Coco from
suggested that I should share my career fantasies/dreams/visualisations – obviously visualisations is the most positive term, but sometimes I wonder if fantasies is the more correct term.When I go for walks on my own, I tend to day dream in some way or another. Sometimes, it’s a case of working through stress or issues of the moment, which might include having an imaginary argument with someone or coming up with my personal solution for some current horrible thing in the news (yes, obviously I would be able to create peace in the Middle East, reverse climate change and eradicate poverty and starvation - obviously).
But often it’s dreaming of big life changes of some kind (hence why I wonder if fantasies is the more correct term - little life changes is the equivalent of small steps within bigger goals; dreaming of a huge house, or living in Portugal… a bit more extreme and out there). I used to dream a lot about houses, actually. I do so less now and we concentrate on making little changes (currently stripping wallpaper off the walls in the loo and getting ready to slap some paint on).
What I do tend to dream about these days is illustration jobs. Or interviews where I talk about my amazing illustration career. Some of the recent jobs I’ve imagined being offered:
a four-book board book of quirky colourful creatures (based on my A to Z of animals), with birds, animals, fish and insects - which would have potential for products (clothing, little melamine crockery sets, cards, prints)
an author-illustrated book about laundry (I really need to write a pitch for this one; it sounds ridiculous but I think it would make a really fun little gift book - you know, the ones you pick up in Urban Outfitters, or Anthropologie, or Oliver Bonas?)
a four-book series of books on plant-based nutrition (of course, in the style of my A to Z of Fruit and Veg) - which would have potential for off-shoot products (recipe cards, recipe tins, recipe notebooks…)
a craft-beer packaging illustration project
a massive supermarket illustration project for a whole packaging range
a huge modern-foreign languages illustration project for a big educational publisher with SVG illustrations that will work across the languages
Yes, they are mostly books! Books have been my life for ever, so that might be why. Plus books are just wonderful. And book illustration jobs have a comforting and familiar structure, I guess. I should really develop my skills in visualising non-book illustration projects.
In terms of the interview, it usually involves me saying what an amazing and healthy income I make from perennial/passive income - stock patterns and illustrations, downloadable printables, POD prints and other items… and how I then pick and choose two or three lovely big projects to work on each year, with a few regular editorial gigs, and that I have loads of time for travelling and… that I’ve just found a publisher for my debut novel, which my agent is convinced will be up for the Women’s Prize and maybe even the Booker.
One day… This will all come true. Right?
Tasha,
Now you have written out your dreams/visualisations for the world to see, you can make them become a reality. I get the book "thing" too. Creating a physical paper book can never be replaced or the joy that goes with it! Thank you for the mention :)