The Annual SCBWI Conference in Los Angeles took place last weekend and I was there. The keynote speakers included luminaries such as Judy Blume, Gary Paulsen and Richard Peck, as well as more contemporary voices such as Laurie Halse Anderson and Libba Bray. And what stood out to me at the end was that all of them essentially said the very same things, albeit in their own way, to all of us sitting on the edges of our seats and leaning forward so eagerly.
1) Writing and illustrating in terrifying. So take heart, you are not the only one to feel this way.
2) You must dig down deep into your own truth. This is where your authentic voice and your personal, yet universal, story are.
3) Your path as a writer and/or illustrator is long. Your progress along your path is not a sprint. It is a marathon.
4) Your path as a writer and/or illustrator is distinctly unique to you. It is not possible to follow in anyone else's footsteps.
5) Writing and illustrating is lonely, because at the end of the day it's just you and a piece of blank paper. But thank goodness SCBWI is there for company in your downtime!
For me personally, these messages vacillate between being inspiring and being demoralizing. Nonetheless, I have returned to my studio and below is the progress I've made. Good night and good luck!
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| Transportation Zoo palette & color beginnings. |
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| Fleshing out the cars and trucks. |
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| Getting a sense of the background colors. |
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| Just about ready to start putting it all together... |
