Guest Speaker - School of Visual Arts

This month, I was honored to be a guest speaker for Monica Wellington's Creating Children's Books at the School of Visual Arts, NYC.

It was a nice full circle experience. Monica Wellington was my first teacher in Children's Illustration and now she had invited me to share with her students my experience over the years in illustration and children's publishing.

I shared what I have found the most valuable over the years...

* That quantity produces quality...the more you write and rewrite...the more you draw and redraw...paint and repaint...the better you get.

* The more ideas you record on paper, the more ideas come to you.  I have found this to be true...the writing and drawing of ideas seems to open channels that trigger more ideas to flow.

* If you're feeling discouraged, watch or read a biography about a famous author, illustrator, artist, etc. Careers are full of ups and downs. You are not alone. Find comfort in knowing it can be done. Also, find comfort in knowing that even those who are successful have rough moments, and learn from how they work through them.

In addition to these inspiring gems and more, I shared my portfolio and a stack of book dummies and manuscripts that are searching for homes in the published world. I wanted students to see that I work on a large number of projects. That it's important to grow and change.

Of course, my most important advice:

* Paint, draw and write because you love to do it. If you don't love it...find something else that you love to do. This is a business of love...because very few creative people make much money. 

And in rough patches...and there are plenty of those...you need to be able to say to yourself..."I get to the paper every day...to write or draw...without any future expectations. I'm here because I love to write and draw and paint." 

At least that's why I do it.