September 24, 2019

It’s not you, it’s me

It’s easy to blame ‘the other’. Them. They don’t understand me. They don’t see what I see. They missed the point I was making. It might be a publisher, after a rejection. Or an editor, on a submission. It might be a reader in a review.

But what if it was me, and not them? What if, instead of blaming the other, I looked at how I could change for them? Maybe they had a point? Maybe it wasn’t right for the age group? Or maybe it does need more clarity? If I made the work for them and not me, maybe, just maybe, this once, they could be right. Don’t we owe it ourselves to see what would happen if they were?

Other observations
December 30, 2025

Procrastination or rest?

How do I know if reading books, playing video games, going for walks and doing chores around the house is procrastination or rest?

December 23, 2025

Not a dream, a job

Is being a ‘full-time illustrator’ all it’s cracked up to be or do we romanticise this way to make money because it reminds of childhood?

December 16, 2025

The elements of beauty

Beauty comes in many forms, in many different times, to many different people. So, what makes something beautiful?

December 9, 2025

Which idea next?

If an artist finds themselves with too many ideas, is there a deceptively simple way to decide which idea we should work on next?

December 2, 2025

Making a map of dead ends

If we can more easily see the paths we shouldn’t follow, does that make finding the correct one easier?

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