My Creative Life By Nancy Miller

Hi Everyone, my guest is Lina Callisto, a surface designer based in Montreal, Canada. She creates artwork that straddles the line between soft and bold, bringing products and spaces to life. She also help clients turn their unique visions into reality through freelance work. ​ To see Lina's work visit: https://www.linacallisto.com/ Lina's Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/lina.callisto/ Thank you for listening!

Hi Everyone, my guest today is Carolyn Fraiser, children's book author of Moon Tree published by Reycraft Books. Moon Tree was chosen as a Junior Library Guild Gold’s Standard Selection. She is also the author of Our Solar System: Moons. She is represented by Tara Gonzalez of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. To learn more about Carolyn visit: Website: https://carolynbfraiser.com/ Twitter: https://www.twitters.com/carolynbfraiser Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolynbfraiser/ Thank you for listening!

Hi Everyone, I had the opportunity to chat with Mikia Kopanski, Instructor of Graphic Design and Visual Storytelling. I met Mika in my motion media class and wanted to learn more about his thesis research and teaching higher education. To see more of Mika's work visit: https://www.instagram.com/mjericho82/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikakopanski/ Thank you for listening!

Hi Everyone, I got an insightful question during a school visit asking how I handle anxiety and creating art. I wanted to share my perspective on it. I hope my fellow artists know you are not alone. I provided some tips and ways I look at things to keep making art. Thanks for listening! To see my art visit: https://www.nmillerillustration.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/nmillerillo Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/nmillerillustration/

Hi Everyone, my guest today is Scott Boyd, video editor for Zealot Inc. Here is a bit about Scott. Scott Boyd Award-winning video editor working at Zealot Inc, creating trailers, TV spots, and digital content for high-profile clients, including Disney, Sony, Netflix, and HBO.  To see Scott's work visit: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/scottandrewboyd Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottandrewboyd/ Thanks for listening!

Hi Everyone! I'm talking today about the Pros and Cons of getting an MFA. I tell people to research what fits best for their situation and interests. I finished my MFA about 8 months ago, and I noticed I got asked by others about getting their MFA.  Here are some other interviews that talk about it: MFA A Bad Idea https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O_BO3hf_bk John Hedrix Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itf2Y4muT7w Here are some of the online schools I tried: https://schoolism.com/ svslearn.com https://www.elizabethsilver.com/ https://www.domestika.org/en/courses/popular https://www.skillshare.com/en/ Thank you for listening!

Hi Everyone, I have my lovely return guest TeMika Grooms, Illustrator. She is the illustrator of "Put Your Shoes On and Get Ready!" by Raphael G. Warnock. TeMika shares the recent NYC SCBWI Conference Event and her process for creating her illustrations. To learn more about TeMika visit her website: http://www.temikatheartist.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeMikaTheArtist Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/temikatheartist/ Thank you for listening!

Hi Everyone, today, my special guest is Dr. Sarah Park Dahlen. She is an associate professor at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research addresses transracially adopted Koreans in children’s literature, Frank Carpenter and Frances Carpenter and their writings for children, and diversity in children’s literature and library education.  To learn more about her work: https://sarahpark.com/ Here is a link to the APALA Rubric to Evaluate Asian American and Pacific Islander Youth Literature: https://www.apalaweb.org/talkstorytogether/resources/apala-youth-literature-evaluation-rubric/ Thank you for listening!

Hi Everyone, my special guest today is Laura Lacámara, award-winning children's book author and illustrator. Here is more about Laura.  Cuban-born Laura Lacámara is the award-winning author and illustrator of Dalia’s Wondrous Hair / El cabello maravilloso de Dalia (Piñata Books), a bilingual picture book about a clever girl who transforms her unruly hair into a vibrant garden. Laura also wrote Floating on Mama’s Song / Flotando en la canción de mamá, a bilingual picture book inspired by her mother, who was an opera singer in Havana. Illustrated by Yuyi Morales and published by HarperCollins, Floating on Mama’s Song was a Junior Library Guild Selection for Fall 2010 and was a Tejas Star Book Award Finalist for 2011-2012. Laura illustrated the 2012 Tejas Star Book Award winner, The Runaway Piggy / El cochinito fugitivo (Piñata Books), as well as Alicia’s Fruity Drinks / Las aguas frescas de Alicia (Piñata Books). Laura recently illustrated Mamá the Alien / Mamá la extraterrestre (Lee and Low Books, 2016),

Hi Everyone!  I had the pleasure of speaking with Marsalis Eason, a Contemporary Film Photographer currently residing in Savannah, Georgia. He was kind enough to share his artistic journey and how he balances a full-time job and pushes the boundaries of storytelling through his photography. See his work at: https://www.delaselis.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/delaselis Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delaselis/ Thank you for listening!

 Hi Everyone, my special guest is Shirley Ng-Benitez, award-winning children's book author and illustrator. She was kind to share her experience of going out on sub with her manuscript and then to get the call that it had been acquired! Yeah!! Here is more about Shirley and her wonderful cause Awetober! Shirley Ng-Benitez I love art and I’m so grateful to be able to connect through it with others. I’m always experimenting with traditional media: watercolor, gouache, pencil, dip pen & ink, and recently painted & cut-paper collage. I’ve worked as a Professional Lettering Artist for American Greetings, was an art director, print manager, and designer for various design firms in Arizona and California, and then started GabbyandCo.com, my design firm, creating logos, marketing materials, and product design for the health, technology, retail, food, toy, and publishing industries. In ’09, I followed my dream to illustrate books for children, and have since had the honor of illustrating over 30. Compass

Hi Everyone, today's guest is Lisa Low Stauffer, children's book author and co-regional advisor for the SCBWI Southern Breeze. This interview with Lisa was full of information on becoming a published children's book author. She read her lovely story Two by Two, and she talked about her path to publication. It was fantastic! Here is more about Lisa: Although I secretly longed to write fiction since childhood, first I wrote my way through journalism, marketing, consulting, travel writing, and poetry. My work has appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Miami Herald, Literary Mama, Stories for Children, and numerous business websites, brochures, newsletters, press releases and magazine articles. Today, I write picture books for children. I live in Roswell, Georgia, which is near Atlanta, and I’m a volunteer (Co-Regional Advisor) with the Southern Breeze region of SCBWI. Travel is one of my family’s chief hobbies, so don’t be surprised if my blog post sometimes becomes a travel bloggi

Hi Everyone, my special guest today is Charise Harper, award-winning author and illustrator of picture books, chapter books, graphic novels, and comics. Here is more about Charise. Award-winning author and illustrator Charise Mericle Harper delivers a fantastically funny picture book about doing the impossible: drawing a horse. A children's metafiction book about creativity and imaginative play centered around an art lesson, Harper cleverly shows readers how drawings are a collection of recognizable shapes put together to create something new. Here is a link to her site:  http://www.chariseharper.com/ Charise's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chariseharper/ Thank you for listening!

Hi Everyone, my guest today is Taryn Cozzy, Creative Director for the Superhero Project. She is also an animator and illustrator currently in NC. I was fortunate to have worked with Taryn on a poster for the Superhero Project. It was an honor, and I recommend any artists that like to give back please check out their site for more details. Here is more about Taryn: Born and raised in Vermont, Taryn now lives in Burbank as an animator and freelance illustrator. She's illustrated 7 children's books and loves hiking, eating new foods, watching movies, and singing. Taryn's Website: https://www.taryncozzy.com/ Taryn's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_ptaryndactyl_/ The Superhero Project: https://www.superheroprojectkids.org/ Thanks for listening!

Hi Everyone, my guest today is Amanda Bennett, a Fibers Artist based out of Savannah, GA. Here is more about Amanda. Amanda Bennett is an interdisciplinary artist based in Savannah, Georgia.  Her work investigates how biomaterials can act as a conduit for storytelling that reconnects us to nature and provides a more ecologically-responsible approach to material-making. See her work at: https://www.amandahopebennett.com/ or https://www.instagram.com/amanda_h_bennett/ Thanks for listening!

Hi Everyone, my special guest is Jill Burns of Nestbox. Jill is a surface designer and illustrator who created work for HomeGoods, Trader Joe's, and Pistachio. We met through Elizabeth Silver's Surface Design Business Course. Jill has experience starting two successful creative businesses! To see her work visit: https://www.nestboxstudio.com/  or on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nestboxstudio/ Thank you for listening!

Hi Everyone, I have updates with Keith Lee and Broly Su on their art journey and getting an agent. Seeing how their careers have flourished since I last spoke with them was great. Both are award-winning illustrators and continue to pursue their passions in illustration. They cover the steps they went through to get signed by their agents. I hope this discussion is helpful for you when looking for an agent. To see their work, visit: Keith Lee: https://keithleeillustration.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithleeillustration/ Broly Su: https://www.brolysu.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/8rolysu/ Here is a link to Workbook that Broly mentioned: https://www.workbook.com/ Thanks for listening!  Please subscribe for future episodes.

Hi Everyone today, my guest is Benson Shum, Animator, Children's Book Author and Illustrator. Benson talks about his start in animation and how he went on to work on writing and illustrating his first picture book. He offers advice to young students wanting to start a career in animation. Here is more about Benson: Benson Shum is a children's book author and illustrator. The idea that an image or painting can evoke emotions and movement is what brought him to the world of picture books and animation. Benson uses watercolor, ink and digital tools to create his illustrations. His newest book, Anzu the Great Kaiju received a starred review from School Library Journal and was selected for the Kid's Indie Next List for Jan/Feb 2022 by American Booksellers Association.  Alex's Good Fortune was also selected for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library 2022. Benson is also an Animator at the Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he was a part of such films as Frozen, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Moana, Frozen 2, Raya an

Hi Everyone, my special guest today is Donald Sutton, children's book author and illustrator. Donald was kind enough to share what he has learned during his studies at Hollins University for his MFA in Children's Book Writing and Illustration. Here is more about Donald: ​ Donald is a children's book author/illustrator and a 2020 We Need Diverse Books Illustration mentee.  He is a multi-disciplined artist with backgrounds in visual development for animation, graphic design, and photography. Overall, he loves creating entertaining stories about diversity, representation, joy, and empowerment for children from all backgrounds, including the underrepresented ones for both picture books and graphic novels.  To see Donald's work visit: https://www.donaldadsutton.com/ https://www.instagram.com/dons_kreation/ https://twitter.com/dons_kreation https://www.tiktok.com/@dons_kreation Thank you for listening!  Please subscribe fo future notifications!

Hi Everyone! Today my special guest is illustrator and mural artist, Dannie Niu. She is an award winning illustrator to boot! Here is more about Dannie: Dannie is a freelance illustrator based in Atlanta, and she received her M.F.A degree in illustration at Savannah College of Art and Design. Being influenced by classical romantic oil painting from early childhood, Dannie never likes to portray despair and fear in her work. Instead, Dannie's work is always full of hope and fantasy. Dannie always likes to add some luxury elements in her work, she wants her work to be serious and dignified, but at the same time, people can relate to the brightness and wistfulness in her work.  See her work at www.dannieniu.net and Instagram dannie.niu  Thanks you for listening!  Please like and subscribe!