LILY FROM COLOURLESS TO COLOURFUL, MY PROCESS OF MAKING IT IN A GLIMPSE

​After 2 years and 9 months, two courses, a few one on one sessions with a publisher, lots of reading, lots of watching how to videos, more than 20 (sometimes big, sometimes small) edits and three title changes later...  My picture book, Lily from colourless to colourful, is out in the world and on Dec 2nd, 2017 I got to celebrate the occasion, its launch, with wonderful people whose presence and support made that day even more special. See pictures:).

​My process in a glimpse:

​Yearning to create... to birth ideas into this world
A story arises, to carry a message that to my heart is dear
But how?  
Time elapses… and in the I don’t know a step is taken
 
Reaching out to a friend...  a direction to follow at last
Excitement… another step...then ...another....
Beginning to learn the hows
Of a traditional path reveled
 
A path, where in the end a box I see...oh no… that is not where I want to go
Pure expression is not good enough here, I hear
I am not perfect and that I know, but why...why can’t I ...
What to do? it’s not perfection that I seek, but the courage to continue
 
Confidence is shaken in its core...
Disappointment comes to say hello
How to stay in the uncomfortable unknown
When resistance, fear and voices saying ‘you can’t’ are getting louder?
 
Here… here… says my friend, another path exists
The Heart of It its called
Yes…yes… this is my path, I cheered
A path where my expression is encouraged and welcomed
 
Presenting more work to be done
But this is the path I chose
The path of creative freedom
Where expression before withheld returned 
 
It’s been a long journey, full of ups and downs, much learnings and lots and lots and lots of work...where many times I asked my self... why continue?
So why did I continue? Why did I poor uncountable hours without remuneration?  Why did I continue when many times my mind told me to stop?
I continued because my yearning to do so was much stronger... because, even though, the comfort zone is an easier place to be, I felt unfulfilled there... like Lily, in my story, I felt colourless, with lots of interfering thoughts giving me reasons for not doing anything and I no longer wanted to give those thoughts power.
My desire to share, what I believe to be, a beneficial message with the world and to birth one of my creations kept me going…kept me learning to balance other people’s opinions while remaining strong in my intention and what I believed important... kept me learning to see, respect and accept my limitations but to move forward, one step at a time, with my available inner and outer resources.
And that is why I continued, and I am sure glad I did it:)!