Gratitude

Be grateful for the crossroads because you will always find your way back

I’m winding down from finishing my day job after 2+years with the same public sector client and should be looking for work but I’m battling my innermost desires to draw, paint and sew all day! The cables and electronics have been put away in favour of drawing materials and scissors. Once my left eye has stopped twitching from the drama of project management and ongoing house renovations, I’m hopeful to finish a few projects.

Obviously the Christmas Tree is priority number 1!!

If we are throwing our wishes out into the universe for next year, writing and illustrating books which will inspire the next generation to take care of one another and this blue rock we live on, are high up my priority list. One of my unfinished projects is a set of thumbnails for my story about 2 children who don’t like helping around the house, but discover the important part they play in looking after their environment.

Priority work: My picture book entry for a competition earlier this year

As a small child, I was very interested in the deep sea and went on to study Ocean Science. Due to my neuro-spicy learning style, I kept failing my exams but a rogue palm reading by a visiting Agricultural professor from India convinced me to resit the tests for the third time. It was one of those pivotal moments - a random stranger on a coach catapults you towards a new possibility, via words of encouragement. That one moment is something I will forever be grateful for, because it changed my mindset about what I was capable of and how hard I was willing to fight for it.

Even though I eventually passed my degree (by using an illustrative style of revision no less) I never became an Oceanographer but last year I discovered that this is the Decade of the Ocean, when the UN sent a publishing representative to speak at Bologna Children’s Book Fair. It occurred to me like a lightening bolt that I could still combine my love of art and story telling with my specialised interest in abyssal plains and the continental shelf. (Note to self: I will also consider something more accessible to small children, such as coral reefs and marine animals….or jellyfish!)

Fast forward through several months of contemplation and this idea hasn’t gone away.

At the moment I am mesmerised by the work of Chloe Savage She has released 2 beautiful books - “The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish” and recently “The Search for Camella”, both with Walker. You know when you are insanely envious of someone’s work, it’s a sign you should get cracking on creating something exciting and meaningful for yourself.

Every decision we make, and each set back, sets off a butterfly effect that can strangely come full circle. Sometimes I can’t help wondering if I made unhelpful/inauthentic career choices along the way, but I do believe that if something is meant for you, it won’t pass you by. After all, the boring day job has actually provided my family with a lovely lifestyle and allowed me to buy all my art materials! All those years of scientific study won’t be wasted and the past 5 years of creative play and involvement in the kidlit world have become part of my raison d’etre.

These are the people that make it fun!

What could the next 20 years of my career look like, if, instead of working in the public sector, I investigated contract work within publishing or design; whilst illustrating the Ocean Environment for the purposes of education?

Grateful, finally, for Substack - I just found my my number one goal for 2025!

Have a safe and nurturing festive season.

Stay creative

xxTabsyxx