Series Sample (#7 of 9)

Wheeee!

I know you knew this was coming. But there's still two more...
(Yes, I'm really dragging this out. Maybe I'll wrap it up next week.)

(Click here to see #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5 &6.)

21-Day Challenge- Day 2: Ideas Fly In

Wow! This morning we looked out our back window and saw this bird, pecking away at a rotted stump. I think it's called a Pileated Woodpecker. My daughter took the photo through the window in the rain with maximum zoom, which is why it's a bit hazy. There must have been a plethora of worms in there...

Yesterday was my start day for the 21-day creative challenge. I wrote for 15 minutes and filled 2 pages of my notebook, writing as quickly as I could, trying not to think too much. The first page left me feeling kind of blah, but by the second I think I hit upon a decent idea. It's a starting point, at least. And it felt really good! It's funny how it takes a bit of a warm up for the ideas to start flying in...

I'm thinking I might post my daily challenge round-ups on Thursdays, unless I miraculously have a bit more time... or have nothing else to post. Guess I'm not being extremely organized about this.

If you want to participate, come and join us!

Here's a list of people taking part so far:

Alicia Padrón
Diana Evans
Gina Perry
Jannie Ho
Jess
Kathleen Rietz
Kim Fleming
Mayy. C
Mônica Carnesi
Paola de Gaudio
Ryan Loghry
Sheree Boyd
Teri Skrdla
Tom Barrett

My 21-Day Challenge Begins- Day 1

Alicia Padrón invited me to take part in a 21 day creative challenge inspired by Laurie Halse Anderson's keynote speech from the recent New England SCBWI conference. (Illustrator Gina Perry started this particular group challenge.) It's open to anyone who wants to participate. You can start whenever... so jump on board!

Here's how it works: Laurie challenged the audience to give themselves the gift of time by spending 15 minutes a day writing or making art-- saying that it takes 21 days to form a new habit-- and this was a habit that would change your life.

I'm game!

Since I already spend most of the day working on writing or illustrating projects, I've decided to spend the chunk of time generating new story ideas. This is one area that's been a challenge. By the time regular work is done for the day my brain is fried. Then I get frustrated that I'm not thinking ahead enough to the next project, and I end up in the doldrums.

So-- my goal in the 21 days is to generate a plethora of ideas. (Ha! How's that for a word to wake you up on a Monday morning!) I'm not sure yet what form they will take-- written or drawn-- but I'll post at least once a week with my progress.

Monday Map: Summerville, South Carolina

Friday Fun: Smart Piggy, Oink Oink

The quality of this video is pretty poor, but it did make me laugh. I think Christopher Walken is so cool yet so creepy as an actor. Well, duh, given the roles he plays! I've heard he's a really nice guy in person.

Rollercoaster

Some days I have to remind myself why I persevere through the ups and downs of this field. It's not that I ever consider quitting, but a little dose of inspiration always helps.

As chance would have it, I came across this list yesterday on Revision Notes, just when I needed it most:

10 Things That Mean You're a Writer

I answered "true" to all 10.

Now, I could substitute "artist" or "artist/writer" for writer-- but the point is, art and words are ingrained in me. It's been that way since I was a little kid. I spend my life doing something that I love. Isn't that one definition of success?

Series Samples (#5 & 6 of 9)

I'm posting #5 and 6 today, since they're so similar. I'll bet you can guess what's going to happen next...
(#1, #2, #3, #4)

Don't Buy This Book

Illustration book plagiarizes dozens of artists.

Read more here, from the owner of the site that was ripped off. As he says in his post– "...the internet is publicly accessible not public domain." And here, from one of the artists whose work appears without permission.

It would be nice to think these people were innocent and unaware of copyright laws that apply to text and images-- including those that are on professional websites and personal blogs. But it appears not. (Here's what happened to another artist, despite posting clearly on her blog- "These images may not be used without permission.")

Plagiarism is wrong. Spread the word.