Lots has been happening in my world. I’ve written a novel (I’ll tell you more about that in my next post.) Hid under the duvet a bit. Did lots of exciting projects and some boring ones. Had a billion cups of tea. You know, the normal stuff.
The thing is, back in April, after all my favourite famous people carried on dying, I thought HANG ON A MINUTE. I thought about Bowie and Victoria Wood and Prince, and then later I thought about Alan Rickman and Caroline Aherne. I read about them and the thing that struck me most was this:
These people were famous but the reason I liked them was because they weren’t famous for wanting to be famous. They were famous because there was something deep down inside them that they HAD to share with the world. Despite, in lots of their cases, being downright introverted scaredy-cats like you and me. And that little urgency dial inside my heart cranked itself up a few more notches. Write. Draw. Share. Repeat. It reminded me of a bit from Susan Cain’s excellent book Quiet:
“The secret is to put yourself in the right lighting. For some it’s a Broadway spotlight; for others, a lamplit desk. Use your natural powers—of persistence, concentration, insight, and sensitivity—to do work you love and work that matters. Solve problems, make art, think deeply.”
Well anyway. I reckon Bowie and Prince are having a little bake-off boogie in That Place Called Heaven I Don’t Really Believe In, while all the others are laughing at them and picking their noses. I’m working on my writing and my drawing. It’s back to school time (my daughters have been off for THREE MONTHS.) And, to celebrate my favourite time of year, I’m having a little sale on illustration services.
If that’s your thing, hop over to my portfolio, and you’ll see the details under HIRE ME. (That was brave, wasn’t it?)
Thank you. And I’ll be back soon to tell you what I’ve been novelling about all these months, and how I couldn’t have done it without an awful lot of toast help.
