The positive feedback and enthusiastic response I got from those lovely editor folks in London has inspired me to go back and have another look at some of my earlier story ideas. I have quite a few things on the boil, but I think I had rather lost confidence on that front recently.
It's interesting: when you revisit ideas after time away, different paths forwards are often clearer to see. When work is freshly created and you're close to it - either an illustration or a text - it seems so 'set in stone' that changes are hard to make and new answers almost impossible to spot.
During my recent trip to Dean Clough with author Caryl Hart, we were talking about this and she gave me some excellent advice. Caryl recommended that, instead of sitting at a keyboard, trying to pull ideas out of my reluctant brain, I go into the garden and either sit quiet or get on with something not too taxing, like gardening, and my ideas would start to flow.
So, I have been doing just that and I think it's working (Thanks Caryl!). I haven't been eating worms I promise - these are all just illustrations from different story ideas I'm mulling over afresh.
6 comments:
These are delightful Lynne. I love the text in the B&W sketch and the eating worms illustration is such fun.
Isn't it interesting how the mind works. I find my brain seems to automatically switch into creative mode when I go out for a stroll but when I deliberately sit at a desk or easel and try to come up with ideas my logical brain just seems to dominate.
So so true - way back in another lifetime, I had a brief period of writing jokes for greetings cards (groan...) and the only way I could even begin to do it was walking the streets!
These are really nice sketches, I especially like the swimming one and moles and worms one. They very much speak of story behind them.
I'm similar, I get a lot of my ideas when I'm walking, and then I try and get them out of my head as best I can when I get to my computer.
I wonder if there's some physiological explanation for the link between activity and clearer thinking, or if it's all psychological..?
Yeah, I wonder.
I feel like there's a bit of a sort of zen element to it, where a low key activity occupies part of the brain, like the chattering ego bit, and leaves more room for the calm creative bit to flow.
It's really interesting for me to see how you work! I love these three pictures! I love your "school experiences" too...you "understands" children very well! :)
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