A PSA discussion thread: defining your creative purpose
Do you have some words that help you define your creative purpose?
Or a mission/vision statement of sorts?
Please share in the comments!
Here are my words: validation, comfort, and hope.
Because that’s my goal for every project I work on: to offer kids validation, comfort, and hope.
If what I’m working on doesn’t do that (from what I can tell), it’s not worth pursuing in my mind. Why? Probably because that’s what I’ve figured out books/stories/stuff-I-took-in offered me as a kid, what I needed.
Validation: to know there are other people who feel similarly to you, think similarly, that there is also another way than just the one you may be exposed to—and that you, like each character—are part of something bigger.
Comfort: to be soothed by story, to get a break from troubles and instead receive reciprocity, that gift of being inside someone else’s internality, perhaps their triumphs already behind them or their struggles not yours precisely (or perhaps they are!).
Hope: to know that stories exist, that people who make them do too, that the planet is vast and the characters, the worlds in books might be those you can visit or even live with or in too.
Online panel announcement!
And I’m excited to share this event in case you’d like to join! I’ll be moderating a virtual panel with special folks all about finding a path that’s in line with your writing/creating purpose and serves it.
Online children's book panel and Q&A with authors (and an author-illustrator) who’ve broken the rules to find routes for stories that matter to them featuring Leila Boukarim,Robert Liu-Trujillo, and Navjot Kaur of Saffron Press.
(A recording will be provided for folks who can't be there live—but the Q&A is most beneficial for attendees.)
Hear from picture book authors who've found creative solutions to get their stories to readers—even when it means traveling unconventional paths, breaking "rules," or figuring it out on their own. We'll explore common obstacles for creators, especially those with marginalized identities, as well as how to find new horizons and opportunities that feel in line with your stories and what matters to YOU.
Danielle, I love this. Your words are so clearly demonstrated in your work! I wish I could have attended the panel on Friday! How did it go?
Thank you, Kimberly! The panel was a rich time! I'll be sharing some quotes fro our panelists here and on IG soon. Appreciate you.
Three words for me would be expression, joy, and mental health.
Ooo, yes yes to all!