Taking the leap of faith - Will it ever be the right time?

Warning, I am being a moaning minny so apologies for the doom and gloom, but I feel this is an important topic to cover. I am sure that I am not the only one out there who is going, or have gone through these struggles.

So good news first (yes there is some lol), I have officially been given another book to work on… yay! So that is two I am working on for the rest of the year. Now the bad news… it might well kill me ha ha. Well ok, maybe that’s a tad on the dramatic side,  but it is safe to say that I am going to be a teeny bit busy up until Christmas. For the first time ever I have had to tell people that I cannot physically do any more work until 2016. 

I am so grateful that I am fortunate enough to have job offers coming in but I  am also a little wary. I haven’t had a break since February now so I won’t lie…. as much as I am really looking forward to working on the new books I am also a little concerned that I will have yet another burn out spell. Generally I try not to do more than 2 books a year as they are quite time consuming. Juggling commissions around the day job, children and general day to day stuff is really quite tricky. I vowed when I was working on Animania and Animal Stories For The Young 4 earlier this year that I wouldn’t put myself in that situation again….. famous last words!

This year I have worked on 4 books plus my Animania colouring book. This is on top of a very complicated house move and a family health scare… just in case I get bored. It has been a year that has been quite ridiculous, at one point I really thought someone up there was having  a laugh.  As a result I have been run down with insomnia spells, woman flu, and what I can only describe as a panic attack, that was a horrible feeling! I have been more snappy and not listening to what others are saying, literally floating about in my own little bubble. It is not all doom and gloom some great things happened this year which I am so grateful for, I moved into a lovely home and will have my own little studio next year. I published my first book and finally seeing results with my work so there is a lot of good going on too.

However, here comes the moan….It has got to the point now that I am struggling to do this and my day job. My typical day comprises of getting up, doing the school run, go to work, school run, cook dinner, general housey and mumsy stuff then by about 8ish I can start painting/sketching. I occasionally have a day off but more often than not it doesn’t happen. In fact it has got to the point now that when I do actually watch something on telly I feel really guilty, it just feels so naughty sitting there and relaxing.... this isn't a healthy way to live your life.

Before I go off on a rant and play the “poor me” card I do want to stress that I love what I do and I am so so grateful that I have commissions coming in, but it’s getting to the point where I am having to seriously think about the future. There have been a few comments now that have hit home, the children have commented on the fact that I am art obsessed and working too much, my husband has said he wants his old wife back… can you imagine how heart breaking this is to hear. I hate that I am changing and I try so so hard to not get stressed or snappy but it just get’s too much at times. My biggest fear is that the children will grow up thinking that their Mum is some work obsessed mentalist who didn’t have time for them.

So last week I had to sit down and have “the chat” about the possibility of leaving the day job and doing this full time. Well it went down like a lead balloon and the whole thing was rather depressing. It really kicked me in the stomach, all I have been working towards is to do this full time and now I am beginning to think it will never happen and I am destined to either a) give it all up or b) just do it as a hobby or c) carry on working like a nutter and turn into some kind of crazy scary woman in the process, that everyone will come to resent. I stumbled across this quote and it sums up exactly how I feel right now  “It’s hard to wait around for something that may never happen; but it’s even harder to give up when you think it’s everything you want”  

You see my job works perfectly around the school hours and is quite well paid so at the end of the day, could I earn as much through what I am doing? The answer is, I really don’t know, it is such a risky choice to make. I was convinced I could make a go of this, but now I am feeling incredibly insecure about it all, what if it does all go pear shaped? At what point do I take the leap? Right now is not the right time but at what point is it the right time? Do I really have  to run myself to the ground to find out? So many questions have filled my head the last week.

I have seen many people make the transition but the majority is because they have been forced into the situation, the timing was right for them. They have no regrets though and even though there is that worry of an unsteady income the overall vibe I have received is that it was the best thing they ever did, they are living their dreams. But then there are some that are really struggling to find the jobs to pay for their rent. It is such a tough choice to make and something you cannot take lightly when you have little mouths to feed.

I am in limbo with the whole thing now. I have started contacting agents again, if I had an agent on my side then that would give me a security blanket but so far we are 7 rejections in and as much as I am trying to stay positive I am not so sure anymore. So where does this leave me? Well I will carry on as I am, get these two books finished and then assess the situation again. If any more jobs come in next year then something needs to change,  because I refuse to go through another year like that again. It is so so hard balancing family life, work life and pursuing a different career path but my family will always come first. The last week has been a real wake up call and it is time I start to prioritize things differently. I am going to have to be much quieter on social media for a start so apologies now for being distant.

I am normally a very positive person and always try to make others happy so I hate writing posts like this, but it is important to show that life isn’t always a bunch of roses. We all struggle and the black spells happen to everyone. I think that is why I always try to make people laugh or put on this positive happy, happy front, it’s because I know what  it’s like to feel worthless, insecure and inadequate…. Strong words I know, but this is genuinely how I feel at times, more so this year. It is a horrible feeling, but luckily these spells do pass and the majority of the time I am all about the lols. My heart goes out to people who suffer from depression because it must be awful when you can’t talk yourself out of it. When I have a bad spell I try really hard to focus on all the good, that helps me a lot. I also remind myself of the bigger things going on in the world and how my silly little meltdowns are really irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, there are people out there who are really suffering and do not have the things that I do. I have my health, my children, a loving husband, amazing family and friends and a roof over my head... there is a lot to smile about.

Anyway the remainder of my posts will all be happy, happy now for the rest of the year, even if I do age 20 years ha ha. I have taken my frown and turned it upside down.

Have you taken the leap of faith and left all that was comfortable to live your dreams? I could really do with some input on this one so please do leave a comment below.

To self publish or not self publish - A J Cosmo's success story

pic by http://confusedcartoon.blogspot.co.uk/

As you might be aware I recently self published my first children’s book Animania.

It was not a decision I took lightly, I off course wanted to try to get a traditional publisher on board. However after  a year of rejections from both agents and publishers I decided enough was enough, it was time to do this on my own.

In this day and age it is so simple to self-publish a book. I never thought I would say this but the actual production of the book is the easy part. How to market yourself and your work is a whole new ball game and one that I am still struggling to get my head around.

I have learned a lot the past year with the self publishing versus traditional publishing routes and I am continuing to learn each day. I think it will be a good couple of years until I have established myself as a children’s author. I have had a great start with it, but it is going to take more time and alot more writing/illustrating before I start seeing the results I am working towards.

One of the main ways I have taught myself about the wonderful world of publishing is by connecting with fellow creatives and swapping stories/ideas. I am always fascinated with everyone’s stories about how they have got to where they are today, it inspires me and keeps me motivated to keep going. I thought I would interview a few people that I look up to in the hope that their success stories will inspire me and other hopefuls out there. I will try and do this once a month as a new feature.

A J Cosmo is the first person I have chosen to quiz. This super lovely chap is a creative machine when it comes to writing and illustrating books. Over 40 self published books to date, and his first book was published only 4 years ago… see what I mean about a creative machine! When I first came across A J Cosmo earlier this year I remember going through his website and thinking wow, this is exactly how I would like to see myself a few years down the line. You can’t help but admire the level of success he has achieved all by himself. It just goes to show that self publishing can work providing that you have the passion and commitment to see it through. So here we have a few questions that I wanted to ask the man himself…

INTERVIEW WITH A J COSMO

You are an illustrator and an author; did you have any training in either field? 

I have always taken art and writing classes, my best subjects, and have an undergrad in fine art and a master in film with a minor in painting. I have also worked as an airbrush artist for many years, which gave me my speed, and written screenplays in my spare time to try to break into film.  

When did you realize this was your path in life? 

Children's books were one of many spokes I had in the fire when I found myself unemployed. People responded after the third piece and I have been creating children's book sever since. 

When did you publish your first title and how did it feel? 

My first children's book for Kindle came out in December of 2011. It was called Gordon's Gravy and has since been discontinued. It felt like a naked relief. I never expected fame or fortune, still don’t, but I was happy to simply have something out there. So much of my artistic life has revolved around asking permission; so simply publishing something, anything, was a breakthrough. 

The self-publishing industry has a huge learning curve. Did you find it easy to publish your first book? 

Publishing is easy. You can find hundreds of tutorials and services to get a book on Amazon. Publishing professionally, creating something of value people want, that's hard. Self-publishing has a bad reputation because so many people forget that our audience has been fed filet mignon for years. They have high expectations and want indie writers to match or exceed the professionalism of traditional publishers.  

Did you invest much financially in your first book? 

No. Doing almost everything myself, I invest very little in each of my books. Doing things this cheaply means that I spend a huge amount of time on each project. Luckily I am quick. It also means that I have had to acquire every skill that a book needs to be created. The past four years have been one long education. I do not recommend people break the bank with each book. Rather, spend thriftily and where it matters (cover and content) and expect that your investment will never show returns.  

You have self published all of your titles, did you ever try to go down the traditional publishing route and how did you find it? 

I have tried half-heartedly and still think of trying to this day. Traditional publishers frustrate me because everything is on their terms and they are painfully slow. It's also bizarre to talk to traditionally published authors who brag about their one book and be looked down upon myself for having sold twenty times their numbers. 

What made you decide to go down the self-publishing route? 

Fear of rejection from traditional publishers and ease of entry combined with the newness of the technology. It became a job as soon as I started treating it like one and it definitely gives back in proportion to what I put in. 

What are your top 3 dos and don'ts for self-publishing? 

Do 

1) Be professional. 

2) Pay attention to your market. 

3) Be humble, expect nothing. 

Don't 

1) Carelessly throw anything out there. 

2) Assume that you cannot be better. 

3) Rely on magical thinking, easy solutions, or other people.  

At what point in your career did you feel like you were on the right track and started to see significant results? 

There's an assumption that once you do well you will always do well. Make no mistake, I struggle same as everyone else. I have had mind-blowing months and heartbreaking months. You cannot have success without failure and often they are mixed together. I'm just now coming out of a personal recession, so to speak, and I'm still not entirely sure whose fault the whole ordeal was. Regardless, if this is something you want, expect to keep working even after you do well. That's why it's so important to value the craft over the rewards. 

I have found marketing to be the hardest part about self-publishing. Did you have any help with this or was it a case of picking things up as you go along? 

I have asked many questions of people who call themselves marketers. I have read many books on marketing, taken many online courses, read articles, and watched countless videos, but the most useful advice I ever found was that you need to be of use to other people. No one cares that you wrote a book; they care if you can help them make their life easier. If your book can stop a child from crying at night, you will sell a billion copies. Realizing that the customer, the reader, is the most important person in the world is the first step in effective marketing and is what I stress when teaching marketing to others.  

Have you ever paid for help with marketing and if so was it beneficial? 

Yes I have and I encourage everyone to try whatever he or she can at least once. What works for one person may not work for another. As for me, the most useful paid advertisement has been with the email blaster services such as BookBub and FreeBooksy. Those both require either substantial discounts or for you to offer books free, so to take full advantage of them you need to have an email subscription shell around their promotion. 

I was researching awards recently but was quite shocked with the fees for entering. What is your view on awards and paying for reviews, in your opinion is it worth the investment?

Awards can be a cash cow to the creators of the awards (same with contests) so you would do well to research the notoriety of the award before entering. You want an award that is hard to get and that people care about. Unfortunately, so many authors have slapped award seals on their books that I'm afraid it has lost a lot of meaning (same as palm fronds with films) so the value of the award might be in the recognition that the award gives to its audience, not on what you can stick on your book. 

I have found the journey so far to be a rollercoaster of emotions, a mix of extreme highs and lows. Did you go through similar feelings when you were starting out? 

Always have and always will. Fear is a sibling of creativity. Depression is the shadow of joy. Even the simplest walk has a vast variety of surfaces on the path. It's best to make peace with your emotions and use all that as a fuel to power you. I believe in feeling emotions fully, cherishing them, and then releasing them. It can be very good to be afraid. 

What plans do you have for your future writing and illustrating?

I plan on continuing to create, market, and help in whatever ways I can. I just want to be able to continue to do what I'm doing because it feels right. Sure, other things may come up, but I plan on producing at least one book a month until something stops me. There are a huge variety of projects on the slate from new middle-grade novels, to sequels, to multimedia iBooks, as well. I want to create something for everyone. 

What would be the biggest bit of advice that you would give people like me that have only just dipped their toes in the huge self-publishing ocean? 

Three steps: 

1) Decide if this is really what you want. Some people may only wish to publish one book and be done, that's perfectly fine. 

2) Be honest with yourself. Look at your work like others would. See the faults and the strengths. Look at your work like a stranger would look at you, not someone who is invested in you. 

3) Never stop learning. This industry changes quickly. Learn everything you can about business, marketing, art, graphic design, publishing, everything, and teach whenever you can (the best way to learn.) Knowledge will give you confidence and confidence will give you endurance. 

Thank you Corrina for this opportunity to speak. It was a pleasure. 

If any readers have a question for me I'm always available through email at aj@ajcosmo.com 

You can contact AJ at:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Thank you so much for the fantastic interview AJ, you are a true inspiration… keep up the fantastic work!. AJ has always been so helpful when I have had any questions, so do get in touch with him if there is anything I haven’t covered here.

I still have a lot to learn but the biggest thing that came as a shock to me was the harsh realization that selling books is HARD work!. Please don’t be disheartened if you don’t sell many copies. I had a huge amount of support when I published Animania but the actual sales of the book was incredibly disappointing, to the point where I had a bit of a grey spell over it. I soon found out though that this is quite normal and even AJ himself said that the average sales of your first book is 20 copies! Well that made me feel a load better and I have been plugging away ever since. Sales are beginning to trickle in now and I am sure there will be more once I start getting myself out there in person. There is only so much you can do online, it is time to now see how sales go through things like author visits, Christmas fairs etc.

As they say “Rome wasn’t built in a day” so even if initial sales are disappointing you mustn’t give up, keep plugging, get yourself out there and start writing and producing more books. It will take time but with strength and determination you can get there. I won’t lie deciding to go solo is scary, there is a lot to get your head around but the actual process of getting the product together is really very simple and very affordable. I encourage anyone to give it a go, you really can’t lose with it. The hard bit is the work after, but if you like a challenge and have the passion then anything is possible, AJ is a prime example of this.

Have you self published a book? Do you have any tips on what helped you with your journey? If so please do leave a comment. If you have any questions at all then do feel free to ask me, I may not know an awful lot right now but I know a lot of people who do ;)

Happy writing xx

Animania Meets Critterish Allsorts - We Learn About Animals and the Healing Power of Pet Therapy

Me and Stoosh

As mentioned in my previous post Animania sponsors Critterish Allsorts I decided earlier this year to sponsor Critterish Allsorts through my new book Animania. Well last month we actually went to visit Dale and his critters to learn more about the animals and the organization. We had the best day ever and learned so much. It will be a day that none of us will forget in a hurry.

We were introduced to every one of the critters and had a cuddle with a few too. What amazed me was how all of them were more than happy being handled by complete strangers. It just shows how much time and commitment Dale puts into looking after and caring for his animals.

I wanted to explain in more detail what this organization is about, so here is an interview with the man himself.

Interview with Dale Preece Kelly, founder of Critterish Allsorts

How long have you been running Critterish Allsorts?

Critterish Allsorts was founded in August 2010 so a little over 5 years

What made you decide to get into pet therapy?

I got the opportunity to work inside a secure psychiatric hospital with people with severe mental health problems (like paranoid schizophrenia, psychosis, severe depression etc) with brain injuries and severe forms of aspergers and autism. I saw the difference my visits made to these people and had psychologists and speech therapists asking how it managed to get the responses it did. The fact I was helping people, well I was facilitating my animals to help people, made me feel very proud and fulfilled. It’s such a great feeling. I decided there and then this was the direction I wanted to follow with Critterish Allsorts rather than the traditional animal man route - this was a really special thing to do. So I set about researching everything I possibly could about pet therapy and realised that nobody else was using the animals I was using in this way, people were just using dogs cats rabbits and horses. That was in 2011, I am now recognised worldwide as a pioneer in the field

How do you become a qualified pet therapy practitioner?

At the time there were no college courses I could attend, no degrees to do, I was the only person doing it in this way with this range of species. I found an online course with the British School of Yoga. It was based around dogs and horses but the course materials and content were excellent. It taught me a lot - the history, techniques, counselling methods etc more importantly it taught me why and how it worked and allowed me to understand exactly what I am doing with my animals. At the same time, I taught the college a lot about using different types of animals in different ways - they were blown away by my assignments and case studies, using skunks and reptiles and insects. I won their student of the year award!! There is now a degree course at a university in Yorkshire, but that too is a distance learning course. A lot of universities teach about my work when students courses touch in animal assisted therapy, and every year I get approached by anywhere up to 30 students who want to do dissertations on my work or come and make academic studies of its effects. That’s a great feeling. I believe I am still the only "animal man"/animal encounter company who is qualified as an animal assisted therapy practitioner. Many companies offer pet therapy, but many give a type of animal assisted activity, they do not practice the therapy side, which has real identifiable and measurable goals. I do both working one to one with patients and mental health professionals, to give measured results to the patients. If it was not a successful treatment there is no way that we would have the contracts that we do with the huge public and private corporations that we do

How many animals make up the Critterish Allsorts team?

Somewhere between 50 and 60 unless the stick insects have babies in which case it can increase by more than a hundred!!

Can you tell us a bit about the healing powers of pet therapy?

There are so many. Animals don’t judge for starters, they expect nothing, they ask no questions. Animals just exude love and thats all that many people need. For psychiatric patients it offers a focus that takes their minds off everything else thats going on, to be able to just sit with their thoughts and feel loved and wanted by another being. The most profound thing I have had a patient tell me came from a paranoid schizophrenic who told me that when he was with my animals all of the voices in his head disappeared and he was free of noise. That made me cry, to think you have done something like that for somebody who has been plagued by voices for decades just blew me away. He was able to have rational lucid conversations with his doctors for the first time. For others its the only session they will attend because it offers them respite from the pressures. Patients who identify with snakes (each person identifies with a different animal as their therapy animal) get 4 dimensions and snakes do wonders for self esteem...imagine feeling really down about yourself and then doing something nobody else is prepared to do. Suddenly you feel like a hero and so good about yourself. I am currently developing a new revolutionary form of animal assisted therapy that will go into territory as yet uncharted but more on that when its developed (thats an exclusive)

What is the most rewarding part about your job?

Seeing what it does for people. When we are educating it’s how it affects the kids. The looks on their faces when they meet and interact with the animals and the interest they take. With the therapy work, its’ just watching in awe at how amazing my animals are, they seem to know what they are there for and act differently in both settings. They make me so proud, and the results that they achieve are phenomenal. Such a satisfying aspect of it. I also love that I am one of the only people in the world doing what I do the way that I do it, it makes me very proud of what I have accomplished. I’ve always said from day 1 that if I won the lotto or for some other reason became a millionaire, I  would continue to do the work but I would do it for free

What future plans do you have for Critterish Allsorts? 

Who knows what the future holds? I have never had a business plan, I just let the universe guide me (try explaining that to a bank manager) but its worked so far. I come into contact with people by chance and they change the direction of my life. I am a completely different person now than I was in 2010...better, more grounded, I have a better understanding of how all sentient beings work, I work personally on a higher plain than I did then (if that makes sense - I don’t mean I’m above anyone but that I understand more about life about what makes me tick and everything else...in the last 5 years I’ve discovered myself), I have also grown with my animals (I am connected spiritually with each and every one of them and we have a true relationship, they are not just my pets, they are my friends, they are my heroes, they are my equals, they are my colleagues, they are me we are one, they speak and I hear – that’s one of the most important and special things that we have and it’s what makes it work so well).....this possibly sounds like a really pretentious answer – it’s not meant to nor is it my intention but its honest. I have no plans for the future I take everything a day at a time, recent events have taught me that lifes too short to plan anything, you just have to live for the now because truthfully tomorrow is of no consequence until tomorrow. Makes living life so easy. I’ve also discovered a spiritual side in the past 6 months that I never realised I had and I am very much in touch with that, and I know from 4 years of believing the universe will see me right, that whenever I am in need the universe will provide (I could cite so many examples of when it has) so long as I lead my life in the right way and think in the right way too (if any of that makes sense)

You are also the author of the life changing book Organic Guniea Pig. Have you ever thought about writing books based on your animals?

Haha...many times Corrina, but I never thought I could write. Then I met Gerry Roberts when I attended one of his talks, completely random decision. Went on my own, took it all in, and got really excited about it. Went away and wrote that book in 3 months !! I am now working on my 2nd book "You Can" which will hopefully inspire people to follow their dreams as I have for the last 5 years - this one is taking me longer to write unfortunately, due to current demands on my time, but its all good it will be written. I also have another 6 which I have titles for. Now that I know how, nothing will stop me !! I love writing.

In terms of writing about my animals....there may be a book about my work at some point.  I did consider writing some kids books about the animals adventures and that would be really kewl, but I had no idea how to do it or how I would illustrate them - Success Skunks has allowed me to become connected with a few children’s authors and illustrators, but I think I'll leave the children’s books to the experts (hint hint!)

I wont write any kids books now, when I had the opportunity the time wasn’t right for me. If someone else wanted to write them, emphasising the great work they do, then that would make me very happy because they deserve the recognition and kids are always so interested in the idea of animal assisted therapy esp in the States. I visited a high school in Virginia last year to take part in a class and debate on the subject with a group of final year students. I became the mentor of the student who organised it all and she graduated with top marks

 ********************************************************

Thank you so much Dale for such a fascinating and insightful interview. I am sure a lot of people will be enlightened and touched by it, I certainly was. I am also a great believer in the power of positive thinking and trying to live your life to it’s full potential despite what life may throw at you. I wonder if anybody else out there can relate to this spiritual side too. Do you ever feel that sometimes your life is mapped out? I do at times, you try and go down one path and then things happen forcing you down another. I see any failure or disappointment (and trust me, I have had a few !) on my part as a stepping stone to something better. I may not be where I want to be right now but I am quite content living in the now, even if it does get hard going at times. There is a lot to smile about and meeting Dale and his critters was an experience that my little brood will never forget.

I can’t explain why I was drawn to help Critterish Allsorts, I had never met Dale before, I hadn't even spoken to him before yet something touched my heart and I wanted to help. People didn’t get why I was doing it and it certainly raised a few eyebrows. I can’t explain it myself, it was never part of my plan… it just felt right and things just slotted into place naturally. Over the last few months I have got to know Dale well and we are very similar with our beliefs and outlook on life. He is one of the nicest and kindest people I know, it’s another example of how some people come into your life for a reason. 

I have no idea where things are going, Like Dale I am leaving it all up to the universe, yes I will work really hard but not a clue where it will take me. I am just looking forward to what other fun opportunities come up. For now I am really looking forward to Animania and Critterish Allsorts first joint school visit in October at my children’s school. I am sure there will be other collaborations between the two of us in the near future. I would love to think one day we can work on an animal book together, watch this space.

Have you had any experiences with pet therapy or using the power of positive thinking? If so I would love to hear them so please do leave a comment below.

You can contact Critterish Allsorts via:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Don't Let Being an Introvert Stop You From Living Your Creative Dreams

If somebody outlined what I do now to a younger me years ago I would have thought they were having me on. See, I have never been your little Miss Confident. I am getting much better with age but I have always been a very quiet person. I was quite shy as a child and painfully shy as a teenager. I barely spoke a word in my teens. 

Over the years I have overcome this by literally throwing myself at any challenges that come  my way. I try to embrace every ‘scary opportunity’ as an opportunity to gain a little bit more confidence.  I still get scared and hate hate hate public speaking. I don’t think I will ever overcome it fully, but I am much more comfortable in my own skin now. This blog is to reach out to all other introverts out there and say, look,  if I can do it…. anyone can!

As you can imagine being an introvert does not go hand in hand with splashing yourself all over social media and trying to market yourself. If you want to get your product in the hands of people you need to jump out of your comfort zone and get yourself out there. Easier said than done I know, but if you start taking baby steps now then you will start to see a difference and before you know it, you will be ready to embrace any challenge that comes your way, heck you might even enjoy them!

Do you know, most creatives I have spoken to over the years are actually quite shy. They would much rather sit in their studio and just paint, or stay in the comfort of their study writing, I would too! But that isn’t the way you will get your work noticed. You need to get out of your comfort zone and start connecting with other creatives and you will soon see many opportunities coming your way. I am not promising that these tips will make you the next Steven King or Andy Warhol, but what I can promise is that it will build your confidence. You will soon start meeting like minded folk who will want to include you in their brainstorming sesssions, and hopefully make some very special friendships along the way.

So how can you take control and combat those fears?

Found on engelta.hubpages.com

1. GET SOCIAL ONLINE

When I started out on my artistic rebirth journey one of the first things I did was to discover the wonderful world of social media. Now, this is a great way to connect with people in the comfort of your home and the more you do it the more comfortable you will feel with interacting with others.

The first page I set up was my facebook page and then from there I started signing up to all sorts of art sites and social media sites to get my work out there. I have found that it is best to stick with just a few rather than plastering yourself all over the internet. Try them all out to begin with, then find the ones that you connect with the most and stick to them. When I first started out my top sites were Facebook, Fanart, RedBubble and Deviantart. 

http://www.fanartreview.com/  was the site that pushed me down the illustrating path and was the most sociable and interactive site I found. You could post artwork on the site and had the option to promote this on their home page. To do this you would have to review other artists work in exchange for member dollars which you would then use to promote your own work. It was quite a time consuming site to be part of, but back then I had nothing else going on so I thoroughly enjoyed it. They even held competitions  and had chat forums, so it was a very social site.

They also had a sister site called Fan Story  where the artists had the option to share their work with the authors so that they could use them for the writing they posted. I will always be grateful for my time on this site, without it I might never have stumbled into the illustrating world.

When I first joined up I was very nervous about posting my work, I was incredibly insecure about what I produced, and I was intimidated by the other art that was clearly of a professional standard. I will never forget posting that first painting and thinking ”please be nice, please be nice”. Well long story short it was the best thing I did and I met some wonderful people through it.

These days my platforms of choice are Facebook and Twitter with Instagram and Pinterest in the background, I really must get back into them. Oh and a little nosey on Linkedin now and again.

I can’t advise which ones will suit you, all I can say is give them all a go and then stick with the ones you like the most, only you will know which feels right.

Twitter for me really opened up a  floodgate of opportunities and new connections. It’s a bit strange to begin with, but stick with it. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing on there at first and thought the whole thing was a ridiculous concept. Try it for a fortnight, follow people, retweet posts you like, look for groups to join and I can guarantee you will love it. Within a month I was meeting all sorts of people and have made some great friendships through it. As a start you can follow these groups which I highly recommend. All are a great way to meet other people with the same interests:

Twitter group for Illustrators:

@Daily__Doodle

@Clr_Collective

@Sketch_Dailies

@pinchpunchpost

Twitter group for Authors:

@KidLiterature

@inkspokes

2. DON'T BE AFRAID TO REACH OUT TO PEOPLE

One of the biggest things I have learned over the years is that there are some wonderful people out there who are all willing to share their knowledge with you. I have learned the majority of what I know today through my connections with other like minded peeps. If I get stuck with any technical issues or even get stuck with a drawing or concept there has always been someone there to give me some advice.

Most people love to chat to others and offer advice so don’t feel afraid to reach out to people.  My approach is very much a bull in a china shop, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t he he. You have absolutely nothing to lose so make the first move, say hi, compliment them on their work and show an interest, before you know it friendships will be formed and great connections made. Also don’t take it personally if you don’t get a reply, these things happen and it really is no reflection on you as a person, the creative bunch are ridiculously busy! So the odd snub here and there is perfectly normal. Don’t be intimidated to reach out to the high profile creatives either, from my experience they have all been interactive and have answered any questions I have had. Don’t forget we all had to start somewhere once so don’t be intimidated with reaching out to the pros, they are more than happy to help with any questions you have.

3. GET SOCIAL OFFLINE

Another thing I did at the beginning was join my local art club. Now I was a bag of nerves as you can imagine, walking into a room full of people I didn’t know was incredibly daunting. I won’t lie, it was scary but at the same time I knew that it would really help me out. Not only to meet other people but also to improve my skills. There are usually local clubs for artists and writers, if there isn’t then why not start one?

I have been involved in all sorts of little events over the year that has lead to social occasions with other artists and meeting new people. Once you start getting yourself out there and start connecting with people who have the same interest, you will soon find a whole new world open up. I can’t comment on the author side of things as this area is very new to me, but I know for artists, there are loads of opportunities out there. Art clubs, local art oganizations, art trails and tours. Have a google and see what’s near you then sign up!

4. REPEAT AFTER ME "I CAN DO THIS"

As Richard Branson quoted “If someone offers you an amazing opportunity and you’re not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later” This is very much how I do things, what harm can it do after all.  So I have got involved in all sorts of different ventures the last few years and this year is no exception. I was asked to read to my children’s school earlier this year…. Aaaaarrrggh! Me and public speaking are not best friends! But I did it, and you know what….. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had absolutely nothing to worry about.  Ask me again when I have to do it again in October he he. 

The biggest challenge so far was an hr long live interview on The Ron Shaw Show on the 17^th of August. I really put my poor little body through the paces with that one. I was in what one can only be described as a “state” on the day itself and the butterflies started a week before. Yes I didn’t want to do it, I was petrified but I kept telling  myself “What is the worse that can happen?” Life moves on and if it really was terrible people would soon forget about it. If it was truly awful then it could probably even work in my favour as it might attract more listeners he he. Anyway I did it…. and you know what?.... I absolutely loved it! Even though everybody kept telling me I would be fine, I really didn’t feel that way on the day, but they were right.

So as the good old saying goes, “There is no such thing as can’t” Yes you will be scared and yes sometimes things don’t go as well as you would have hoped for, but at least you are trying. You can’t control what happened yesterday or what will happen tomorrow so try to live for the now. Keep telling yourself that you can do this!

I hope this blog inspires other introverts, it is a horrible trait to have at times but it doesn’t need to control you. Baby steps in the right direction is all it needs.

Have you had to overcome the dreaded introvert curse? What techniques did you use to overcome a fear on a particular situation? I would love to know, so please do leave a comment below.

And if you fancy a giggle here is my interview with Ron Shaw:

http://66.49.193.35/ArtistFirst_Ron_Shaw_2015-08-17.mp3

http://artistfirst.com/ronshaw.htm  Twitter: @RonGizmo