The Enemies of Growth - by Jessica Lanan

Over the years I have encountered a few creatures dwelling in my mind that can impede growth. Fortunately, these critters can be trained and kept in check. Below are my field notes from my experiences with the three most common species.

The Ego (Vanus Fragilis)

 Habitat: Your mind
Diet: Flattery and attention
Habits: Strictly solitary

The Ego is a sensitive soul. It craves reassurance and takes failure quite personally. Desperate to convince itself that it is valuable, the Ego and will avoid situations where failure might occur. "Don't enter the contest, don't send the manuscript!" the Ego will plead, because it's easier to say I didn't try than I didn't succeed.

Unfortunately for the Ego, failure is a necessary part of growth. We learn the most when we push ourselves out of our comfort zones and try new things. The best way to succeed is to increase our failure rate, and the best way to learn is to face our failures head on and look at what worked, what didn't, and why.

    Tips for Tempering an Ego:

• Avoid overfeeding. Egos gorge themselves on attention.
• Cultivate gratitude.
• Remember: The Ego is not you—it just lives in your mind.
• Set up a nice little Ego-cage in the back of your mind where it can stay out of the way.
• Stay away from junk foods like flattery, which lead to a bloated and irritable Ego.

The Critic (Incuso Virosa)

Habitat: Your Mind
Diet: Negativity
Habits: Venomous. Often nocturnal, brings up worries at bedtime.

A wild Critic can lash out at your work (or life in general) with potent venom. “You aren’t talented enough,” the Critic will whisper in your ear. “Look at this other person’s work. It’s so much better.” The Critic will dredge up your mistakes and mockingly parade them before your eyes at your moment of greatest weakness.

As terrible as it sounds, A Critic can be helpful if it is trained to come out only when needed. The Critic is handy when deciding which thumbnail composition is better and why, or editing that manuscript in the second draft. But if it starts telling you that everything you make is garbage or that you’re not nearly as good as so-and-so, it’s time to go back in the kennel.

Tips for Coping with a Critic:

•  Use a muzzle to keep it from biting
• Feed it as little negativity as possible. 
• Don’t let the Critic’s words become your own.
• It’s okay to tell it to settle down. (Yes, out loud. Try it, I dare you!)
• Critics shy away from laughter and fun. Remember fun?
• Surround yourself with positive, encouraging people.

The Sloth (Choloepus Languidus)

Habitat: Your Mind
Diet: Inactivity
Habits: None

The sloth really wants you to succeed. It does. But it would rather not give up its Netflix marathons and surfing Facebook on its phone.

The Sloth is the creature that will tell you that your first thumbnail is good enough. Why bother trying other compositions? It will discourage you from taking those figure drawing classes you need, because that sounds like a lot of work after all. If you have a feeling that you need to work on your craft but you never seem to get around to doing it, you might be contending with one of these creatures.

Not to worry! Sloths can be trained. When properly employed, a Sloth can stop you from becoming a perfectionist, particularly on the projects that just aren’t worth the time. If you’re getting paid a pittance for an illustration, it probably isn't time to make the Mona Lisa. All it takes to train a Sloth is a little bit of priority shifting and the adoption of some new habits.

Tips for Training a Sloth:

• Track your time and identify distractions.
• If online distraction is a problem, you can use LeechBlock (Firefox) or StayFocused (Chrome) to limit the sites you can visit during specific times.
• Put your phone out of reach and turn off notifications.
• Force yourself to work on a project for just 20 minutes. Chances are good that the Sloth will slink away as you start to have fun with the project.
• Work at a consistent time. Find a schedule that works for you.

In a Nutshell:

If you have a Critic, Ego or Sloth, don't beat yourself up over it. It's normal! Identify the species that is impeding your growth the most, and take a small step this week to help tackle it.

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Jessica Lanan is a children's book writer and illustrator living in Boulder, Colorado. See more of her work at jessicalanan.com, on facebook or twitter.

5 Tips For Children's Book Illustrators (and Writers!) On How To Keep From Getting In A Rut

No matter how experienced you are in the children's book publishing field, there's always room to grow. Here are a few ideas on how to keep from getting into a creative rut:

Keep learning.

If you get in the mindset that you know everything there is to know about the craft and business of children's book writing and illustration, you'll miss out on opportunities to widen your creative horizons as well as become a better writer/illustrator.

"I'm way to busy to learn anything new," you may be thinking, and may very well have a ton already on your plate: a day job, for instance, or children demanding your attention, impending deadlines, promotion and marketing efforts, and so on.

Try to set aside regular time, even if it's just an hour a week (or every two weeks, or every month) to purposely learn something new about the craft or business. Between those sessions, keep a list of any articles, websites, online tutorials, etc. that interest you.

Look for new ways to get inspired.

Some ideas:

- Attend SCBWI conferences and events.

- Surround yourself with creative people who inspire you.

- Browse blogs and social media feeds of people who inspire you.

- Take regular walks. Don't listen to music or audiobooks, but just let your thoughts wander. I find that whenever I'm getting frustrated or blocked during work, getting away from the Internet is sometimes a good thing.

- Go to the library or bookstore and browse picture books.

Try something different.

Experiment with art techniques different from your usual. Do you usually work with watercolor? Try acrylics. Is most of your art digital? Play around with some physical art materials. You don't need to spend a ton of money. Borrow crayons from your kids. Browse your local art store for sales.

Is your style cartoon-y? Try realistic. If realistic, try cartoon-y. Sure, your experimental drawings may suck, but you don't have to show anyone else.

Do you usually draw people? Try landscapes or architecture. Do you shy away from figure drawing? Force yourself to try it anyway, on a regular basis. You will get better over time.

Change up your work habits: when you work and how you work.

Never tried writing a picture book before? Start keeping an idea notebook. Collect story snippets. The more you write, the better you'll get.


Remember to play.

Don't get so bogged down in the stress of the business (trying to get published, angsting about reviews or sales, publishing politics, etc.) that you forget to play. Doodle for fun. Draw with your kids. If you don't have kids, draw with someone else's kids.

Write for fun. Keep a creative journal. Try Morning Pages.


BE BRAVE.

Fear of failure is one major reason that many children's book writers and illustrators tend to get into a rut. Another is complacency.

Be courageous. Yes, you may fail. I've failed more times than I can count. It can be embarrassing and disheartening at the time, but I've learned to give myself a day or less to wallow, then I move on.

What I've found: it's worth the risk.

So... what do YOU do to keep growing as a children's book illustrator and/or writer? Feel free to share below.

Debbie Ridpath Ohi illustrated I'M BORED, a picture book by Michael Ian Black and published by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. She is currently working on two more books for Simon & Schuster as well as HarperCollins. Twitter: @inkyelbows.