3 Gifts You Can Give Yourself For The New Year (We Don't Have To Call Them Resolutions)

2021 Happy New Year! (Image from here.)

 

Consider giving yourself these for the new year ahead:

1) Read something that inspires you. Repeat.

2) Create something regularly. Maybe this is every day. Maybe this is once a week. But give yourself the opportunity to work your creative muscles and write and/or illustrate in a regular way so it becomes a healthy habit.

3) Take your creativity seriously - whatever that means for you. Maybe it's a "please don't disturb" sign on the back of your chair so you get a break from family duties so you can focus on your work in progress. Maybe it's joining others in the community of children's book writers, illustrators, and translators at an upcoming SCBWI event, like the 2021 Winter Conference, happening online Feb 19-21, 2021. Maybe it's saying "I'm a writer" when someone asks what you do, rather than saying "I want to be a writer." The act of writing makes you a writer. Just like the act of illustrating makes you an illustrator. And the act of translating makes you a translator. Taking yourself seriously as a creative person, as a creator of works for children and teens, is the first step towards being taken seriously by others, and towards your work reaching readers.

You don't have to call them resolutions. But you can, if it helps.

Here's to a healthy, safe, and creative 2021 for all!

Illustrate and Write On,
Lee