Theme for 2011– Become

Sorry I've been away for a while - I'm still trying to deal with my mother's sudden passing on Thanksgiving. Boy, grief can really surprise you - it can sneak up on you at the most inopportune times! It creeps into all the little crevices in your life that you weren't even aware were there!

I've finally decided that my theme word for 2011 is "become." I need to really become a working artist/illustrator and stop chasing after the quick money fix (which rarely worked anyway!) To become comfortable with working for myself (is that even possible?) I know fear is always going to be my sidekick, so I need to accept that, too. So my word is BECOME.

Visualizing my Goal

In working on my OGSM for the Zero2Illo challenge this week, I imagined myself in the place I dream of! So, I sketched it out and included it on my plan. They say visualizing it can help it happen!

This is My Year

This week's prompt in my “Creative Dreams Come True” journey is to write a "This is My Year" list. As Andrea describes it, "Now it's time to buy a ticket for the creative dream jet plane. So our assignment is to chart out more specifically what dreams you want to have come true this year, to set our destination to make sure we’re getting on the right plane."

This is my health
I feel healthy, energetic and pain-free

Do stretches daily

Walk and do yoga consistently

Drink plenty of water

Eat more whole foods

These are my relationships
I feel connected, loved and inspired by my friends and family

Continue my weekly "trash tv" night

Be more proactive in relationships with my friends/family

Encourage other artists, both in person and online

This is my abundance
I am happy to be making a living at what I love

Get website up

Market business

Send at least 2 promo mailings

Track successes, both personal and professional

This is my creativity/purpose
I feel I am using my talents as best as I am able

Draw and/or write daily

Develop at least 4 of my picture book ideas into stories

This us how I practice self love/self care
I feel happy, nurtured and comfortable with myself

Take frequent breaks from computer/drawing to move and stretch

Continue my morning pages

Have 1 "artist date" weekly

This is how I experience happiness/adventure
I feel joyful in each moment

I am willing to try new things

I will be okay to experience things alone if anyone else isn't interested in doing them with me

My Life's Successes So Far

This week's prompt in my “Creative Dreams Come True” journey is to list our life's successes so far. I feel like I'm bragging, but as Andrea explains it: "It is important to own our successes and be proud of what we have done. This can fuel us to accomplish more. Sharing our lists with our fellow creative dreamers expands the sense of success~fullness and helps us bring that sense of success into our dreams for 2010 and beyond." So here goes:

Made National Honor Society in high school (going WAAY back!!)

Got scholarship to college (didn't use it, though - ended up going to a different school)

Got my graphic design degree and have worked in that profession for 26 years

In the final student art show in my last year of college, I had the most pieces selected (11) to be shown

Won Blueberry Hill's 1995 CD Cover Contest

Bought 2 brand new cars (and without any co-signers!)

Wrote poem that placed 3rd in our local paper's Valentine's personal ad contest

Designed and painted sets for a local play

Bought home

Got married, and had a beautiful wedding

At my third job in my field, I got promoted from production artist to jr. designer, then to supervisor of the jr. designers, then to art director

Joined SCBWI and attended several local conferences

Approached a group of strangers at one of those conferences and we started an illustrator's critique group

Attended an Oprah show taping and was in the 4th row!!

Learned to laugh at myself

Given 4 cats and 1 dog (so far) loving homes

Traveled to: Sun City, AZ; Boston/Cape Cod, MA (and saw a whale so close that I got wet from water coming out of his blow hole!); Orlando/Destin/Cocoa Beach, FL; New Orleans/Baton Rouge, LA; Chicago, IL; Hot Springs, AR; Washington, DC; Austin, TX; South Haven, MI; Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA

Have been in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and The Gulf of Mexico

Participated in group art show - The Sketchbook Project

Traveled to Utah alone for the BYU Children's Writers/Illustrator's Conference and my drawing won the daily challenge on the first day

Going to New York alone for the SCBWI Winter Conference

Gotten over fear of dining and going to movies alone

Have maintained several long-term friendships with some awesome women - including one that has lasted 29 years, and one that has lasted 22 years

Started this blog and cyber-met (I think I just made up a word!) some awesome artists

Illustrated a story in the 2009 ABC's Children's Picture Book Contest - we came in third

Have sold some of my art on merchandise in my Zazzle store

Completed PiBoIdMo in November and came up with 33 picture book ideas

Joined several (probably too many!) artist/writer networks

Started my new journey this year as a freelancer, with a goal of illustrating, then writing AND illustrating children's books along with my graphic design

IF - Confined/Renewal

I posted this very late for the word "renewal" and I think it fits the new word "confined." I felt very confined in my corporate job like the birds in the cage and I feel like the flying bird since I left it. I definitely feel a renewed sense of freedom and creativity.

This Year's Motto: Be a Phenominal Failure

You're probably thinking WTF? Why would someone WANT to fail? As Thomas Watson (the former CEO of IBM who came up with THINK for the company's motto) says: "The way to succeed is to double your failure rate." So, I'm going to try fail more than ever this year. I'm sick of feeding my Fear Fairy - Bitch it's time for you to go on a diet!
Hey, I've already got one failure, if you refer to my previous post about not being late for everything. It's the 6th of January and I'm just now figuring this out. But instead of giving up and not doing it because it's not the 1st, I'm doing it anyway. Chalk one up for the Failure List! WOOT!
Oh, I just thought of another one - I failed to be a corporate clone and now I have to try to fulfill my dream of being my own boss and to write and illustrate for children. Man, this failure stuff is rough! :-)

Is it a kick in the ass, or a gift?

Did you ever agree to go out with someone that you didn't really want to go out with, but he was so persistent that you finally agreed, then he stands you up??? I really had this happen to me, by the way. I feel like it just happened again - I just found out I am getting displaced from my job where I really don't want to be. After two mergers, it finally happened. After the shock of it, I am thinking of it as a gift - I am ready to do this illustration thing full-force, and to me, this is a sign that it is time.

I've always thought that being a graphic designer is what I've always really wanted – well, not so much now. After college, I opted for being a designer instead of an illustrator because, among other reasons, I thought I could always design something and work in my illustrations into the design somehow. In the 25 years of doing this, it has only worked out that way about 2 or 3 times.

This is scary for me, but hopefully Barack (we're on a first name basis - in my dreams!) will convince those stubburn Republicans to pass the health care reform, so I won't have to get a job I hate just to have insurance (it's so ridiculous!)

Any advice and encouragement is welcome!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Isn't this cute? It's from a card my hubby made me. Happy Birthday to George Clooney, Bob Seger and Tom Bergeron, too.

Mosaic of me

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Found this on Melissa's blog, and I joined in the fun.


1. Lynn Camp Side, 2. coffee and chocolate mousse cake, 3. Francis Howell Senior High School, 4. hold me pls..., 5. 102373_7742, 6. kitchen #2, 7. Montmartre. Paris.-, 8. extreme sundae, 9. Bob Staake - World Series 2007 New Yorker Cover, 10. Gizmo, 11. BANG, 12. redheaded stepchild
Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

My answers:
1. What is your first name? (Lynn)
2. What is your favorite food? (chocolate)
3. What high school did you attend? (Francis Howell High School)
4. What is your favorite color? (red)
5. Who is your celebrity crush? (Naveen Andrews)
6. Favorite drink? (tea)
7. Dream vacation? (Paris)
8. Favorite desert? (anything involving chocolate)
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? (children's illustrator)
10. What do you love most in life? (animals)
11. One word to descibe you? (loud)
12. Your flickr name? (redheadedstepchild64)

Wanna play? It's addicting! Type your answer to each of the above questions into Flickr's search (mine are in parentheses). Using only the images that appear on the FIRST page, choose your favorite and copy and paste each of the URL's into the Mosaic Maker. Have fun!

{photo credits are listed above}

Slump

Just posting to let you know that I'm still alive! I've been in a slump and have not been creating anything lately – creating makes me happy, but I don't feel like creating because I'm not happy. Man - what a Catch 22!

To make matters worse, I hate my job now – there's no creativity going on there anymore (the company I work for has been taken over by a bank and everything has changed for the worse). I'm actively looking for a new job (as a graphic designer), so then there's the ole' self doubting that goes along with that.

To keep me from totally giving up on my art, I still read other inspiring blogs - thank God for those that keep on writing and inspiring me, including Penelope, Holli, Violette, and Dani, an artist I just discovered. Thank you for keeping me (and I'm sure loads of others) inspired! You guys really are appreciated!

EDM Challenge #118 - Hair

I have been in a slump and haven't done much drawing lately. I'm trying to come out of it. Here's something I did a month or so back, but it fits right in with this weeks challenge. (click to enlarge)
I have had long hair for 30 years and decided to cut it and donate it to 'Locks of Love,' the charity that makes wigs for children. I decided to do it months ago, but it took me a while to build up my courage. When it came time to cut it, I was really ready and was pretty calm. I have never got so many compliments in my life!

EDM Challenge #56 - Self Portrait 2

I had to try another one from life, instead of a 15-year-old photo. So here I am!

Illustration Friday – Tea & EDM Challenge #56 – Self Portrait

I found this quote and thought of my friend Sandra. She is a very strong woman. Here is a drawing of us in New Orleans sipping tea about 15 years ago. I'm the one on the right.