Flowers doodled instead school work, drawings of crayon art hung in my "gallery" (grandma's coat closet), painting sea creatures on bedroom walls~ I have always been an artist! Painting in high school, charcoal in college, digital tools to be a grown-up with a job. I crafted unique jewelry with beads (gave each piece its own name), sold my abstract art at fairs, and designed illustrated envelopes to share my seed harvests.
Children's book illustration has been my most recent decade though. For the longest time picture books were the only kind of book I could read. I couldn't comprehend books without pictures. Picture book love should be forever. It seems silly to have kids move on to bigger kid books and leave these gorgeous, colorful, entertaining, and information filled books behind. I'm a kid in a candy store when I browse the library stacks. Working hard for my stories to be shared, I hit a slump. The perfectionism driven in illustration causes that sometimes.
Deciding to go back to playing with crayons has helped a lot! I'm even playing with the idea of illustrating my stories with crayon:) I'm excited to create laughter, excitement and empathy in readers of all ages. I am seeking agency as an illustrator/author (because pictures come first).
