Let’s not kid ourselves, it is really hard to find a way into the children’s publishing world. Through the SCBWI, mentorships, workshops, and basic trial and error, I have learned the steps to take to begin a career in children’s books. The harder part was to find how I could authentically embed my personality, style, and vision into my journey.

I love the moment when I realize why and how I am going to create something by exploring new possibilities within my creative process. It wasn’t until about a year and a half ago I was able to move past this idea of being stuck by anchoring myself to three things I felt extraordinarily passionate about. These three values now guide every piece of artwork that I show to an art director, my agent, my family, and social media. My guiding values help me translate how my process and experience from work that reflects who I am on and off the paper.