traylorillo

It may not seem like a lot so some, but I finished off one of the three sketchbooks I’ve had in progress since about 2005.

It is a major milestone to me. This unassuming little, black book was started in 2005, finished in 2010. I have three sketchbooks at the moment, that I keep in different places. This one was kept on my desk at ,work. I started it when I first started thinking about seriously pursuing full-time, professional freelance illustration…now it is finished and I stand on the edge of taking that leap…

This is a reprint, with permission, of my article from the Spring Issue of THE HIGHLIGHTER, SCBWI Mid-Atlantic’s quarterly newsletter. It was written for an audience of children’s book authors and illustrators in the VA/DC area, but you can really apply the concepts here to any creative practice. Who doesn’t need to stimulate their creative mind from time to time?

On the Hunt for Inspiration: Real-time Adventures to Foster Creativity

Whether you are an illustrator or a writer, there are golden days when ideas flow like water. But, at any point, the water can dry up, leaving you flopping around like a fish on the bottom of a dry lake.  So, how do you tap the springs of creativity when it appears that your well has run dry? Below you’ll find a few favorite ways to recharge my own creative batteries. Hopefully, they will give you the shot in the proverbial arm you are looking for.

Go On Your Own Photo Shoot:
Digital cameras are an easy and inexpensive way to capture inspiration. I try to carry my own little quick-shot Fuji with me when am out and about, although most cell phones have a 2-megapixel camera built in.  So head out into your neighborhood or favorite park and shoot some photos, upload and print t hem out using your favorite application or online photo site. Then create a compelling collage of your favorites and hang them up in your studio as a visual reference.

Look at Art:
Not your neighbor, Art (he might not appreciate you staring); we’re talking “fine art.” Whether you visit your local art gallery or a museum, looking at artwork can give you a creative boost. Artwork can tell a story or just expose you to amazing colors and textures. You may even get a unique perspective on a commonplace subject you never thought of before.  In most areas, local galleries will join forces for a monthly Gallery Walk to encourage interest in the arts.  It’s a great excuse for a date night and don’t forget there’s usually free wine and cheese at the openings (no one can be inspired on an empty stomach).

Feed Your Creativity:
Like I said, you can’t be creative on an empty stomach, so go eat. Try out at that little bohemian bistro you’ve always wondered about, but never ventured into. Try a new dish you’ve never had. Shop at an ethnic food store. Sometimes the label on a foreign food package is enough to provide inspiration without even eating the item it contains. I could spend hours looking at packaging in the shops in Chinatown—nummy!

Head Downtown:
Speaking of Chinatown, cities are rich with the texture and layers of decades of human habitation—ideal fodder for artists and writers. There’s color and life around every corner. Visit a culturally unique area of the city, like Chinatown, or an older downtown that’s experiencing an urban renaissance. Pay attention to the details, the mix of new and old architecture, store signs, graffiti and street art, even people milling around. Think about taking a friend along for a different perspective.  And if you’re not a walker, ride the bus. Load some travel tunes on your iPod, get a window seat and watch the scenery go by. You’ll be amazed at what you see. (Don’t forget that camera.)

Take a trip:
A train trumps a bus, every time. It’s a romantic, slower-paced and nostalgic mode of travel. If you have the time and money, a train ride is a great way to take in new scenery and maybe even log a visit to some museums or historical places in a distant city.  J. K. Rowling first conceived the ubiquitous Harry Potter on a long train ride from Manchester to London. Who’s to say it can’t happen to you?

Carry a Sketchbook/Journal:
The habit of keeping a pocket journal/sketchbook puts you in league with artistic and intellectual greats like Van Gogh, Henri Matisse and Ernest Hemingway. They, and many others of their kind, knew the benefits of having a means to record that brilliant line of prose that pops into your head while sitting in a bustling café. It’s the simple, mundane details of life that make stories and illustrations richer and more believable. Record them for later use.

Go Antiquing:
Antique stores, flea markets and local charity stores are all great places to browse for inspiration. A local antique mall is where I stumbled upon the first of my growing collection of mid-century, illustrated children’s books.  Find a quirky, unusual item that speaks to you; it can be anything from a chipped teacup to an old wooden spool of thread that has great design on the label. If you can, splurge on it, take it home and give it a prominent place in your studio. Like most old things, it probably has many stories to tell, so listen carefully.  Better yet, give yourself an assignment to write about it or do an illustration involving it or a component of its design!

Your Own Collections:
Collecting things seems to be a common human trait. Many are drawn to keep sets of like items. If you fit this description, there is nothing to say you can’t derive more than just satisfaction from your collection of Fiesta Ware, state spoons or tin sand pails from the ’50s.  “Cars have always been a source of design inspiration for me. The cars I collect have a message of timeless beauty.” says fashion designer, Ralph Lauren about his world-class collection of rare and classic motorcars providing him with endless inspiration for his fashions. The stitching on a leather jacket mimics the stitching on the seat of a 1938 Bugati Atlantic Coupe. The lines of a shoe are the same as the rear fender of a Ferrari.  You may not have the financial latitude to own a McLaren F1LM, but your own collections, no matter how humble, can provide you with much in the way of inspiration. Go ahead and give that spoon collection a role in your next YA novel.

Go Online:
I saved this suggestion for last. Even though I’m a level-10 geek girl and fully believe the “interwebs” are one of the greatest resources since the public library, inspiration should first come from the world around us.  But on a sweltering summer day, when the cats are melting on the tile floor like a Salvador Dali painting, there’s nothing wrong with sitting in the air-conditioning and surfing to some favorite inspiration sites.  But that, my pretties, is the subject of a future article about the delightfully diverse and accessible world of internet inspiration.

So, if you are feeling adventurous, head out of doors while the weather permits, with camera or journal in hand. Keep your inspiration antennae up. The dog days of August will soon be upon us and I’ll return to share some fun inspiration websites to perk you up in blissful, climate-controlled comfort.

Until then, happy hunting!

I recently put the Spring Issue of the Mid-Atlantic SCBWI’s Newsletter, THE HIGHLIGHTER, to bed (thanks to the hard work of my co-editor, Moira and Taunya, our webmaster) and wanted to share a screen shot of the cover and a spread. The spot illustration of the bunny may look familiar to you.

The cover illustration for this issue, is by a very talented and sweet illustrator (and a fellow member of the SCBWI), Jennifer Smyth-Church. Even though our issue is labeled “Spring”, our publishing dates fall late in the season, so a summer image works well.

This is the fourth issue since we launched the very successful updated design and electronic delivery format.

The new design included a masthead that features a different illustration each issue, capturing the sense or spirit of the approaching season. Since our audience is comprised of members of the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators, the illustration falls within the kidlit genre. The article submission and illustration is done by fellow members.

Currently, the newsletter has a readership of over 600.

I happened to write an article for this issue of the newsletter. I’ll be including that in my next post!

Stay tuned…

Two weeks ago, after 13 years of working for the same company (full-time), through three corporate mergers and four major reorganizations, I tendered my resignation. I made an appointment with my boss, walked into his office on a Tuesday afternoon and handed him what might be the easiest letter I’ve ever written.

The letter was easy because the decision was hard. I’ve been thinking about this move for a long time now. My job, although a creative in-house position, just hasn’t been offering me the growth and development I’ve needed. I made the critical mistake of taking a job that offered reasonable pay, the veil of assumed stability, and a benefits package without considering the negative impact of working for an organization, long term, that I really “wasn’t that into”.

I phrase my feelings in the parlance of modern dating because really, your job is a relationship. It’s a relationship you spend a large chunk of your weekly waking hours in. Some of us see our office/cubicle walls far more hour per day than we see our own families.  If you take on a client or a job that you really don’t feel that great about, and stay in that “relationship” despite your negative feelings, you work suffers. Even worse, the negativity bleeds over into your personal life and ultimately makes you a miserable person.

I was that miserable person.

So, what’s my plan? I’m going to freelance full-time for now. I have been doing freelance design and illustration on a part-time basis for more than a decade and I’ve been carefully putting in place the foundation of my business for five years.

I don’t have it all figured out. (Who does?) I’m not going to lie to you. But I have faith that it will all work out.

The day I resigned, an afternoon summer storm blew through while I was driving with my daughter. I was still feeling the surreal sensation of taking the giant leap and submitting my letter to my boss. I was talking on the phone to someone about the unfolding events that led to my choice and how I arrived at it and how I feel about it. The entire time, this storm was raging and I was pushing through slowly in my little silver bug.

When I got to my destination, completed my business there and came out, my daughter turned a corner and exclaimed, “Look Mom, an enormous rainbow!” I turned the corner and beheld the image you see above. I can’t tell you the sense of reassurance it gave me. I knew then, everything I had agonized about, worried, feared and doubted, was going to be alright.

“Someday we’ll find it, the Rainbow Connection, the lovers, the dreamers and me.”
If you grew up in the 70s and 80s, you’ll remember that song, sung by Jim Henson’s unforgettable green frog, Kermit. I never got it…until now. I have seen my rainbow.

One of the things I’ve always tried to do throughout both my kids school lives is chaperone on every field trip. That being said, I can relate to the Johnny Cash song, “I’ve Been Everywhere.” Well, not “everywhere” but I have been to crazy places, some weird, some downright awful. I won’t even go into the story about my daughter’s second grade field trip to a local nature reserve where the surly park ranger (who should’ve never been allowed to work with young children) told the children that squirrels ate baby birds and were nothing more than “tree rats”. This may be true, but one just doesn’t unleash that sort of info on wide-eyed, ponytailed little girls. It was devastating.

Now that my daughter is in a special high-school for the arts, the field trips are more up my alley. We recently took the entire school’s visual arts students— seniors to freshman— to D.C. to visit the National Gallery. This is well-charted territory for Katie and me. We’ve gone to the gallery more than a few times and have a tradition of day-trips to the Nation’s Capitol, riding the Metro from Springfield, VA.

This was a fun trip for the simple reason that it was with a group of kids that actually wanted to see the museum and have an interest in art. I had four under my watch, two girls, Katie and “Skittles” (a junior) and two freshie boys, “Lip” (he has two lip rings) and Spencer. We stayed in a sector of the gallery en masse, but the kids were free to wander about that area and view the artwork. As a chaperone, I just had to make sure they were rounded up in the herd when we moved on to the next section. I am proud to report that I didn’t lose anyone. (whew!)

The kids seemed to enjoy the artwork. Many were impressed by an exhibit of German Master Drawings from the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection, 1580–1900. I was humbled by the intricate, delicate renderings and the sketchbooks (OMG — I’m not worthy!).

The collections in the National Gallery are, as one would expect, first class. I am disappointed that it seems to be the least travelled of the museums that grace the perimeter of the National Mall. If you happen to live near or travel to D.C., I highly recommend a visit.

What I don’t recommend is taking a two and a half hour trip (two ways) on a school bus (budget cuts eliminated using a tour bus) when you are over 30. I don’t know if it’s the rough roads up and down I95 (budget cuts – again!) or that the bus was in dire need of shocks, but my backside was so happy to see the end of that trip and my VW’s, ergonomic leather seats!

It wasn’t easy to draw on the bus, but I managed. I’ve posted a spread from my trip, above! Maybe next field trip will be on a tour bus or at least a vehicle with some shock absorption.