Knitting a Network
The Invisible Tasks of an Artist - Pt. 2
Hello!
In my previous newsletter, I spoke about The Secret Life of Artists. I revealed 3 of 6 invisible tasks I’ve discovered along my creative journey. I also mentioned I had some BIG NEWS to share. Here is the thrilling conclusion to last month’s newsletter :)
First, I’m excited to share that my most recently illustrated book, Toad the Tanker, is now available for preorder! Fly with Mytai is the first book of the series and is available now at militaryfamilybooks.com or your favorite bookseller.
Available in English and in Spanish!
Like a knitted blanket, we are all connected to each other. Each of us are a knot on a string of connections that never ends and sometimes reconnects back to us. A huge web of connections across the world, space, and time. We are constantly giving and receiving different types of energy in the things we do and stories we tell. Bonded together with overlapping feelings, interests, and experiences. It’s truly amazing!
Invisible Task #4: Giving and Receiving Creative Energy
From a young age, I knew I specifically had creative energy to share. I knew this because I was already experiencing other invisible artist tasks. I just wasn’t sure where that energy needed to go. Until… I found a specific community that understood the kind of energy I had to give and suddenly that piece of me felt alive. Like starting an engine, I was eager to share art with the world and see where it could go!
Different energies are like magnets and they attract you to people who are pursuing a similar energy. For me, that energy is in illustration. All I had to do was follow that little curiosity thread to start making friends with other illustrators. And soon after that, I began creating and joining groups like FridayDoodleClub, IlloGuild, IllustrationNest, and EditArtz. My community grew and so did my creative confidence!
Soon we were all talking about the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Why? Well, it is THE meeting place for ALL professionals involved with creating and publishing children's books. It’s mainly for the buying and selling of rights, but it’s also to celebrate the industry itself. Since 1963, is has been held every year in Bologna, Italy (besides Covid years of course). During the week of of the fair, Bologna is buzzing – book deals are being made, prestigious awards are given, well known speakers present their works and experiences, emerging creatives take workshops to hone their skills, and illustrators get to connect and share their work. It’s one big networking party for anyone in the business. It’s a true spectacle to see!
And I finally got to check it off my bucket list! Yay!!! That is the BIG NEWS! If you didn’t already see on social media, this past April I went to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and it was (as they say) the trip of a life time! It was a big deal for me to go! I am a mom of two beautiful kiddos and honestly it’s the longest I’ve been apart from them. They were so very proud of me to step out of my comfort zone and share my work in such an epic setting. I am so thankful for my husband who encourages and supports me thru and thru.
I plan on sharing lots more about my 2024 BCBF experience, but for now I can say without a doubt that it mostly revolved around this very important invisible task:
GIVING and RECEIVING creative energy.
I was already knitting a small network of creative energy from home, but being in Bologna was like actually being inside the beehive. It was confirmation that this industry is thriving, buzzing, and exactly where I belong. Bologna inspired me to create more! Seeing everyone excited to talk about children’s books and sharing their work was so beautiful and satisfying to me. Especially since I spend most of my time working quietly, alone at home. The best part, I got to share this experience with the very illustration friends that have supported me the last few years.
I FINALLY met my co-hosts from Friday Doodle Club in person! Without them I never would have made it this far or gone to Bologna at all! This trip felt like a graduation of sorts and gave me the opportunity to connect with so many professionals in the industry – publishers, editors, agents, artists, and everything in between. I also had the pleasure of meeting other members of the Illoguild. On this trip, I felt connected to something bigger than me and suddenly my little wish to be a children’s book author and illustrator felt LESS like a wild dream and MORE like a REAL life accomplishment and mission!
I RECEIVED the energy I needed to be inspired and motivated. I feel charged!
Now, I hope I can GIVE back the energy I’ve cultivated. I’m ready to share!
Each month, members of the IlloGuild answer a question together. We all live around the world, have unique styles, and approaches to creativity. So, make sure to follow IlloGuild to hear a variety of other illustrator perspectives!
This month’s question: How do you network? Or why?
Invisible Task #5: Battling Invisible Monsters
I can’t help but think… what if I had never pulled that curiosity thread? What if I had never tried meeting other illustrators? What if I had disregarded my artistic dreams? What if I had not taken the chance to go to Italy? It’s a very possible reality, because there is another invisible task that could keep you from taking those kind of chances.
It’s the task of battling your FEARS.
I really could list so many invisible monsters, numerous insecurities, and countless excuses. Maybe this particular “invisible task” requires a whole substack on it’s own, but for now, I’ll focus on FEAR. It’s the big one. Maybe the biggest creative monster there is and it most likely spawns all the other smaller monsters too. It can stop you in your tracks. It can cripple your creativity and keep you from working. It leads to justifying behaviors and putting off your work.
FEAR of failure is REAL.
Sharing your art is a VERY vulnerable and brave thing to do! It means fear is constantly there with you, watching you, and waiting for you to have a weak moment. So it can jump in to tell you to “give up”, “it’s a waste of time”, “everyone is better than you”, or “you’ll never make money”. Unfortunately, you will listen, UNLESS you have a community that supports you. Unless you have a well of energy sources you can pull from. You need battle allies! People you can commiserate with and celebrate with. Which brings me back to giving and receiving energy. Which shows how important a creative community is!
Your energy has an input and an output. If you output good energy to others, you get good energy in return. If you output negative energy, fellow allies are quick to try and repair it. Yet, there is only so much they can do. You have to meet them halfway and protect your energy. You do it by understanding it, knowing your limits, avoiding burnout, being brave, and placing yourself in situations that light up your energy. Ahem…for me it was Bologna. :)
Last, but not least…
Invisible Task #6: Building Invisible Sandcastles
As an artist, we are constantly building worlds, breaking them down again, and rebuilding. We are dreamers. We are imaging possible realities. Things that could be, but maybe never will. Like building sandcastles, we build knowing things might fall apart or get washed out. We also know that we can always move on to another possible reality. An interior designer can visualize a finished room, a sculptor can picture their finished piece, and an architect can envision how their new building will look with the tools and the space they have. We are resourceful inventors and visionaries. We do this in our minds and also in real life. We envision ourselves in alternate realities. We are hopeful time travelers. At our best, we daydream about our impossible and incredible success. At our worst, we fret about all our possible failures and demise. We can see it as if it’s real and it’s changing all the time.
The truth is, we make do with the tools and space we have.
The perimeters we have to work is just as important as the piece itself. Physically, I can make a lot with a little. I can draw a full illustration with just a pencil and paper, but of course I could do more with more tools. Better tools. More colors. A longer timeline. I adapt to what I have. I re-imagine new possibilities with a new studio or supplies. So, as creatives, we must constantly explore our tools and space to work. As our creative space grows, we grow. Breaking ideas down and building new sandcastles. It’s critical to the job to be in a constant state of rebuilding and re-imagining.
Mentally and emotionally, we do the same. I can can limit myself to what I’m capable of. Stay right where I am. Or…I can pull that thread. I can find my people. Knit my network of energies, travel across the ocean with it, make new connections, expand the space I’m in, and explore the world I was made for. I can put myself right in the middle of the beehive and re-imagine new possibilities! So can you!
By reading this newsletter, you are a piece of my creative network. Thank you for reading or listening! Your support really means a lot to me.
