It's been a busy Summer. I wrote some about my travels a bit, so you know I've been pretty mobile. But with all the travel AND yoga teacher training, AND extra freelance gigs, I've pushed the writing and personal illustration off to the side.
I think the Asilomar SCBWI conference broke my heart a little, to be honest. As a visual artist, you constantly hear that you'll be a 'starving artist'. It's like everyone just loves to tell you this. Like they're helping you in some way. The speakers at that conference pounded this into our skulls to the point of causing nightmares (literally I had nightmares at that conference, haha). I'd had enough. It got to me because I beleived it! I've always listened to people and what they think.
But it's time to beleive what I think. I believe that you need to do what you absolutely love, and ignore everyone else's comments about it. Yes, you will have to make ends meet, and it might be by waiting tables or working a desk job, but enjoy every moment that you get to write about your beloved characters, or paint the magical worlds that pour out of your soul.
I'm saying this to myself as well, of course. I need to hear it myself most of all! Don't listen to the haters. Life it too damn short!
So I met with my writing group and realized it had been too long. The muse started poking me from inside recently (like she always does- right in the heart bone), saying, "Annie! You're not paying attention to me! I'm right here."
Time to find my base. Write it out. Make a schedule. You can't do everything, but you can do what you love if you choose to!
Truly,
Annie