The Official SCBWI Blog: Why Creative Community Matters When the World Gets Loud

When the world feels like it’s coming apart at all the seams and everything becomes unbearably loud, I feel myself shrinking, wanting nothing more than to retreat into a quiet place. I just want to detach and disappear. It has nothing to do with giving up or vanishing forever—it’s my instinct to find some stillness where I can breathe deeply, and calm down. In that small, sheltered space, I can gather the scattered pieces of myself and remember who I am beneath the chaos. Sometimes hiding is the only way I can survive. It’s good to be a writer and translator who works from home. But it’s lonely. Stepping out of my comfort zone and moving towards community is the absolute opposite.

Find out what happened when I went against my instincts, joined the SF South Regional Team as Translator Coordinator, organized and attended our local in-person conference, and what I learned about myself during Golden Gate Fest 2026. This is a plea for courage, connection, and community.

I am an introvert, even though my family insists that I am the resident extrovert. There is a good chance you are more introverted, too. Lots of writers and creatives are.

When a gathering includes more than three unfamiliar faces, I am usually drained and exhausted when it’s over. Occasionally, I get a migraine on top of that. The idea of organizing a local conference and voluntarily facing 140 people was horrifying. That is way too many strangers! But if you read my Golden Gate Fest 2026 Recap blog post, you know it was quite magical. If you haven’t read it, I recommend doing that first. I felt energized and happy all day and was still buzzing a few days later.

How is that possible?

There is a massive difference between a random get-together with acquaintances and attending a local SCBWI event. I met people whose hearts beat for children’s books just like mine. And that is highly contagious. It opened me up to conversations with strangers. Passion connects and enhances creativity in a way that can’t be achieved alone. Being immersed in a sea of kidlit people in such an invigorating atmosphere, listening to inspiring talks, working on my craft during workshops, and going deep was amazing. Sharing imposter syndrome, writer’s block, and other obstacles was refreshing and wonderful. Getting new ideas and learning new techniques charged me with tremendous energy. I know the feeling was mutual. Everyone I talked to responded with such a warm, positive spirit; I was blown away.

It was a weekend of making many new connections, and I was especially excited to meet Wanhsiang. She is a fellow SCBWI translator from my virtual monthly translator meet-ups. I could not wait to meet in real life. Getting together in person, having in-depth conversations and exchanges, and talking shop with like-minded kidlit peeps all day felt special, effortless, and natural. It fed the part of my soul that I usually nourish alone in my office (a desk in the bedroom's corner) while translating, writing, or drawing. Being around my creative SCBWI friends was so uplifting and exciting that I forgot all my troubles for a day. It made it easy to focus on my craft and creativity.

When our presenters shared their personal and professional struggles, it made it easier for me to accept that writing is a tough business. Most of us don’t do it because of money, but because we love kidlit. We want to make a difference in children’s lives. We want every child to be heard, seen, and accepted. Particularly, the most precious and vulnerable groups in our society. Discussing our ideas, intentions, and motivations with others was both humbling and energizing. Sharing creative journeys unites and connects us, and sparks new inspiration, resulting in more creative momentum.

I definitely had some eye-opening moments while attending NY Times bestselling author-illustrator Marla Frazee's workshop, All the Markings of You.

She blew us away with her knowledge and insights. First, she handed out all kinds of different-sized and colored scrap paper. Then she told us to keep doodling while listening. And to let go of all expectations, just let the hand do the work while the ears are doing their thing. I haven’t really doodled since I was in college, or when I am on the phone for a long time to pass the boredom. Marla suggested practicing this while watching a very familiar series or movie, too. It tricks your brain, or more specifically, keeps the inner critic occupied by the movie.

She was showing examples of different picture book art, focusing on style, color palette, and other elements. Some examples were simplified, flatter, and consisted of only 3 colors; others were rich and very intricate.

I was doodling the entire time she was speaking, and most of the other people were, too. Because my dog Charlie was on my mind, inspired by the story of Little Brown by Marla Frazee, I started drawing him over and over.

I really like how Charlie looked after 45 minutes of doodling. The curly mustache represents his proud sassiness and character and makes me smile.

After Marla was done with the presentation, she checked in with us and our doodles. Many people were surprised by their results.

Someone created a wonderful pattern maze, which she confessed wasn’t her typical style. She didn’t think it was very good. Marla interjected and questioned this. Interestingly, many creatives don’t think that anything they completed quickly, easily, or imperfectly is as valuable as really thought-out projects because we think easy can’t be good. But maybe it could! Boom! That’s it; trust yourself to just do your thing. In the spirit of play vs. doing everything perfectly.

Sharing wisdom in this quiet solidarity builds resistance. Standing up in community and naming your purpose out loud is powerful. We all love what we do, and the world, especially our children, needs more hope, stories, and reasons to push ahead. It’s our job to show them a world that is worth living in.

Practicing craft exercises in a community and hearing feedback and honest industry perspectives is insightful. Receiving reality checks that both challenge and support us, along with learning how much stick-to-itiveness we all need to make it in this business, is way easier to face in a creative community. This sense of connection is truly the heartbeat of a day like this. It's unfortunate that we only organize these local conferences every two years. If you're curious about the reasoning behind this, feel free to revisit my recap of the Golden Gate Fest 26. 😉 My main takeaway: Attend more local events of our SCBWI sister regions and other creative events in the SF Bay Area.