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Hi All!
I am sitting here today thinking about playing.
We all get caught up in being busy, but sometimes you need to just STOP... and play!
Play is good for the soul. It helps you reboot... energize and relax.
I think adults need to engage in good fun play as often as we can... and probably more often than we do.
Today... I am playing... finished my work, it's a beautiful day... that's it!
PLAYTIME! :)
Enjoy!
Until next time,
Pam
Hello All!
I have had the most wonderful opportunities this past month...
February was all about learning... for me!
During this past month I had the chance to go to California, Tampa, and Chicago... all in the effort to engage in and be part of book events!
In California, I got to meet the great people who run The Sun Gallery in Hayward California... a wonderful place that brings art and learning to their local and surrounding communities. I met authors and illustrators who were working to bring their craft to a larger following, and lent their works to the gallery for educational purposes... a chance to have kids interact with art and illustrations.
Next up was Tampa, Florida... I met 3 other local authors, a great store (Book Swap of Carrollwood) that works on partnering and supporting local authors... and a wonderful young man who was the son of an author at the event. It is magical to spend a day with people you have never met before, but have shared dreams and aspirations. You learn, you share... you grow!
After that ... onto Chicago! I spent the morning of February 22nd reading to young children at the renowned 57th Street Books... an iconic bookstore right in the heart of the University of Chicago. What a blast it was reading Josie the Great to them... watching their response to the story was so affirming and empowering... at the the end of the story a little girl exclaimed that she "Loved that book! I want my Mom to buy me one.."... now as an author of Children's Books... what could be better than that?
I finished my month back in the beautiful Florida Keys... an event was held to help support the effort of the Local Bird Sanctuary... again it was a night that supported artists and authors of all kinds and their works benefitted to The Wild Bird Sanctuary... thanks Banyan tree for inviting me!
I find myself constantly trying to grow, learn and evolve... not just for myself but as an example to my adult kids...
Life... it's to be lived!
Until next time,
Pam
p.s. here's info on all the wonderful places I have been.... if you'd like to support or check them out!
http://www.sungallery.org/
http://www.bookswapfl.com/
https://57th.semcoop.com/
http://banyantreegarden.com/site/
Hello All!
We always told our kids to follow their dreams and pursue what they love... gotta put my money where my mouth is, and practice what I preach! So, I took a leap and went from teacher to author, which led to this...
Last week my husband and I got the chance to take a California road trip...
We went to a reception for a children's book illustrator's art show... Josie the Great, my second Children's Picture Book, was selected to be part of the exhibit! It was in this fun little community art center in Hayward California, which is about 20 minutes or so outside of San Francisco.
The people were great and it was such fun to meet other authors and writers... I thank the Sun Gallery for a great show, and their kind welcome. What a wonderful opportunity, and I am grateful.
And along the way... we got a chance to explore...
Bill tagged on a bit of business too, and because of that, we were in the Santa Ynez valley... what a magnificent part of the country! We never would have been there if not for the opportunity to be part of this show!
After we left Santa Ynez... which reminded me of Tuscany, which makes sense, because along with the horses, and the local farmers, the region is known for it's wine! That was a plus for me given that I consider myself a very fine wine-o :) We discovered some lovely new wines, and now I have ideas to add to my personal favorites!
From there we took the drive from Santa Ynez up to Oakland along the Pacific Coast Highway. We saw the magnificence of the Pacific Ocean, the majesty of the adjacent mountains, the quaintness of towns along the way, and at the end ELEPHANT SEALS!!!
The seals were the highlight... I love love oceans, but these animals are something to see! It would be unkind of me to share what I thought of their appearance... BUT they are quite a sight... large, round, almost bulbous animals, that move with their whole body in and out of the water to the sand... AMAZING CREATURES!
I never would have had the chance to see these Elephant Seals if I had not decided to follow my dream and write kids picture books... or if I hadn't taken the chance to enter this show... or if Anne, my daughter, hadn't had the time to be my illustrator...
So, GRAB LIFE ... Oh the places you'll go!
Until next time,
Pam
Hi all...
Words have power...
It's as simple as that.. so choose your words well, try out new words, elevate your vocabulary, play with words... learn new words, understand the meaning of words... and use them wisely!
That's it...
Until next time,
Pam
Hi All!
It's that time of year when we decide to clean up our acts and be better people.
I have not done that yet... I've been thinking about it.
Last night as I was laying in bed, I thought about resolutions and wondered if it could be a great family activity.
Let's say you all started talking at dinner, and took the time to say that everyone could take a few minutes and talk about how they wanted to be different in this New Year.
You don't have to say the word "better" cause actually who knows what better is?? It's quite a relative and subjective term...(at least I think so) so concentrate instead on what each person would like to do or how they would like to be different.
For little kids, make it concrete. For example, " I will try hard not to hit my sister"... this is one that my grandson Max could work on... :) Don't put ideas in their heads.. but through the conversations led them to a self conclusion...if it's not done with their input, it won't work.
For older kids, you could have the conversation about the state of the country, or their local community or their school...etc. and let them think about ways to engage in a new and different way that could make a difference.
I would say that Parents need to set the example and share what they are thinking of doing differently or how they are thinking they can be different first, and lead the way.
I think 2 per person is quite enough... otherwise it may get too exhausting to actually try and make these resolutions actionable... everyone looses steam if the ante is too high!
It can be a fun thing to try... and a great practice to help kids, of all ages, and parents work together in a concrete and meaningful way toward self improvement.
I think my resolution this year will be quite simple:
BE KIND
Happy Resolution making!
Pam
Hello All!
Sanity at the Holidays???
It is possible... even with weird relatives, (everyone has them) over indulgence, rushing, shopping, trying to find the right gift, trying to get EVERYTHING done...
Bill and I are leaving tomorrow for New York. All of our kids live there now, and so that's where we are off to. I've been organizing, purchasing, shipping and sending gifts... NOW most of that is done, and we get to the good stuff...
Time... time with the ones you love most.
When it comes right down to it... no one cares about all the "stuff"... it's all fun, and yes, it is great to open presents, but truly, if I could have one more day with the people I love most that have passed on before me, I would take that gift over any.
So... relax, hug someone you love, don't worry if everything isn't done, and appreciate the gift of the people, and family in your life.
That's all that matters anyway!
Have a great Holiday,
Pam
Hi All!
Last time I wrote that family can be your first critics... in all things, but I was talking about taking on the new adventure of writing...
Now... I am changing the tone, and talking about family as the best part of life.
Nope, not one family is perfect, yet where would we be without them?
They bring, joy, love and understanding, and yes, sometimes frustration, anger, and upset... But... without them, I would suggest that many of our lives would be far emptier.
So, I hope that on the is day after the Holiday, you're smiling and remembering some fun and lovely and things that you got to do and share with your family.
I wonder... did anyone else get kicked out of a Theatre???
We did.... More to follow on that! Stay tuned for THAT story!
Until next time,
Pam
Hi All!
I am thinking about family as your first critics...
I have the opportunity to work with a great young woman who is helping me with JOISE THE GREAT, and one of the topics she asked me about was working with family... getting their feedback and response when you're doing something creative.
First, it's hard to put yourself out there. Just saying, it takes a certain amount of guts and risk to write something and ask others to read it... I liken it to standing in a room butt naked... you're completely exposed...
You know, though, family is a great first critic... they love you, so if what you are doing sucks... they tend to be gentle in their feedback.
My first couple of attempts at book ideas were met with ... "Hmm... some of that is good.. BUT..." they were kind...
I kept trying... and when I came up with MAX AND BEAR.... everyone was in! YAY!!!
After I did that... JOSIE was harder... I had a couple of drafts... and got some very specific feedback that was truly useful in how she turned out... it was hard at first, because the feedback was pretty tough... but, and thankfully, it was useful and honest and helpful.
You truly can count on family... they will be honest with you, even if you don't like it...
And.... they do have your back...
Until next time,
Pam
Hello!
I was thinking as I re-read my last post...
I wanted to say to all parents, most importantly parents of young adults trying to figure out what to do with their lives... Encourage your kids to follow their passions, figure out their own dreams, and go for it!
Our oldest daughter, Anne, who is the illustrator of my new book, had two thoughts as she was contemplating college... art and business.
Contrary to perhaps the norm... my husband told Anne to study Art... he said, "You can always figure out the business part, you can't figure out the talent... you have such a talent you need to pursue what you are passionate about."
Now... 15 years later, Anne is the successful proprietor of Saxelby Cheesemongers in New York city... AND has just debuted as a children's book illustrator...
Passion or pragmatic?
Life is short... too short to spend your time doing what you hate... as an adult we may not be happy to go to work every day, but if you guide your children to follow their passions... they may actually be happy at work... at least most days!
Today's thought...
Until next time,
Pam
Hello all!
Having adult children... the best!
At this point in my life, it's time to reap the rewards of trying hard not to mess up my kids too much... which is the point of this whole blog. How to try and raise people... good, intelligent, competent people.
Our three children are all grown, they live and work on their own, they make a living that supports them, and they are people I am proud to know.
My husband and I consistently advised our children to follow their passions, pursue their dreams and make work something you are excited about... at least most of the time!
Now, one of those three people, our oldest daughter Anne, has helped me with my passion... writing books for kids... children's picture books. We got to do it together!
I came up with my first book idea about 3 years ago. At that time, I asked all of the family for their input... built in editors and critics. That worked well, and my first book, MAX AND BEAR, was published in June of 2014.
Then... I had an idea for my next book... and Anne, having graduated from NYU with a degree in fine art, said "Hey, I want to do the art for this book!" ( She hasn't been slacking off.. she spent the last 10 years using her art to build an artisan cheese store in New York, called Saxelby Cheesemongers.)
I was thrilled... so off we went... building this fun new book together!
Both of my books, MAX AND BEAR, and now JOISE THE GREAT, are stories based on Anne's children. I had spent so much time trying to come up with the right story ideas... it really is true that the best ones come from your own life. Who knew? Just have adorable grandchildren!
We began by talking about the story, reworking the manuscript, thinking about the look of the book, and off Anne went! Every couple of weeks I would receive the newest and latest drawing... it was like opening a wonderful present each time I received one.
This new book has an entirely different look from the first one. It is more whimsical and fun, more personal, and of course that is due to Anne. Who knows how to draw their children better than their own Mommy? ( If had to draw that would be a sad story, as I have absolutely no artistic talent!)
What a blast it has been to see what Anne drew... to see how my words were brought to life by her pictures... she even got input from the real life Max, who told her that in one of the drawings the bridge had to go somewhere...it couldn't stop on just part of the page!
When your children are little, and you're immersed in the process of helping them become who they are meant to be, you don't think about how that might look 20 years later.
Twenty years goes by WAY too fast... and then you get to collaborate with your own talented adult daughter on a project that brings a whole new depth to your relationship.
Now we get the chance to enjoy the finished project... together!
Let's see what happens next...
Anne wants to do the art for my next book too!
Pam
