Hi friends! Let's dig in.

Thanks for checking out this space. I’ve been sending out quarterly newsletters for over a year and have been looking for an easier method to stay in touch. Here, on Substack, I feel there is more opportunity for connection and community. In my updates, I usually share things like in-process art, demo videos, books I love, events, and more. (I also have lots of books to giveaway to subscribers!)

Why are we digging?

Well, thinking literally, you can dig a hole to plant seeds which will grow. Apply that figuratively and we’re talking about all the hard work that goes into making a book, an illustration, a whatever or wherever it goes – and how it grows. The cultivation.

This all started because I wrote a book called The Flower Garden. It’s an early reader graphic novel that began as a wordless picture book. It was a seed of an idea that grew and grew and grew. I like the concept of ideas growing like plants.

I also really just love flowers and gardening. It’s messy and beautiful at the same time. So, I decided to break my newsletter up into mix-and-match categories that I can pick from every time I update:

1. In the Garden (some thoughts that are blooming in my head right now)

2. In the Weeds (tangled thoughts I haven’t figured out yet)

3. In the Sun (what projects are in the spotlight)

4. Fertilizer (extra goodies and inspiration that keep me going)

5. Planting Seeds (sketchbook page shares)

6. Watering the Plants (giveaways, promos, general thank yous for being here)

7. Community Garden (events and appearances)

8. Garden Club (videos, chats, interactive elements)

*For those of you who look forward to my fully illustrated intros, I promise to still do that when time allows!

I hope you’ll subscribe and see how this grows.