A Startling Realization

So this morning, I checked my e-mail. Nothing. Or rather not the go-ahead I need to take the next step. You see, I'm still waiting for a response from the author to nail out details for the sketch (for my latest cover art project). And I thought: "there goes another day." But then I got to thinking (yes, more thinking!) and I realized something

...something very important that I've been missing.

Ever since graduating I've been focused on getting and doing paying illustration work. Art for other people. I've often gone months without doing anything (art-wise) just for myself. In fact, I did more of what I wanted when I was a student and that was with loads of classwork. And -a confession here- when the inevitable lolls came between jobs I'd would do a bit of illustration "business" work, but mostly I mess around.

But it isn't really the art for other people, the book covers, etc, that will get me to my dream situation, it's the art that I'm always "too busy" for: my own. Because, while I do aim to continue working on book covers, and want to keep getting bigger and better cover projects, what I really would like to do is spend more of my time doing pictures from my imagination. I'd like to write and illustrate my own children's books. In fact, I dare say I'd like to pump most of my effort into this.

So WHY if I want to do my own pictures for my own stories aren't I farther along with it? Why in all of this "down time" have I not completed all 3 of the sample images I planned for River of Dreams? Not sent it off to prospective publishers? If I want to work toward my dream... Why?

A good question.

Luckily, today I found something helpful: Bobby Chiu's YouTube podcasts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yit95pgZEeo

Here's an awesome digital painter/illustrator who has really inspiring philosophies on art & life which he shares as he paints a quick sketch. The man has me pumped. So much so, that instead of doing any goofing off today, I've made awesome progress in one of the aforementioned River of Dreams images. I'll not show it yet, least I jinx myself, but I'm pretty psyched! Thank you Bobby!

Illustration Goals for 2007

Illustration Goals for 2007:

1.) Work on getting paintings done more expeditiously. Along those lines, I really need to streamline my workflow ;)

2.) Make enough money during my first full year of running an illustration business to pay off my student loans completely.

3.) Bookkeeping. Bookkeeping. Bookkeeping! I need to get better at writing things down and that disaster of a filing cabinet needs to be cleaned. Middle school transcripts anyone?

4.) Start a life drawing sketchbook/journal to be updated for 15 minutes every morning with images or words.

5.) Get the 3 finished illustrations for my book dummy done and the dummy sent off to publishers.