Fall road trip, writing, and overcoming limiting beliefs

No. 03 | October Newsletter

Dear friends,

Hope your October is off to a cozy start. I’ve just arrived home from a road trip with my dad and sister to the Gaspésie peninsula in the eastern region of Québec, something we’ve wanted to do for a long time.

Road trip across Québec

Over the course of a week, we made our way from southern Ontario to the town of Percé, driving through forested highlands and charming coastal towns, autumn colours in full force. We camped in a tent on the roof of our car in national parks along the way. Fortunately, we had beautiful weather during most of the trip.

My favourite moments from our trip were the daily routines we adopted like waking up early to catch the sunrise, morning coffee, and decadent oatmeal. It was refreshing to take a pause from day-to-day busyness and spend quality time with family.

Writing picture books

Recently, I’ve started taking writing more seriously and working on developing story ideas. I’d love to author-illustrate my own picture books someday.

I’ve found this book to be a great resource and starting point. It emphasizes the importance of studying the format and styles of old and contemporary children’s books. I imagine finding your writing voice is a lot like finding your artistic voice or style: a process of analyzing the works you love, distilling your influences, and experimenting.

I’ve been revisiting the picture books on my shelf with a critical lens and making trips to bookshops and the library to get familiar with what is currently being marketed. I also regularly meet up with illustrator friends over Zoom to read picture books together, which has also been a great way to discover new books.

A few of my current favourite picture books.

Mindset & limiting beliefs

I enjoy writing, but I never considered myself a writer. For a long time, I shrugged off the idea, believing I wouldn’t be good enough. It’s a limiting belief that has held me back from trying, and it’s something I’m actively working on changing.

I’ve come to believe that how we speak to ourselves directly influences the actions we take, and therefore the outcomes that are possible. And with practice and perseverance, skills can be improved over time.

If you make art, you are an artist. If you write, you are a writer. Regardless of whether you’re doing it in a professional capacity or as a hobby – that’s my opinion!

In the shop

If you’re interested, you can find gallery-quality giclée art prints (printed on 100% cotton rag archival paper with archival inks) in my INPRNT shop.

Between October 10-16, I’m offering a 20% discount with this coupon code: HMERFTG

Talk soon,
Danielle