this have led to publishers matching people up or providing that first chance... that winning the contest isn't everything. Getting my samples into the hands of so many top people in the industry is.
Time to go eat some lunch... you can only run on adrenaline for so long!!!
Talk about a roller coaster of emotion. I just turned in my portfolio for tonight's portfolio review competition and it bears absolutely NO resemblance to the portfolio that I brought down in my carry-on!
All of yesterday's sessions were incredibly informative, overwhelmingly helpful, impressive and inspiring. It was affirming to be with almost 1000 people who work in the children's book industry or hope to one day.
Everyone has been so gracious in answering pesky questions from the very tall Canadian dragon!
The Professional Track luncheon gave me incredible insight into how an Editor's mind works, how hard their job is when they go to bat for a book to the marketing and sales departments of the publishing houses etc. I'd never looked at things from their point of view before.
At last night's wine and cheese reception, I was lucky enough to have Bruce Coville ask to see my portfolio in reference to a comment about dragons vs. unicorns. He pointed out which images were my strongest and told me that I should move things around in the portfolio so that my strongest images were at the very front for the judges, editors and art directors who will be walking through the exhibition to see. They have a lot to look at and will only have a few glances at best.
GREAT ADVICE from someone who has been in this industry a LOT longer than I have. I just felt a little nervous taking ART advice from a writer! (Silly Dragon!!)
After that, we had a gathering just for illustrators with Cecilia Yung (Art Director and VP at Penguin Young Readers), Freida Gates (who puts together key events in NY for SCBWI) and Dilys Evans, Art Buyer. The session talked about what works in self-promotion and what doesn't, what editors/buyers/art directors look for in portfolios etc. Again, I heard that you only have a FEW images to grab them with... and the worry in my stomach turned to full blown terror. I was able to ask a wonderful woman to look through my portfolio to see if she agreed with Bruce... and she even called Dilys over to look at a few of our books and offer advice.
By 10:30 at night (2:30 am back home) I walked up to my room almost in tears, but determined to make the changes I needed to before turning in my portfolio. Out came all my little explanation tags. As they pointed out, the pictures need to stand on their own. Out came my first page promo slick and in went the image that had made them all laugh "The Fear of the Blank Page!"
I then swallowed my pride and divided my portfolio into two sections - one for the contest tonight with my strongest images in it, and the back half of my portfolio with the tighter Hanen Centre, Owen and more detailed illustrations in what they called my "more textbook illustration style". If I pick up work from publishers like that, that works too.
Then... I went to sleep around 11:30 California time.
I woke up at 5:00 am here (9:00 am back home) from a dream of reading to a dragon. I grabbed my sketchbook and the only 2 pencils I had and began to draw a new spot illustration to introduce the Children's Book section of my portfolio. I inked and coloured a little picture of a teddy bear with a backpack on and offering an apple in one paw then coloured it will the coloured pencils I brought along. I also called home to talk to Nick and the girls because hearing my family's voices reminded me of why I am here and who I am doing this for.
The time was now 7:30 am. I showered, dressed, grabbed some stuff from my little fridge and went down to find out if the business centre would be open early.
It wasn't.
So another illustrator and I jumped into a cab and drove to the nearest Kinko's.
THANK GOODNESS for Kinko's!!
There, I was able to make colour copies of the little bear, a two page spread from Just Nanny and Me that they felt was strong, print out some new computer text titles for the two new sections, use their paper trimmer, buy some double-sided scrapbook tape and jump back into the waiting cab. We made it back JUST as the first session of the morning started at 8:45 am!!
While I believe in my artwork and my own personal style, I also know that the wisdom I received last night and my willingness to rearrange stuff, simplify and play editor may have just saved me from being totally dismissed as "not ready to play in the big leagues."
I am a bit punchy, a bit trembly... but I honestly believe that I am MUCH stronger for this drastic pruning experience. I am also incredibly grateful to have had access to such experience and input BEFORE the competition tonight. Having seen some of the other artwork here, I am sure I don't even stand a chance of winning the top prize, but I have heard so many stories of how shows like this have led to publishers matching people up or providing that first chance... that winning the contest isn't everything. Getting my samples into the hands of so many top people in the industry is.
Time to go eat some lunch... you can only run on adrenaline for so long!!!
Friday, August 01, 2008
JUMPING UP AND DOWN WITH EXCITEMENT!
I arrived safely in Los Angeles yesterday just before lunchtime local time and got a shared shuttle van to the hotel. There were lots of conference attendees in the van to meet and share names with, one of whom named David LaRochelle who writes the most wonderful books!! I found his at the SCBWI book sale this morning and bought two called "THE END" which is a fairy tale told backwards and "The Best Pet Ever" about a boy who has a dragon move in as his pet in order to convince his mother that a dog would be better! Google them! look them up on Amazon! They are AWESOME!!
There is a mall close to the hotel that has a grocery store and a food court, so I was able to request a fridge for the room and pick up some food to keep there. California prices are just a WEE bit more expensive that Moncton ones! Sadly the delicious Yoplait Fat Free Yogurt here has more Potasium Sorbate than my allergy could handle... so I will be looking for someone who wants the other 4 hiding in my fridge!
This morning, I woke at 1:30, 3:30 and 5:30 local time. The 3rd time I just got up and wrote in my journal for a bit.
At 7:30, I was bright-eyed and bushy tailed in the registration area picking up my name tag and conference information. Here's where the Jumping up and down with Excitement part comes in...
Sunday Morning, my one on one portfolio review will be with Mark Teague!! Google him and just look at how lovable he makes his T-Rex and other dinosaurs or how he uses dramatic composition and you'll understand why I am OVER THE MOON! If there was one brain that I wanted to pick at the conference, it would be his!!
Wheeeeeeeeeeee!
Back down to the conference opening and keynote speaker... but I had to get on and write this for everyone to read. Sorry about the spelling mistakes if there are any. I had to write this right in Blogger!
Skipping off with my dragon claws barely touching the ground.....
I arrived safely in Los Angeles yesterday just before lunchtime local time and got a shared shuttle van to the hotel. There were lots of conference attendees in the van to meet and share names with, one of whom named David LaRochelle who writes the most wonderful books!! I found his at the SCBWI book sale this morning and bought two called "THE END" which is a fairy tale told backwards and "The Best Pet Ever" about a boy who has a dragon move in as his pet in order to convince his mother that a dog would be better! Google them! look them up on Amazon! They are AWESOME!!
There is a mall close to the hotel that has a grocery store and a food court, so I was able to request a fridge for the room and pick up some food to keep there. California prices are just a WEE bit more expensive that Moncton ones! Sadly the delicious Yoplait Fat Free Yogurt here has more Potasium Sorbate than my allergy could handle... so I will be looking for someone who wants the other 4 hiding in my fridge!
This morning, I woke at 1:30, 3:30 and 5:30 local time. The 3rd time I just got up and wrote in my journal for a bit.
At 7:30, I was bright-eyed and bushy tailed in the registration area picking up my name tag and conference information. Here's where the Jumping up and down with Excitement part comes in...
Sunday Morning, my one on one portfolio review will be with Mark Teague!! Google him and just look at how lovable he makes his T-Rex and other dinosaurs or how he uses dramatic composition and you'll understand why I am OVER THE MOON! If there was one brain that I wanted to pick at the conference, it would be his!!
Wheeeeeeeeeeee!
Back down to the conference opening and keynote speaker... but I had to get on and write this for everyone to read. Sorry about the spelling mistakes if there are any. I had to write this right in Blogger!
Skipping off with my dragon claws barely touching the ground.....
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
IT’S NOT AS BAD AS YOU THINK!
Ok... I look a little like this dragon as I race around to get my portfolio wrapped up and get packed for Los Angeles. I just need to remind myself to take a deep breath now and then and trust in what I can do and in following my dream.
My iTunes mix right now consists of my two theme songs for this summer. Both songs have words that I have mumbled and sung to myself over and over. The first is Walk On The Moon by Great Big Sea and the second is One Step At A Time by Jordan Sparks. I will be humming them in my head all weekend in Los Angeles any time I get nervous!
It helped that a good friend who is an award-winning graphic designer came over last night and looked at my portfolio to see what needed to be moved around, edited etc. He had some very valuable insights and also pointed out some strengths I hadn’t realized about the work that I’d put together....
So now I feel a little calmer than I did when I drew this yesterday morning!
Of course this dragon can also apply to many of you who read my blog and visit my website...
IT’S NOT AS BAD AS YOU THINK!!
There has been a wonderful flood of e-mails, messages, condolences etc. pouring in... and many of you seem to be grieving because you think I won’t be designing anything or selling my existing designs or creating any large designs or doing anything except teach in person.....
I tried to make things clear in my blog and on the website, but maybe I’d better clear up a few points of confusion.
1) I don’t own a shop and I am not going out of business! There is a WONDERFUL store right here in Moncton that will continue to carry and sell my stuff. I will also continue to sell my existing designs to shops through Hoffman and directly to shops that I deal with. You don’t have to worry that stuff will suddenly go out of print! If I do run out of any inventory of OLDER designs, those will be transferred to PatternsOnline.com so that they can still be enjoyed by stitchers around the world.
2) I am not quitting designing completely! I have spent a great deal of the past 15 years focussed on cross stitch, but just because my focus is changing a bit does not mean that a design won’t creep into my head and demand to be stitched instead of painted. Some images that I have created could ONLY have come to life through needle and thread. I doubt that will change... it just may not be as often as fans would like.
3) Having new designs on PatternsOnline.com won’t mean that they will all be small ones... just look at some of Teresa Wentzler’s designs on there!!
If you could see how crowded my poor 10 x 10 self-store is, you’d understand why I need to stop SELF-PUBLISHING cross stitch patterns for now. There is only so much room to store things, especially with a dozen or so cases of Owen & The Dinosaur books in there too!
To all those who sent messages telling me how much my designs have meant to you over the years... THANK YOU! The biggest joy for any artist is to know that they created something that touched another person in some way. That isn’t going to stop until my head and my hands aren’t capable of making pretty pictures anymore.
So Don’t Panic! Trust me... I’ve been doing enough of that for everyone!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Can Every Artist Relate?
I finished off another piece for my portfolio tonight. I came up with this idea after a huge panic attack last week at the cottage where I dreamed I showed up for my portfolio review late in L.A. because someone had given me the wrong room number. When I finally arrived after running through long, strange hallways, the person in the room told me that I shouldn’t dream of being a professional illustrator if I couldn’t even keep a simple appointment! As I woke up with my heart pounding, I knew that it was just a standard anxiety dream (like before exams in high school or university) but sleep escaped me so I got up to write in my journal for a while... then got the inspiration for this piece.
Since I needed to have at least one drawing in my portfolio that was greyscale, I used everything from a 4H to 8B pencil for as wide a range of tone as possible. I also had fun choosing textures for each fear. I particularly like the oozing drips for Copyright Abuse... since anyone who would steal that way is Slime!
Perfectionism and Envy of Other’s Talents are two of the fears that I wrestle with most often, so of course they had to be slightly dragon or snake like... and Self-Doubt’s fur was fun to draw!
I am sure that any creative soul can relate to this...
I finished off another piece for my portfolio tonight. I came up with this idea after a huge panic attack last week at the cottage where I dreamed I showed up for my portfolio review late in L.A. because someone had given me the wrong room number. When I finally arrived after running through long, strange hallways, the person in the room told me that I shouldn’t dream of being a professional illustrator if I couldn’t even keep a simple appointment! As I woke up with my heart pounding, I knew that it was just a standard anxiety dream (like before exams in high school or university) but sleep escaped me so I got up to write in my journal for a while... then got the inspiration for this piece.
Since I needed to have at least one drawing in my portfolio that was greyscale, I used everything from a 4H to 8B pencil for as wide a range of tone as possible. I also had fun choosing textures for each fear. I particularly like the oozing drips for Copyright Abuse... since anyone who would steal that way is Slime!
Perfectionism and Envy of Other’s Talents are two of the fears that I wrestle with most often, so of course they had to be slightly dragon or snake like... and Self-Doubt’s fur was fun to draw!
I am sure that any creative soul can relate to this...
Monday, July 21, 2008
Excited About My New Adventures...
June was a total blur. Creating 13 detailed drawings for a client in less than 4 weeks when each drawing went through several changes was tough on the hands but great experience! It will also be nice when the cheque arrives in the mail! My illustrations will grace the 2009 calendar produced by The Hanen Centre and be a great addition to my portfolio! I can’t show off details just yet, since I did sell the copyrights to the client, but here’s a peek at the pile of drawings and the CD I burned of the final artwork before I sent them all off!
Drawing for someone else also gave me time to think as my hands did the work. Unplugging and getting away with my family also helped afterwards as I went for long walks on the beach, watched fabulous sunsets and had time to think about which path I need to follow right now.
I’ve made my decision and posted all the details on the summer issue of my website newsletter for stitchers to read. I don’t want everyone to think of this as an ending, it is just a transition into something else... something that is calling my heart a lot more right now.
It isn’t as if I’ll never design again, I just won’t be publishing my own work after DD-100. I will still come up with some surprise designs now and then, have stuff in magazines or teach classes at fabulous shows like CreativFestival and then make those available later on PatternsOnline.com The numbers from my corporate return were just too stark to keep ignoring, so it is time for the Dragon to put most of her energy into illustration right now.
To that end, I even added a new part to my website! The Sketchbook page is going to be somewhere that I can keep sketches, show off stuff as it is being created or explain to people the process that is involved with bringing an image to life.
There are 10 days until I leave for Los Angeles and the SCBWI conference. I am being really careful not to hurt my back or strain things before such a long flight and my family is starting to think a am a TOTAL wimp for not wanting to lift anything! Hey... I think it is a great way to avoid laundry baskets, grocery bags etc. Before you think I am goofing off completely, let me assure you - I do all the hanging or putting away... just not the lifting!
I am busy finishing off the last few illustrations for my portfolio and going over each selection to make sure that I am taking along my very BEST samples. This gets a little hard to do when the butterflies in your tummy keep turning into DRAGONS... but that even gave me ideas for an image that I’ll post as soon as it is penciled. It is called “Fear of the Blank Page” and I am sure that every artist there will be able to relate.
Here’s a peek at one of the drawings for a storybook about a little bunny looking for a home and the Japanese legend of the rabbit in the moon. It was created on textured scrapbook paper with coloured pencil and chalk, then I gave the moon some extra glow thanks to Photoshop. What fun!
Even though I am both excited and terrified about L.A., I know that it is the right step to take. I need to know if this can be the next adventure for the Dragon... Whether I make them with chalk or floss, pencil or braid, it is still about making images that touch people. I hope that will never change!
I hope you'll join me as the path winds down a slightly different road than before...
June was a total blur. Creating 13 detailed drawings for a client in less than 4 weeks when each drawing went through several changes was tough on the hands but great experience! It will also be nice when the cheque arrives in the mail! My illustrations will grace the 2009 calendar produced by The Hanen Centre and be a great addition to my portfolio! I can’t show off details just yet, since I did sell the copyrights to the client, but here’s a peek at the pile of drawings and the CD I burned of the final artwork before I sent them all off!
Drawing for someone else also gave me time to think as my hands did the work. Unplugging and getting away with my family also helped afterwards as I went for long walks on the beach, watched fabulous sunsets and had time to think about which path I need to follow right now.
I’ve made my decision and posted all the details on the summer issue of my website newsletter for stitchers to read. I don’t want everyone to think of this as an ending, it is just a transition into something else... something that is calling my heart a lot more right now.
It isn’t as if I’ll never design again, I just won’t be publishing my own work after DD-100. I will still come up with some surprise designs now and then, have stuff in magazines or teach classes at fabulous shows like CreativFestival and then make those available later on PatternsOnline.com The numbers from my corporate return were just too stark to keep ignoring, so it is time for the Dragon to put most of her energy into illustration right now.
To that end, I even added a new part to my website! The Sketchbook page is going to be somewhere that I can keep sketches, show off stuff as it is being created or explain to people the process that is involved with bringing an image to life.
There are 10 days until I leave for Los Angeles and the SCBWI conference. I am being really careful not to hurt my back or strain things before such a long flight and my family is starting to think a am a TOTAL wimp for not wanting to lift anything! Hey... I think it is a great way to avoid laundry baskets, grocery bags etc. Before you think I am goofing off completely, let me assure you - I do all the hanging or putting away... just not the lifting!
I am busy finishing off the last few illustrations for my portfolio and going over each selection to make sure that I am taking along my very BEST samples. This gets a little hard to do when the butterflies in your tummy keep turning into DRAGONS... but that even gave me ideas for an image that I’ll post as soon as it is penciled. It is called “Fear of the Blank Page” and I am sure that every artist there will be able to relate.
Here’s a peek at one of the drawings for a storybook about a little bunny looking for a home and the Japanese legend of the rabbit in the moon. It was created on textured scrapbook paper with coloured pencil and chalk, then I gave the moon some extra glow thanks to Photoshop. What fun!
Even though I am both excited and terrified about L.A., I know that it is the right step to take. I need to know if this can be the next adventure for the Dragon... Whether I make them with chalk or floss, pencil or braid, it is still about making images that touch people. I hope that will never change!
I hope you'll join me as the path winds down a slightly different road than before...
Saturday, July 12, 2008
The Dragon Is On Vacation!
After a few frantic e-mails while I was checking things remotely, I thought I’d better post something here quickly so that you know the dragon isn’t dead!
June was an incredibly busy month with a HUGE illustration project, school ending and Mom going in and out of the hospital a few times. Our family has escaped for some MUCH needed R & R and time together. Once we get back, I will update the site and the blog because Dragon Dreams is about to move off into some new adventures.
Don’t worry... Be Happy...Stich and Laugh and Love. The Dragon just needed to hunker down in her cave for a while to figure some things out. Now she’s out playing in the sunshine that she dreamed of all winter long!
After a few frantic e-mails while I was checking things remotely, I thought I’d better post something here quickly so that you know the dragon isn’t dead!
June was an incredibly busy month with a HUGE illustration project, school ending and Mom going in and out of the hospital a few times. Our family has escaped for some MUCH needed R & R and time together. Once we get back, I will update the site and the blog because Dragon Dreams is about to move off into some new adventures.
Don’t worry... Be Happy...Stich and Laugh and Love. The Dragon just needed to hunker down in her cave for a while to figure some things out. Now she’s out playing in the sunshine that she dreamed of all winter long!
Friday, June 06, 2008
Forgotten... Not Forgotten...
It’s Illustration Friday in more ways than one! I was scanning in another batch of pencil sketches for a client to get a jump on Toronto (since I am one hour AHEAD of EST) and have them waiting on the clients e-mail when she gets in this morning. Because of a confidentiality clause in my agreement with them, I can’t post the images in progress. That’s a bit frustrating, but at least I will be able to show the work off when it is all done!
The topic on Illustration Friday today was FORGOTTEN and I just couldn’t resist using one of my favourite designs that I created in cross stitch called NOT FORGOTTEN. This is somewhat bittersweet because today, June 6th, I had planned to be in Columbus setting up at the TNNA show. I had to pull out just over a month ago for health reasons. My back just isn’t up to the travel and lifting involved right now. I’ve even had to learn to get up from drawing to take breaks so that nothing locks. Ask any artist how hard that is when you are just trying to get something to look just right.
Creativity requires that balance with discipline. You cannot just wait until inspiration hits or your hands may not be ready to interpret that vision. I know that in sessions like this where I am drawing for hours and hours each day, my hands respond much better than if I go a day or two without practicing my craft. Being creative is as essential to me as breathing, but I sometimes get caught up in other excitements and forget that drawing was my first love.
Cross stitch became a wonderful way, just over 16 years ago, for me to bring illustrations and ideas to life with thread instead of watercolour or pencil. Then, I would create the patterns to let other stitchers all around the world enjoy stitching up their own versions.
Since many designers had done their own versions of a Noah’s Ark design, I wanted my version to include all of the fantasy creatures I felt should have been on that boat. Chalk it up to an early exposure to Peter, Paul and Mary or the Irish Rovers. Dragons and Unicorns and other magical creatures will always be part of my world, even when I don’t include them in my drawings... but they certainly took over in this one!
Sadly, the patterns themselves have become the easiest part of the stitching experience to steal. Instead of respecting the time and energy that it took to create such a design to share with the world, there are unscrupulous people out there who feel it is their right to scan in a pattern and share it with friends electronically or post it to groups of hundreds of people. We have been shutting down HUNDREDS of groups in the past 3 months alone and it does get a bit frustrating at times. What part of “Thou Shalt Not Steal” is confusing? What makes anyone think that something an artist creates should be “Free” if they see it on the web?
Those of us in art have chosen a risky profession. We share our imagination, our creativity and a little piece of ourselves in every image we create. Just because it looks like something fun and wonderful doesn’t make it any less Work. Just because society isn’t sure how creativity should be valued doesn’t mean we don’t deserve the chance to try to make a living from this without our work being stolen or copied.
Think about how boring our world would be if no one took the risk of being creative. Please think about that before you download, scan, share or use anything without an artist’s permission.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Today’s topic for Illustration Friday was WORRY...
It is so easy to fall into that trap, especially with my Mom back in the hospital. Think of all the time we waste each day worrying about things that may never come to pass.
I dug out this cartoon that I’d posted on my blog a while back. When we worry about looming deadlines, it really can feel like something is lurking just behind us.
Today, that is getting my office back to rights. I’ve been meaning to do a “grand tidy” ever since the book launch happened and yet I always seem to get caught up in a new drawing or business task. Yesterday I took all of the piles from my floor and put them out in the family room. Then I pulled apart my closet where all of the cross stitch models and patterns are stored. If any of the patterns had dents or dings in them, I just ripped them up and threw them out. (I can hear some of you screaming “I’ll take them!” in the background)
The truth is that my accountant has had to write most of that stock off anyway. I can even tell how much of an effect the people sharing things illegally have had on certain designs because I’m just not selling as many of those patterns anymore compared to other ones. I had a nice little venting session as I ripped the leaflets to pieces imagining that it was something precious the thieves needed... like income tax refunds, power bills or winning lottery tickets. Petty and childish of me, but it felt good.
I have learned that when I work in clutter or surround myself with too much clutter, it has a draining effect on my spirit. That’s totally different that spreading out pencils or paper or yarns or threads to get inspired by stuff. It’s the pile of papers that you meant to sort and then can’t find something important when you need it that wears me down.
I can see progress. Thanks to plastic bins and my label maker, my closet is almost done and things are getting away in their proper places.
With each pile I tidy, the dragon looming behind me gets a little smaller.
Once I am done and he is pocket-size, we will go out and play!
Don’t Worry... Be Happy... It’s FRIDAY!
It is so easy to fall into that trap, especially with my Mom back in the hospital. Think of all the time we waste each day worrying about things that may never come to pass.
I dug out this cartoon that I’d posted on my blog a while back. When we worry about looming deadlines, it really can feel like something is lurking just behind us.
Today, that is getting my office back to rights. I’ve been meaning to do a “grand tidy” ever since the book launch happened and yet I always seem to get caught up in a new drawing or business task. Yesterday I took all of the piles from my floor and put them out in the family room. Then I pulled apart my closet where all of the cross stitch models and patterns are stored. If any of the patterns had dents or dings in them, I just ripped them up and threw them out. (I can hear some of you screaming “I’ll take them!” in the background)
The truth is that my accountant has had to write most of that stock off anyway. I can even tell how much of an effect the people sharing things illegally have had on certain designs because I’m just not selling as many of those patterns anymore compared to other ones. I had a nice little venting session as I ripped the leaflets to pieces imagining that it was something precious the thieves needed... like income tax refunds, power bills or winning lottery tickets. Petty and childish of me, but it felt good.
I have learned that when I work in clutter or surround myself with too much clutter, it has a draining effect on my spirit. That’s totally different that spreading out pencils or paper or yarns or threads to get inspired by stuff. It’s the pile of papers that you meant to sort and then can’t find something important when you need it that wears me down.
I can see progress. Thanks to plastic bins and my label maker, my closet is almost done and things are getting away in their proper places.
With each pile I tidy, the dragon looming behind me gets a little smaller.
Once I am done and he is pocket-size, we will go out and play!
Don’t Worry... Be Happy... It’s FRIDAY!
Friday, May 16, 2008
I belong to a group called Illustration Friday that puts forth a topic each week for illustrators to work with. Some create new illustrations and other rummage through their portfolios. Today’s topic was WIDE... and so I went digging for one of my favourite illustrations to submit.
My Nanny LOVED hippos. I blame it on seeing Disney’s Fantasia when it was first released in theaters because real hippos are not nearly as cute. For whatever reason, she fell in love with them and that gave all of us who loved her a chance to hunt for hippo figurines to give her at Christmas. One winter when I was over for a visit, she was watching the neighbours children make snow angels next door. She mused aloud about hippos making snow angels... and that artist supernova went off in my brain. I painted this for her as a gift and when she passed away, it came back to my portfolio.
I now use this photo when I speak to school children about illustrators needing to use their imaginations. You cannot borrow a real hippo from the zoo. Zookeepers won’t let you do that. You cannot convince a warm, mud-loving hippo to roll around in snow. It is cold... VERY cold. So, you have to use your imagination and think of how the illustration would look. How big is a hippo? Is it bigger and heavier than a field mouse or a bunny? You bet! After all this discussion, I show the kids the picture and usually get more laughter from the teachers than the kids. THIS hippo looks proud of her Oooomph!
That’s why I chose it for the topic WIDE.
Now back to working on my drawing for a new client who found me through my web site. The Internet can certainly be both a help and a hindrance as this week has proven in spades!
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