SUNSHINE AWARD

This Sunshine award was given to me by Ginny of Designs by Ginny Baker - thanks Ginny!

So, as part of the rules I must pass this award on to 12 bloggers. Here's my list of bloggers that are like a ray of sunshine to me:


Vanessa Brantley Newton
Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
Debbie Meyer
Sarah Jane
Amber Alvarez
Jannie Ho
Kelly Medina
Steve Mack
Kathleen Rietz
Manola Caprini
Colleen Madden
Deborah Mori

Here are the rules, so please pass this award along....
The rules for accepting the Sunshine Award are:
- Put the logo on your blog or within your post.
- Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.
- Link the nominees within your post.
- Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
- Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

I'm back from the NY SCBWI Conference

My computer died 2 days before the NY SCBWI conference, I guess all the preparing was too much for her. I didn't get to tweek and print out everything I wanted to for the conference, but I still had 10 things to show in my portfolio. I have felt so disconnected from the world! I know it's a good thing and a bad thing - when my new computer arrived, I spent hours trying to catch up on everything! I AM addicted!

The conference - I couldn't believe how many people were there! They said over 1,000 were in attendance - the biggest ever! It was so inspiring! And I met several people I had only cyber-met before. I hung out with two other illustrators and had a lot of fun! I couldn't help sketching, it really does make me listen better! I sketched the keynote speakers as they spoke - here are some of them:

Lin Oliver, the Executive Director of the SCBWI


Jacqueline Woodson

If you ever get a chance to here Jacqueline read, do it - she is AMAZING! I learned so much! Something she said makes so much sense: she said she writes in an emotionally autobiographical way, and we should write for ourselves as children, not for our kids, grandchildren, etc.



Jane Yolen

Jane was the last speaker of the whole conference, and unfortunately, I had to leave before she was done :-(

For more about the conference, check out the official conference blog.

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