It should come as no surprise to those who know me as a children's book illustrator and aspiring author that childhood memories filter through my mind on a daily basis. On any given day, early remembrances are fodder for new story ideas. Lately though, amid the usual inhospitable Iowa winter and more recently, political pandemonium, I view those halcyon days not only with a burst of inspiration, but also an air of nostalgia.
But whether it's the cold weather or the political climate turning you blue, how many of us are not thinking back to times when our biggest concern was whether or not the impending winter storm would grant us the wish of a snow day home from school?
Millennials (myself included) may joke of the difficulty of 'adulting.' The truth is, it's actually are lot harder than you'd think to put yourself back into the mind of your childhood self, let alone write like one. Many of us have the seed of a story somewhere in the recesses of our adult brains. The problem is, when we do take pen to paper the words that come tumbling out are, well adult words. I mean this less in terms of inflated vocabulary and more in the way of speaking. Even, a way of thinking. A way of imagining.
When we tap into our childhood selves, we tap into a sense of suspended reality. Some of my most favorite picture books growing up (and even now as a grown up) feature wooly mammoths with wild imaginations and children who paint their way out of a very real rainforest inhabited by a very hungry tiger! If we want to write and draw for kids, we have to imagine like kids.
“The truth is, it’s actually are lot harder than you’d think to put yourself back into the mind of your childhood self, let alone write like one.”
If anything can help flip the switch between my adult cares and chlld-like imagination, it's a visit to my studio at Mainframe. During this month’s First Friday open house, the space, most often inhabited by me alone was suddenly energized by the presence of eager young artists.
Successful artists study their craft. But they also study their audience. Kids do not care whether Bernie or Buttigieg won the Iowa caucus. They don't have to scrape the ice of their cars before the morning commute. And they certainly don't have to file a tax return this February.
I for one would happily suspend those realities even if only for a few hours on a Friday night. Fortunately for me, it's part of my job.
