Inspiration and creativity are interesting friends. It is not like you can decide to meet them for a chat or a project whenever you want. What I am trying to say is, you can't decide to write or draw something just like that. At least it doesn’t work that easy for me. Hence the gap between my posts and/or drawings. I feel like I didn’t have the drive or an idea to write about something for quite some time. And then recently I thought I share an update about my journey as an illustrator since my modest start earlier this year. I got the idea in the mid of preparations for International Dot Day celebration at my school which now became a tradition. In case you haven’t heard of it before, this event has been inspired by a book called The Dot written and illustrated by the beloved children’s book author Peter H. Reynolds. This is a story that celebrates creativity, courage and kindness. It is celebrated at schools worldwide and it is lots of fun!
You might wonder what is the connection between this book and me getting back on track with writing again and creating some more. Well here it is. The main character in The Dot is a girl named Vashti, who thinks she simply can’t draw. Her kind and inspiring art teacher gives her a new perspective and encourages Vashti to unleash her creativity. Vashti even ends up with her own art show and spreads her creativity and inspiration further. I relate to Vashti on what she thinks of her drawing skills. She is convinced that she is bad at drawing. In my case for instance, I often have one thing in my head and when putting it on paper it turns out as a disaster. I am not sure I will ever have an art show on my own like Vashti had in the story but I am definitely enjoying creating and I am excited about working on the drafts for my very first picture book. It takes a lot of time, practice, persistence and courage but I am trying. "Go slow, to go fast", as my principal once said.
As time passes, I am starting to feel more confident and I believe I am finding my style. It is certain that I love using mix media. So, I wanted to record my progress in this e- journal of mine and also share my work with you all. I find keeping track of my journey a valuable visual evidence of progress and material to review in order to improve as an illustrator.
Here are some self standing illustrations I am proud of.
And since I strongly believe that everyone can find inspiration in books on whatever matter, I would wrap up my post with a few book recommendations (book covers are linked to Goodreads.com reviews) that celebrate creativity and courage to make mistakes because those lead you to create something beautiful and extraordinary. Last but not least, these books are as inspiring as the "The Dot".
Happy reading and creating!