I always told myself I was not a planner, I was a go-with-the-flow kind of gal. Planning was for accountants, not for artists. I now realize I was just scared... If you don’t plan, your plans CAN’T fail! Not the best strategy, but hey, it’s fool proof logic.
But three years ago I started planning, setting goals, writing to-do lists, doing self-evaluations… And I can’t begin to tell you what an amazing thing that has been for me, both personally and professionally.
One of first things I did back then, at the start of my planning journey, was writing down MY CAREER DREAMS: a list of everything (small and big) that I wanted to achieve in my (hopefully long) career as a children’s book writer and illustrator.
I recently found that list and realized I have achieved so much more than I thought! I have worked with some of my favorite publishers, my books have been published in different languages, I have found my books in libraries (here is photo proof!)… I can’t believe how much progress I’ve made! And how much progress I keep making! In 2019 I will:
Have two more books published: THE USBORNE BOOK OF THE MOON by Laura Cowan (publised by Usborne Books), and POLLY DIAMOND AND THE SUPER STUNNING SPECTACULAR BOOK FAIR (BOOK 2) by Alice Kuipers (published by Chronicle Books)
Be one of the presenters at the San Francisco Writers Conference. (It’s happening soon, but you can still sign up!)
Teach two classes at the City College of San Francisco (CCSF): Writing, Illustrating, & Publishing Children's Books, and Advanced Children's Book Illustration.
To be honest, I haven’t been feeling that successful lately, so putting things in context has been super helpful to stop the impostor syndrome. Even though I am not exactly where I want to be, I DO have a successful career! It might not be perfect, and it might not look successful to you, but that doesn’t matter… I am in the right path for me, not for anyone else.
So I want to encourage you to do two things:
Be careful with the lies you tell yourself. Are you sure you are disorganized? Challenge what you believe about yourself… You might realize you are able to do much more that you thought possible!
Write your own CAREER DREAMS list and make plans! You won’t regret it.
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