Embrace Who You Are!!

I originally selected this picture to go with a blog post entitled:

"What do you Love?" Because I love these kids...they're my nieces and nephews.

As I looked at this picture, I thought beyond the fact that I love these kids to why I love them...their personalities.

Sure, they are all the sweetest, most wonderful people you could meet. Good genes and upbringing. But it's more....they are individuals. Just looking at this photo, you get an idea of their differences.

Now I understand when parent's say they don't have a favorite child. Each child is so different and wonderful in their own way.

Today, I was talking with a group of third graders on writing and illustrating style. About the fact that there are as many ways to do something as there are people. That no way is better than any other, because we all prefer different things.

I continued that the most important thing you can do is to be who you are. Sure we can all try to be someone else. Many of us do for at least part of our lives. But if we're lucky, we figure out that the real gift we have to give the world is being ourselves. We have something to offer that no one else does.

It's taken me a good number of years to embrace my own illustration style. It's easy to compare myself with others, especially illustrators that are getting alot of work. Then I started realizing that styles I couldn't stand were getting work as well as ones I liked. That all creative work is incredibly subjective.

The best thing I can do is to draw free and have fun...to love what I am doing...embrace my work...embrace who I am...be the best Susanna I can be.

It's easy to lose sight of this in a world that plays favorites...but really all I have to do is look at kids...the kids in this picture or today's 3rd graders...they all have an individual strength...now begins their journey of figuring it out and embracing it.

Embrace that you are a gift for the world. You may not know your gift. We rarely do. But if you are true to yourself, I'm pretty sure you are giving the gift that is yours.