Celebrate the Small Steps - by Diana Ting Delosh

Running Bunny in Spring © Diana Ting Delosh
Ink Brush, Watercolor, Digital

We've all heard the phrase, celebrate the small steps that make up the journey.  I knew what the words meant in an abstract way but spraining my ankle taught me to appreciate them in a literal sense. The road to being a picture book author /illustrator is a long circuitous marathon. Just when you think you're getting close to your goal there are a few more hurdles to jump and mountains to climb, maybe even a swamp or quagmire to navigate. Two steps forward, one step backward and onward you go, hopefully without falling into a ditch along the way.

OLLIE ALONE
Wrap around cover art for a picture book dummy that I'm submitting.
© Diana Ting Delosh

Submitted to editors, art directors and agents? Pat on the back. Ditto,  promo postcard designed and printed. High fives all around when the mailing list is updated and the postcards are mailed. Go ahead, cheer for yourself, after all, most of the time you'll only hear crickets back. Get a rejection? Gasp, give yourself a hug and submit something out, ASAP to counteract the negative! Oh Joy, if you get a positive response - pass the yummies.

My Promo Postcard featuring my illustrations:
Front - Jabberwocky-Boy meets Octopus
Back - Boy, Book Bed & Cat
© Diana Ting Delosh

Created new illustrations, stories, dummies, experiments? I keep a running created list. Writing down what I've created cheers me on. Doesn't matter if it's a personal art, experiment or big commission they all make my list. Seeing the list grow is it's own reward.

Peace To ALL © Diana Ting Delosh
Having some fun with Hand Lettering
All line art is hand drawn than digitally colored

Create, promote, submit and cheer for yourself and your buddies with or without chocolate. In a competitive field with few positive responses to balance the long waits, rejections and too many crickets, celebrating the small steps may be the antidote to self doubt. Be your own best friend along your journey.

Cherry Gelatin Dessert © Diana Ting Delosh
Ink & watercolor

Website: dianadelosh.com

Blog: dtdelosh.blogspot.com

Twitter: twitter.com/dtdelosh

The Beauty of Deadlines - by Diana Ting Delosh

I'm always amazed at what I can accomplish with a deadline breathing down my neck. It doesn't matter if the deadline is a sale for a postcard printing, submission window, conference or a commission. The hard deadline forces me to find my zen mode, banish distractions, make decisions and finish. It forces me to produce.

Meditating Lady - © Diana Ting Delosh Ink, Watercolor, Digital

Currently I'm in the throes of prepping for the upcoming SCBWI NJ June Conference. I've got about 2 weeks+ to get things done on my list. As usual the list starts out ambitious and very long. Now that time is running out, the list is getting pared down. Rather than a portfolio of totally New Art it's down to new pieces judiciously mixed in with older pieces and picture book dummies are getting their final tweaks. The deadline forces me to get my butt in chair and not get up until that illustration is painted.  

Postcard Front: Odion Skunk - © Diana Ting Delosh,
cover art from my Skunk story PB Dummy.
I had actually picked this as a possibility for the Postcard weeks ago
- was just holding out for future illo.

Monday night, just hours before the 40% OFF Sale at Vistaprint ended at 11:59 pm PT, it was suddenly crystal clear, what illustrations to pick, card size and how many to order. All of which I was fuzzy on until 11:49 pm ET.

Postcard Back: Boy Meets Octopus - © Diana Ting Delosh
This illo was inked, painted, scanned & PSed the day I  uploaded the design
because that morning, I decided my Conference Postcard
must have a kid on it and not more animals. So I just had to give it a go.
It is after all a conference  for the KID Lit & Art set.    

No a deadline won't help you make the best choices but it forces you to make a choice. Sometimes that's the difference between finishing and still working on it. Trust me, finishing things feels very, very good. I keep an annual list of my finished work.

The beauty of a deadline is that it breaks you free of the endless revision cycle. The one that you got lost in when you decided to try your best not to send out crap. Of course you should always do your best but at some point you have to draw a line and say this is the very best I have right now and show, submit, whatever. If it's a personal project, you can always toss, redo and revise later... again and again.

Grab the caffeine and eye drops. Show angst and self-doubt the door. Time to go into hyper-speed and make that deadline.

web: dianadelosh.com

blog: dtdelosh.blogspot.com

twitter: @dtdelosh