Fall is here!

Happy Fall! These past few months felt like a blur and it hit me as I was getting ready to put out my Xmas tree, that I haven’t shared a proper update since before June. So here goes, my quick recap of happenings in the past few months (in backwards order):

#1 I have a few of my illustration pieces in a group showcase at the Multnomah County Central library in downtown Portland! Special thank you to those who stopped by the exhibit opening on Oct 4th! It was also nice to meet some fellow kidlit creators for the first time. If you happen to be in the area, pop over to the 3rd floor to take in the show, the exhibit runs until Nov 30th.

#2 One of my goals this year was to apply to the Illustrators Exhibition at Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2026 (can you believe they are now in their 60th year of hosting this competition?!) The rules state you must submit 5 illustrations based on the same theme, so in the month of September and October I set out with the personal challenge to create 5 brand-new illustrations. I’m happy to say I was able to finish and apply just in the nick of time, in fact, this illustration below is part of an illustration that was submitted. Perhaps I can share more on that in a future post.

Saying Goodbye to my car

This past July, we said goodbye to our trusty car of 11 years. It was the first car I ever owned so I thought it fitting to pay a little tribute to it. Thank you Prius for your service, from carrying our surfboards to the beach, to the many road trips, especially the big move to Oregon, we couldn’t have done it without you.

Mimi update

Our dog Mimi had a rough time this summer. Basically she had an infected bump on the back of her neck that made her sick all of a sudden, so we took her to the ER to get it treated. Two follow up appointments later, she left with a big suture on her neck, yikes!

For the first 8 weeks, stress for me and Michael came from having to constantly monitor her and navigating the tricky waters of communicating with each other calmly when patching up our dog.

It wasn’t until 3 months post-surgery (end of September!) that her wound has finally healed up 99.9%! We’re just so proud of her for handling the whole process like a champ. We hope she remains injury-free for the rest of her life!

Pickleball

On a more positive note, this summer marked one year of me playing pickleball consistently, about 3-4 times a week! I love the taste of progress, and have met some great people playing pickleball. It has been a great boost for my mental health to have something to turn to when I need to let off some steam.

Finding time for creative work amidst interruptions in your routine

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a bit bummed out this summer because of the setbacks we faced. I had a plan. I was going to go paint outdoors a lot, I was going to finally check out the Oregon coast for the first time. It’s challenging enough to find the right balance between creative projects and day-to-day tasks, and just when you’re getting into the rhythm…interruption happens.

I’m one of those people who need time to regain focus after interruptions – it’s probably the biggest reason I often take a while to respond to text messages! I also need to be in the right headspace to create, and whenever there is an interruption, especially an ongoing one, it’s a struggle to get that effort started again. For example, I still think the two months after my dog’s surgery was the most scattered my mind has ever been this year because I was just constantly worrying about her. During times like this, I can’t help but feel guilty about not working on creative projects, and of course it just so happens everyone else around me seems to be churning out creative work now more-so than ever. Negative thoughts would start to surface telling me I need to work because my self-worth is defined by my productivity, right? Right?! I drew a little reminder (heard from a podcast I think?) as a way to give myself permission that “it’s ok, we all take our own time.”

Thanks so much for tuning in! As I’m typing this I’m hearing a snowstorm is making its way across Northeast US. I hope folks stay bundled up and safe out there!