Occupation: Musician & Artist
Website: Summer Pierre
Biography: Summer Pierre is a California-born artist who lives in Brooklyn, NY. As a musician she has toured extensively both the east and west coasts, and released her CD Far From Here from TPS Media. She creates an annual Great Gals Calendar, celebrating great women every day, and is currently at work on a series of corresponding cards.

What do you do and how did you start? How old were you when you realized you wanted to do what you’re currently doing and how old were you when you actually began.
I am a musician, cartoonist, painter, and a writer. My dad likes to say that I was drawing as soon as I could hold a pen. I don’t remember ever not being able to draw or wanting to draw. When I was eleven I read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and thought, I want to do that, so I began to write. In 1995, I was incredibly inspired by the building movement of women in rock n’ roll and so I created my college thesis on women in rock. I was further inspired by my studies to pick up a guitar and start writing songs. Unfortunately, I was very stuck in the idea that I had to be one thing or another (musician, painter, writer, etc.) and I found my dry cycles for each medium frightening and a message that I wasn’t Îcut out’ to do any one thing.

What jobs did you have before you went out on your own?
Receptionist, waitress, child care provider, temporary office-goon.

What steps did you take to create your own business?
The first absolute step was coming to terms with the fact that I didn’t have a scrap of faith that I could do something on my own, only a hope that I could. This is an ongoing process, that I continue with every day. The practical things that have been key are mailing list, staying in contact with people, through mailers and blogging, I am currently working with The Seed Handbook by Lynn Franks, which is teaching me a lot about formal business plans, which are also life plans.

What kind of formal education, training or experience do you have that applies to what you do?
I don’t really have any formal training other than going to a very liberal liberal arts college. It opened my horizons to great women and their work, which has been the foundation for everything I do.

What is the most rewarding aspect of what you do? The most frustrating?
The most rewarding aspect of what I do is the exhilarating high of creating something and then watching it have a life of its own. The most frustrating is the doubt and the worry. Also, the drag of finances.

What has been your biggest struggle(s)/challenge(s) with your creative career?
The biggest struggle for me has been to get out of my own way. For me doubt is the number one paralyzer. I question everything: what if I can never write a song again? What if I stink? What if I just don’t have it in me? I have found that the absolute key to combating doubt is to surround myself with people who are believing and who cheer loudly in my favor. Sometimes when I do a show I ask a friend to tell me I’m a good person regardless of how I do on stage. It may sound cheesy–but I have found it helps me not attach too much of my worth to what I produce. We’re all good no matter what we do. Sometimes we just need a little help to remember that.

Do you have any fears about what you do, and if so, how do you deal with them?
I have fears of being financially sound, doubts about my abilities, self-worth, etc. To combat this, I work hard to remember what makes me happy and healthy, like getting up early to watch the sunrise and writing my morning pages, and walking. Also, I like to think of the wise words of Julie Wilson, a friend of Lynda Barry’s: “If you freak out, freak back in!”

What kind of work environment do you have?
I have a great room in my home filled with: a desk, pictures, white Christmas lights, glitter on the floor, a window to watch the sunrise, books, tapes, CDs, and cats.

Who or what are your inspirations?
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Sylvia Plath, Lynda Barry, Georgia O’Keeffe, Maira Kalman, Jean Michel-Basquiat, Frida Kahlo, Emily Carr, Margaret Wise Brown, Liz Phair, PJ Harvey, Lucinda Williams, Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, The Ramones, The Clash, , movies in technicolor, road trips, recorded poetry, photo booths, glitter, my little brother and sister, the color red, coffee, letters, and postcards.

Words of advice for those pursuing their creative goals.
PLEASE DO IT NOW. You will never be adequately prepared, or have time to get ready to live your dreams. Start now. Also, If you work to create the world you love, people will respond. The J.D. Salinger quote I love goes something like this: “Write the book you most want to read.” I think that’s true for any medium.

Occupation: Designer and Author
Website: Tera Leigh
Biography: Tera Leigh is the author of The Complete Book of Decorative Painting (North Light Books). She is spokesperson (and co-developer) of the Paintability line of painting products, and the Robert Simmons Sapphire brush line. She also writes columns for four painting magazines, and has had her designs published in many craft and home decor magazines.

What do you do and how did you start?
My first book, The Complete Book of Decorative Painting, was released in October 2001. I currently write columns for PaintWorks and Decorative Artist’s Workbook, and will be adding columns in Quick and Easy Painting and Tole World magazines. I also freelance for many other magazines.

I committed myself to becoming an artist in 1999. My first creative goals were to create a product line and write a reference book to make it easier for people to learn how to paint. I have a real passion for creativity and I want to create products that encourage people to use and explore their own creative potential.

During the transition between my “grown up” job and my dream of being an artist, I wrote a “personal manifesto” of sorts about creativity and living the life you were meant to live. I did it as a way to think through what I really believed about what I could be and what others expected of me. That became a website called “Tera’s Wish” and I continue to explore the topic in a free quarterly newsletter.

My personal motto is borrowed from Virgil, “Fortune Favors the Bold”. I believe that means that if you put your honest intention out to the universe and are willing to follow it up with work, God will honor it. Within six months, I had a book deal with North Light books (for the largest book they’d ever produced) and a product manufacturing deal (with a business partner, Tracia Williams) for a line of painting products. That product (Paintability) won the 2001 Product of the Year award from Craftrends at the Hobby Industry Association convention.

In 1995, I started an online group for decorative painters. That experience connected me with some of the pioneers of the decorative painting industry and they were incredibly generous with their time and knowledge of the industry. It was that online “networking” that gave me the industry support and knowledge to get started.

How old were you when you realised you wanted to do what you’re currently doing and how old were you when you actually began/What jobs did you have before you went out on your own?/How steps did you take to create your own business?
There is a joke in my family that my father told me that I could be anything I wanted to be but that I misheard him and thought he said “everything” I wanted to be. My first job was as a make up artist, then I became and Esthetician, then a secretary, then a law clerk, then attorney.

I loved being a make up artist but my mom wanted me to get my license so that I could work in a salon (which I did not enjoy). I was not very confident as a teenager and pretty much followed what my parents wanted me to do. Eventually I went to work in my father’s law office and became an attorney myself. I loved school – but I hated being an attorney. Living in a world that was all about confrontation and argument was really not healthy for me. I felt myself becoming more and more aggressive.

Happily I met my husband and he wanted to start an internet firm and I quit law and used my business knowledge to help him run it. That gave me flexible hours to explore my own creativity again. He also introduced me to Photoshop and web design. I had discovered decorative painting in 1993 and really fell in love with it. I was blessed to find a man who was more interested in my personal happiness than the money I could contribute to the relationship as an attorney. He encouraged me to take more time for my art. He is a rare gem and I thank God for him everyday.

The real turning point for me was the death of my best friend. In 1998, Debbie was diagnosed with cancer. She had been visiting me when she thought she had an infection. None of us ever dreamed she was seriously ill, and within six months she was dead. She was 42, I was 35. It was devastating. Throughout her illness she kept telling me that I should not take my life and talents for granted but I just didn’t want to hear it. When I got the news of her death, which was from complications of the chemo and was unexpected, I suddenly heard her loud and clear.

I had been in the habit of doing a “goal setting” workshop with myself three or four times a year. About two weeks after her death I sat down and reviewed my goals, and realized that I had been making goals that would make the people in my life happy. After all, I couldn’t just walk away from my law degree and leave “business” for “art”, could I? Well, it turned out that I could, and I did. The irony is that I probably use my law degree knowledge more now than I did answering the same questions over and over in a law office!

After a lot of tears, I sat down and wrote out the first “real” set of goals I probably had ever written. By “real” I mean goals that truly resonated with me – not things I thought would make the people in my life happy. I took them to my husband – and I was really nervous because I knew what I was proposing would mean that I would eventually leave the business we had started together. He could not have been more supportive. When I told him I wanted to write a book he took me to a big book store and together we went through all the craft and home decor books to find a list of three publishers that would be my “first choice” for my book.

From there, I wrote a book proposal and told everyone I knew in the industry that I wanted to write a reference book. (I mean it literally when I said “put your intention out there”!) On the day I was ready to send my book proposal out to my first choice – North Light Books, I got a phone call. It was from an Editor at North Light. They were looking for someone to write a reference book on decorative painting and my name had come up. I asked for her fax number and sent her the outline I had already written. It was a magical day!

What kind of formal education, training or experience do you have that applies to what you do?
I have very little art training. I studied make up at Joe Blasco in Hollywood. That was an amazing experience and much of what I know about art came from the many talented teachers at the school.

I do believe that my doctorate in law is helpful in terms of my business success. When you are an artist, issues of copyright, intellectual property rights such as licensing, contracts, etc. come up on a regular basis. In general, I have been able to negotiate better contracts for myself simply because I understand business and contract negotiations. As much as I did not enjoy being a lawyer, I would not trade that experience for anything.

How did you first begin to sell/market your work?
“Fortune Favors the Bold!” If you want to become known, you have to be willing to put yourself out there. That can be extremely daunting because as artists and writers our work is so very personal. Just the other day someone said to me, “I wouldn’t give you .50 cents for that!” referring to a table I had painted. Yikes! Happily, just a week or two before I had been offered $8,000.00 for the same table. You have to take the good with the bad and not take it personally. (To that end, I recommend reading Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” and Don Miguel Ruiz’ “The Four Agreements”.)

The first step to marketing is to get your work seen. I go to the Hobby Industry Association and Society of Craft Designers conventions. I have a website that showcases my writing and artwork. I create and send out visually interesting and unique press kits for the HIA convention and anytime I have a new book or product to promote. I write to and follow up with magazine editors and television producers after I meet them at the shows. I keep good notes of my conversations and use Microsoft Outlook to create reminders to follow up when I say I will. As a result I’ve gained a reputation for being reliable and for making my deadlines.

I personally think you have to be fairly aggressive with your marketing. I don’t mean obnoxious – that will get you nowhere – but you can’t assume that your publisher or manufacturer is going to make sales happen. You have to take responsibility for the success of your product and work with those companies to maximize the PR that you get. One of the best things that I did early on was to hand-write a short letter to people I met at conventions. I would recap our conversation and tell them how much I enjoyed meeting them, etc. People get so few hand-written letters anymore that they made an impact. Being aggressive means putting the time in to follow up with every lead you get. Many – maybe even most – will go no where, but occasionally you will get a “hit” and that is what starts a career.

What is the most rewarding aspect of what you do?
Getting an email, or meeting in person, people who have read my book and/or column and felt encouraged by them to get moving with their own creativity is an awesome gift. Knowing that you are making a difference is the best reward I know.

The most frustrating?
I find it very frustrating when people do not value or respect art. Sadly, most freelance designers make little money. (There are exceptions, so hang in there!) It is even more frustrating to see the copyright infringement that goes on online!

What has been your biggest struggle(s)/challenge(s) with your creative career?
My biggest struggle is dealing with both the business and art side of work. I spend as much or more time on dealing with paperwork, accounting, and PR than I do on my art. My solution to this has been to hire a virtual assistant (we work together online and she is an independent contractor.), an accountant, a literary agent, etc. Although it was scary at first to pay the money out (or share my percentage), I am actually making more money now that I have more time to do what I do best, and let others do what they do best as they can do it faster and more efficiently. It also takes an emotional burden off my shoulders, and that helps me be more creative and productive!

What kind of work environment do you have?
I have a home studio for my design work. I like to write in bed using my laptop, with lots of pillows behind me, and dogs and cats strewn about all over my reference books and papers.

Have you encountered any financial obstacles, and if so, how did you overcome them?
There is no way I would be doing what I am doing without the financial support of my husband. I went “full time” as an artist in May of 2000. This year will be the first that I make a profit.

What is your definition of success?
An experience is a success if I learn from it. I believe that successful people are those who make a difference with their lives.

Who or what are your inspirations?
I believe that success is like a path. Every person down it tramples down the foliage a bit making it easier for the next person to walk down it. I am inspired by the stories of Tracy Porter, SARK, Mary Engelbreit, Queen Oprah. I am also inspired by my mother, Marie Gemmil, who is the most generous person I’ve ever met, and my sister, Tonya Mills, who has followed in my mother’s footsteps. Priscilla Hauser (“First Lady of Decorative Painting”) has been my creative mentor since I entered the painting industry and is one of the most incredible women I’ve ever been blessed to meet.

Favorite books: The Artist’s Way (Julia Cameron), The Four Agreements (Don Miguel Ruiz), How Much Joy Can You Stand (Suzanne Falter-Barnes), 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women (Gail McMeekin) . . . I could go on and on. I love to read!

Words of advice for those pursuing their creative goals.
I hate to sound like a broken record, but . . . “Fortune Favors the Bold!” If you ask for something and the reply is “no” you aren’t any worse off than you are right now without it. There is no reason not to get started.

Make a difference every day. The best way to survives the inevitable creative slumps is to do something that makes a difference to others. One of my projects was to start a memory box program to provide boxes to for infant bereavement in hospitals. I learned that many hospitals don’t even have a counselor on staff and women were being sent home with their babies effects in a bio-hazard bag! I believe that the best way to repay what your creativity gives to you is to turn around and use it to benefit someone else. I also believe that people who are using their creativity are among the most generous on the planet. We started in 1998 and to date we have provided over 30,000 boxes – free of charge – to hospitals.

My father used to tell a story when people would talk to him about wanting to go to law school. I’m sure it is an old story with lots of variations, but this was his. “A woman wanted to learn piano but after her first lesson she was very frustrated. She told her instructor, “do you know how old I will be when I finally master this?” The response was “the same age you will be if you don’t.” You are never too old, too young, or too anything to follow your dream. Tenacity and passion are generally far more important than talent and skill. How many brilliant people do you know that are working menial jobs? How many successful people do you know that you wonder how they ever got where they are? Put your intention out there, follow up, and keep at it.

Finally, don’t get stuck in a rut. If you are doing it right, you are going to learn along the way. You may find that what you initially wanted isn’t what you thought it was once you learn more. Give yourself permission to be flexible and alter your dream as you go. Every experience will help you in the future if you learn from it. When I started, I thought I wanted to be a painter. Today I know that painting and design is just one of my skills. I think of myself more as a communicator through speaking, writing, and painting. If I had held myself rigidly to being a painter, I wouldn’t have been any happier than I was as an attorney in the long run.

How old were you when you realised you wanted to do what you’re currently doing and how old were you when you actually began.

I had been a diligent writer since I was in high school — when the surge of hormones found release in diaries and poems and letters to best friends. I “spread my wings” a bit in my mid-twenties when I wrote an inspirational column for a company newsletter.

At that time writing inspirational columns for real, or for pay, was way beyond my wildest dreams. Even when I became editor of a club newsletter, and later a columnist for a local motivational lifestyle magazine, I didn’t think I’d end up writing for a living. Then midlife hit, and here I am.

What jobs did you have before you went out on your own?
I worked as a researcher for the university after I graduated with a BS in Biology. Then I took up computer courses and worked for an IT company first as systems analyst then as marketing manager. For 23 years after I graduated from college, I held a day job. Then I turned freelance, so now I have a day-and-night job.

What steps did you take to create your own business?
I had to do my homework, of course. Because I needed to prove to editors that I could write, I felt I should have a way of showing them what I could do. So, I put up a homepage, with copies of most of the articles I had published.

Then I studied the terrain, also known as the market. Who are my prospects? Where are they? What do they want? Who am I competing with? What are my strengths and weaknesses? How can I improve my chances of success?

When I found all the answers to these questions, I discovered the path that would take me to the land of fortune and fame. Of course, I’m still trudging down the path, but I’ll get there. It’s the journey that matters. That’s what I always say.

What kind of formal education, training or experience do you have that applies to what you do?
A prerequisite to becoming a good writer is a good education (formal or otherwise) — you need to know the language and its usage and dynamics in order to write well. It helps if you also know some math, a little chemistry, and what the capital of Monaco is.

I never had any formal training in the craft of writing (I majored in Biology and wanted to be a doctor). I honed my writing skills by observing (read, read, read), absorbing reference guides (study, study, study), and applying what I learned (write, write, write). Then I just scribbled my life experiences, and there you have it — inspirational writing.

How did you first begin to sell/market your work?
After I built my homepage, I studied the writer’s guidelines of various target publications. Then I just queried until I turned blue. Some of them gave me money.

What is the most rewarding aspect of what you do? The most frustrating?
It’s most rewarding when you receive checks, I mean, feedback from readers. An editor praising your article, a guest to your site saying you made a difference, a friend quoting you like you were already famous — these are priceless payments for the time and effort you put into creating effective sentences.

The most frustrating, aside from slamming onto the proverbial writer’s block, and waiting for your check to arrive, is getting a rejection for a piece you knew fit perfectly in your target publication. How can they be so clueless?!

Do you have any fears about what you do, and if so, how do you deal with them?
Good question. My personal prime fear, I guess, is if my partner loses his day job. Then we’d starve. How do I deal with it? I pray.

What kind of work environment do you have?
I work at home, at hours I choose, in tees and shorts. My workstation overlooks a lotus pond with a 30-foot shoot-up fountain. The water serves as my focal point when I’m deep in thought, when the squirrels and little lizards are not scampering about.

I’m barefoot inside the house, and I have all-day access to all my comfort foods, the bed, and 350 music CDs that set the mood for my task-at-hand (or vice versa).

My PC sits on a 6-foot-wide desk where I scatter the materials I work with. Among the paperwork is a coaster for my coffee, a camera for squirrel and lizard Kodak moments, and a jar of Jelly Belly beans.

On the wall next to me are my pride and joy: photos of family, and frames of my first published work since I turned fulltime, my first check (a copy, of course), and my first $1/word article.

Have you encountered any financial obstacles, and if so, how did you overcome them?
When recession hit, freelance writers and other on-call talent were hit the hardest. I overcame the obstacle by “investing” in other creative endeavors. I wrote book proposals, created craft items for sale through my site, and experimented on some new Web design tools. I also pasted a sign on the back of my swivel chair for my partner to see: “will work for food.”

What is your definition of success?
Success is when you know you reached a goal you set your heart on, no matter how large or small that goal is. It doesn’t have to be a million dollars in the bank, or appearing on the front cover of Writer’s Digest. It can be a small check for a short article, or being a finalist in one of Writer’s Digest’s contests. Every time you feel you’ve achieved something, that’s success.

Who or what are your inspirations?
My Number 1 inspiration is my son — I want to be like him when I grow old. After him, I have a collective inspiration — the extraordinary people who bring all the good things to our world — the thinkers, the achievers, the philanthropists, and the phenomena that’s Pete Sampras, Stan Winston, Eric Clapton, and Steven Spielberg.

A shelf-full of books is also an inspiration to me. I stare at it for a while, then I ask myself why I don’t see my name on there, then I get back to working on my book proposal.

Words of advice for those pursuing their creative goals.
If you’re truly a creative person, you’re different from the rest — you have to accept that. Being different gives you an edge over all the mediocrity in the world. Harness this power — embrace the gift, benefit from it, and make a difference.

Life may not always be fair, but like it says at Cape Canaveral, “A rough road leads to the stars.” Just follow your heart, keep going, and pretty soon you, too, will be among the biggest and the brightest.

I was raised in southern Oregon and attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, where I received my B.A. in Spanish. After graduation, I worked for two years as a flight attendant for Pan American World Airlines. Then I married and moved to Mexico City, Mexico, where I lived for the next seventeen years.

During my years in Mexico, I raised two lovely daughters, worked occasionally as a model, an actress and an English teacher. Then came the divorce and the difficult transition to a new life back in the U.S.A. (see “The Bumpedy Road”) The girls were eleven and fourteen years old, so San Diego, California was indeed a new world for them. I obtained employment with the United States Customs Service, where I met my second husband, Michael Mueller.

After both girls had graduated from college, Michael and I married and moved to Vancouver, B.C., Canada. (see “Rain City Cats) Still working for the U.S. Customs Service, I began writing my children’s books, seen through the family cat’s perspective. The final book (“Eight Paws to Georgia”) was written after our move to St. Simons Island, Georgia, where we now reside.

The most rewarding aspect of my writing career is interacting with children through my Visiting Author School Program. They have taught me so much about the unconditional love with their animals.

For me, the most frustrating element of writing children’s books is my impatience with the entire process. Once I have it on paper, I want it to be ready to share. I am slowly learning my lesson in patience.

I work in my home, from a desk in the den which overlooks a sunny back yard decorated with moss covered live oak trees. This scenery offers peace, color and sweet bird songs to provide the ambiance I require to write.

My advice to all pursuing creative goals is to believe in yourselves. When you know you’ve done your very best, get your creation out there and toot your own horn!

Occupation: Word Wrangler
Website: Word Wrangler
Biography: I’m a non-fiction writer and a teacher of writing living in Alameda California.

What do you do and how did you start?
As a writer and a teacher I get to be all over the map, and my working life goes through a lot of phases and changes. For the last three years I have been teaching a personal essay writing class withWriters.com, and I teach wild writing class here at home as well as coaching writers on their book and essay projects. I also teach yoga/writing workshops with a friend. And I write, that’s the idea, to balance the stable teaching work with the more precarious writing world where you can’t depend on books and essays getting sold in a timely manner. Sometimes I get a call to write a quick and dirty gift book for a publisher, sometimes I come up with my own books. I have written five, all for Chronicle Books. The most well known are Living Happily Ever After: Couples Talk about Long Term Love, and Expectations: 30 Women talk about Becoming a Mother.

I also take odd jobs, like my friend Anne Hamersky and I just wrote a grant to design posters for the inside of Muni busses and bus shelters to bring awareness to breast cancer in Hunter’s Point, California. I also do the occasional documentary film project, working as a writer and a producer and was a part of the Academy Award nominated documentary, For Better or For Worse.

How old was I when I realized I wanted to write?
I didn’t always know I wanted to be a writer. In college I studied it, but deep in my heart I always hoped I would follow my musical path and write and play music for a living. Unfortunately I didn’t have the confidence and writing sort of came along and I had some lucky breaks early when I was around 25. I got published pretty easily and one thing led to another, things came to me but I hustled too. One of my writing strengths is that I’m very curious about people and I found that I really liked interviewing so I did that for a long time.

When did I actually begin?
I started writing and publishing in 1982 when I was a student at California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California. As well as being a student I worked as an intern for a local art magazine and I interviewed artists and wrote stories about them. I was 22 and kept a straight job alongside my writing for the next 8 years.

What jobs did I have before I went out on my own?
I worked in bookstores for at least six years until I was 30. That was a wonderful place to expand my sense of the book world. I loved holding the books and trying to understand what made people go from the pick it up on the shelf stage to the pay for it stage and finally the get it home and read it stage. Selling books helped me to see what people were interested in, what they cared about. I also interned for documentary film people. For three years after the bookstore I worked for a major N.Y. publisher as a sales rep.

What steps did I take to create my business?
Things evolved. I kept a straight job until I wrote my first book in 1994. I also had a child at that time and so I wanted to stay close to home. A few months after she was born I came up with a second book project, which I sold to Chronicle and which bought me the time to stay at home for another year and write another book. So one book lead to the next and before I knew it I was freelancing.

Formal education? Experience that applies?
I got a BS in Journalism from the University of Colorado in Boulder, but I don’t think that has anything to do with where I am now. After that I went to art school and studied painting and sculpture, mostly to get in tune with who I was as a creative person. I was lost after college, became a waitress. Art school at CCAC in Oakland juiced me up and I ended up at an art magazine, a little freebee where I thought I would work in design. Turned out they needed writers and so I started writing, though I didn’t know what I was doing.

I worked for free for Metier, the magazine for at least three years, eventually becoming the managing editor. It was quite an education because I really learned to write at the hands of the editor there. I did a lot of interviews and learned to craft them into real live pieces.

How did I first begin to sell and market the work?
My career has gone in phases. When I began selling journalism stories in 1985 I kept my day job as a bookseller. At one point in 1990 I quit writing because I didn’t think I had what it took to be a writer. I didn’t think I was talented enough. I wanted to be a cog, I wanted a paycheck and I didn’t want to have to self-generate. So I went and worked for the massive publisher, Simon and Schuster. I traveled and sold books for them for three years and learned a ton about the book business.

I also learned that I was more artist than salesperson and if I didn’t quit the corporate gig I was going to die. I realized that I had judged my own talent so harshly and that wasn’t fair. It didn’t matter whether I would be successful or not, what mattered was that I gave myself a chance to express myself. Almost immediately after I quit Simon I got a call from a friend who had a book contract with Chronicle Books and wanted me to write the text for his project. That’s how I began writing books.

What is the most rewarding aspect of what I do? The most frustrating?
The best thing about writing about motherhood and marriage, women’s issues and relationships is that I live my story. So my world is all fodder for me. The day to day becomes my material; what happens at breakfast, the scene with the other mothers at the schoolyard, the bumps and grinds my husband and I go through etc. I also love the teaching I do because I get to articulate what I care about, which is story and how we find story. What’s frustrating is how much time it takes to do a job well, to give enough attention to my students as well as my own projects and how hard it is to make enough of a living. It’s easy to feel like a loser when I go to the accountant at the end of the year.

I work so hard but financially it doesn’t always show up. Like many people I end up having to take stock in the simple things like making a fire at 10am on a cold weekday with my husband because it’s cold outside and being grateful for all the freedom we have to be with our kids and work at home.

Fear about what I do? How do I deal?
Sometimes I fear that the well will run dry. That I won’t have the energy to pump myself up everyday to create something new. On those days I look for jobs on Craigslist.org and other places, and realize that I’ve been doing my own thing for so long now that I can’t imagine fitting in anywhere else. While that can be depressing I often end up making a new project list and trying to get in touch with my deep interests.

I’m also a part of a couple of groups of women who meet every month to show each other new work. One group is writers, and the other group is just people who want to accomplish projects, or make more money and we meet to brainstorm and hear each other out. We make goals in the group and we make promises. Maybe it’s the good girl in me but I always do what I tell them I’m going to do.

Dealing with creative blocks?
Deadlines are very good for creative blocks. Even self imposed ones. When my writing group is expecting new work from me, no matter how I feel I have to get them work. And even if it’s bad it’s a start and later, when I’m in a more loose, creative place I can take it to the next level. I also play a fair amount of racquetball which is an excellent release for all things stuck.

Work environment?
I work in a very messy extra bedroom in my house. I’ve got two little kids so it’s like grand central station in here. I’ve got a pile of someone’s books in one corner and clothes to be mended in another. After 8 years of working at home with kids I finally had the nerve to get an office outside of the house. It’s a mile from here, there’s no phone or email and I reserve my time there for reading and getting ready for my wild writing classes and for writing my more personal, less commercial material. It’s extremely quiet in there. I have been known to nap on the floor, though I got a notice from the landlord recently that the other people in the office, the lawyers and the accountants don’t appreciate my incense, so that had to stop. Ah well.

Financial obstacles? How have I overcome them?
Honestly, having some support from our family in times of need has been really helpful. My husband Mark Wagner and I both freelance so we work as a team.

My definition of success?
That’s a tough question. Sometimes I get in touch with how lucky I am to be working at home with two small kids, teaching and writing. Sometimes I feel success when someone calls me because they’ve heard about me and they want to know if I might be right for their project. I often feel successful as a teacher because I care about people and I think they feel the love. But it’s tough working on your own sometimes, especially when the phone isn’t ringing a lot and it’s just you bringing the best that you can to every workday, pushing it out of you, creating things to sell. There can be some very down days I can’t let that topple me, though there have been times.

Who/what are my inspirations?
Artist and writer friends. One set of friends in particular who make everything by hand; beds, bookshelves, costumes, and not because they’re so crafty, but because they don’t have a lot of money and can’t afford every little thing new. They remind me of the quote a friend heard in her own dream, “If you can’t make music from what you have, a new guitar won’t help.” In my mind these friends are truly creative because they create from scratch.

Words of advice for people pursuing their creative goals?
Keep a straight job for the first bunch of years but make sure you’ve got a hand in your art, whether that means taking classes or meeting with others like yourself for support. If you have time it’s always great to intern with people who are ahead of you in the process because you can learn a lot and the connections you make can be invaluable.

Oh, and of course, try very hard not to judge your work by what the market is buying at the time. It’s the killer of all art.

Occupation: Artist and Writer
Website: Keri Smith
Biography: Keri Smith is an award winning illustrator and writer living in Canada. She has a wide following of clients in North America, Europe, and Japan. Most recently Forbes, The Boston Globe, Better Homes and Gardens, Ford Motor Co,, The Body Shop, The Washington Post, Teen People Magazine, Yahoo, Bon-Appetit, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Canadian Airlines, Utne Reader, and The Canadian Opera Company. She currently resides in a “magic cottage” outside of Toronto, painting, illustrating, creating, writing, reading, and living out loud.

What do you do and how did you start?/How old were you when you realised you wanted to do what you’re currently doing and how old were you when you actually began./What jobs did you have before you went out on your own?
I think I knew what I wanted to do when I was nine years old. We were reading a book called “Jacob Two-two Meets the Hooded fang” by Mordecai Richler, illustrated by Fritz Wegner. I loved the illustrations and tried to copy them with some success. Early on in my schooling I realized that school was not a place to be creative, so I creatively came up with many excuses not to go.

I think I had the worst attendance record for my school. At home I could create freely, making something from nothing, using anything I could find, garbage, wool, egg cartons, etc. I failed art badly in high school, a point which everyone finds most amusing now. I had one really great teacher in high school who said, “You should pursue that which most moves you in this world.”

I did not graduate from high school, (which blew my chances at university) so I worked at a bookstore for two years and read. And read. I educated myself and studied anything I was drawn to. After two years I was ready to try art school, I applied as a mature student and surprised myself by getting into The Ontario College of Art.

After majoring in Illustration for three years I realized (and so did the head of the program), that my work “did not belong in the illustration program”. They had a problem with bike parts. I was craving outside influence. So I went to other areas of the college for my last year and had fun, got dirty! I tried printmaking, paper making, experimental painting, bookbinding, sculpture. All these things I could apply to illustration. When I was done I got my first big job with the Canadian Opera Company. And the rest has really fallen into place.

One of my favourite authors Joseph Campbell says, “When you are on your path, and it is truly your path, doors will open for you where there were no doors for someone else.” This has been very true for me. And it is not an easy path, riddled with uncertainties, doubts, mistakes, pain, but it is worth it. And it is the one thing I have always wanted to do. Katherine Mansfield said, “Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself, face the truth.”

How steps did you take to create your own business?/What kind of formal education, training or experience do you have that applies to what you do?
I think I answered this already but I’d like to add where I feel I’m headed in the next few years…. I am starting into a new phase in my work, one of self direction. In the beginning as an illustrator you really just want to get regular work, make a steady income, and get your name out there. I’m now at a point (after 7 years of doing this full time) where I feel like I’m reinventing what it means to be an illustrator for me. I’m doing more of my own work and ideas and selling them to people and companies, as opposed to waiting for someone to hire me for my services.

I still do editorial and advertising work, but there is a definite shift happening and I see that eventually tapering off. I want to continue to create things and ideas that move me. I see my role as a writer growing, (I have as many people responding to my writing now as my illustrating.) This shift into self direction is extremely fulfilling and empowering and the new possibilities for work seem to be unlimited.

I also am starting into the world of licensing, selling my designs to various companies. This new phase started over a year ago when I left my agent to pursue self representation. I found it important to market myself more as a “brand name” as opposed to being marketed in a group setting (the brand being the rep’s name). It appeared to me that I was growing and needed really target specific areas that my work was suited to. This just wouldn’t happen while being a part of a larger group.

Also, my focus is really not on making the money, it is more important for me to do work that I enjoy and feel passionate about. It became harder for my rep to understand the more I grew in confidence, so it was a natural progression to go out on my own.

What is the most rewarding aspect of what you do? The most frustrating?
The freedom to pursue whatever I am drawn to. I feel myself being drawn into some exciting and scary places and it’s wonderful. I am really enjoying sell my ideas to people and am always surprised when I get a “hit”. At this stage the most frustrating is probably the negotiating, contracts, royalties, etc. I never know if I have done the right thing. I am in the process right now of considering an agent to handle this part. I have never been big on agents in the past, but I would like to have more time to focus on the fun stuff.

Do you have any fears about what you do, and if so, how do you deal with them?
Hundreds weekly. Keep going. Every time I meet a professional creative person I ask them about this subject, THEY ALL HAVE FEAR STILL, no matter how long they’ve been doing it. The trick is to keep doing it. Fear is natural, make it your friend. I recently had a popular Canadian author up for tea, when I asked her how she got through all the public appearances she replied, “Grin and bear it.” I am finding doing public speaking the hardest thing for me right now, but I’m getting better.

What kind of work environment do you have?
I have just built a new barn studio in the back yard which is almost complete. Situated amongst the trees it is really my dream studio with more space than I am used to, natural light and a view of my gardens. My partner is a furniture designer/maker so he has the first floor, and I have the second floor. It is our first “designated artist space”, so it is very exciting.

Have you encountered any financial obstacles, and if so, how did you overcome them?
Several years ago my partner and I decided to move to the country to pursue a different quality of life and also to scale down our overhead. I always wanted a small cottage in the country to create in, one that I could really make my own. Ironically this move cut our living expenses in half, (as compared to the big city lifestyle.) So this has really taken the pressure off to live up to a certain income. I no longer have to take on every job that comes in just to make ends meet.

It’s really great being able to choose to work commercially or say “this week I’m going to do some personal projects”. I also like to live as simply as possible so I try not to fall into the need to aquire “things”. You know the quote, “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” Books are my main indulgence.

Who or what are your inspirations?
I read a LOT. I have an illustration mentor, Linda Montgomery. She was my teacher at O.C.A. and she had a wonderfully spiritual approach to illustrating. My favourite teachers in life have always asked the question, “what moves you?”, your work should be about that…… suck it up into your work. I like to sing, pursue modern dance, paint, write in my journal, drink tea, cook, ride my bike, swing on my hammock, send and receive snail mail and email. The simple things are the best for me.

I usually revolve my vacations around my reading interests. I love modern art and sculpture/installation, Rauschenberg, Basquiat, Rothko, I love new artists who are using technology in a way that I’ve never considered, or who help to me see the world with new eyes. I love experiential art, something I can interact with, work that doesn’t take itself too seriously, has a sense of fun and lightheartedness. Tim Hawkinson’s Uber Organ http://www.massmoca.org/ excites me to no end. I got to see this piece in person last year at Mass Moca (my current favourite gallery in the world), it makes you afraid, it makes you curious, and it makes you laugh all at once.

Favourite authors include May Sarton, Henry Miller, Opal Whiteley, Euel Gibbons, Ann Lamott, Anne Frank, Cortia Kent, Chip Kidd, Dan Price, Anais Nin, Sark, Carl Jung, almost all Canadian fiction, Nathalie Goldberg, Joseph Campbell, to name a few. There is nothing better than a novel you can’t put down. All my web pen pals, many listed here, are a constant source of connection and life for me. I love people who live by example. Creative inspiration is contagious! I am so moved by this little circle of women.

Words of advice for those pursuing their creative goals.
Begin Now. Dream big. Keep moving forward. Research. Acknowledge successes. Connect with others on the path. Work at loving yourself. Trust. Cry (it’s o.k.) Connect again with others. Trust. Let go. Take time to fill yourself up again (down time). Reinvent when necessary. Trust.

Oh, I should also mention this one…All of my best ideas come when I am in the midst of playing or letting go. That relaxed state when we are not attached to outcomes, trying to impress, or needing to do good work. It took me many years (and a lot of bad art) to figure this one out. I’m still working on it.