This looks absolutely stunning, Nanette. And I agree with Jane. No one else judges our work half as harshly as we do our own. So when we’re actually PROUD of something we’ve created, it’s a very odd feeling. I’m sure most people feel the same even if they’re not entirely honest about it in public.
Social media has made a right mess of how we view things, I think. Everyone projecting something that isn't entirely how they feel, or how their life really is. Substack seems to have a bit more of an honest vibe to it than other more showy platforms though!
It looks like a stunning book Nanette! Congratulations! I can certainly relate to that thing of spotting little things you wish you had done better when it's too late - but I can guarantee no-one else notices...
I've not had anything published yet, but usually I do react with a 'well it'd be a nice problem to have 😅' however you've really made me think! I really dislike almost every piece of work I make. I'm a dreadful perfectionist and it's pretty rubbish. Seeing as I'm hoping to be published in the future I'm going to head your warning and prepare to feel similarly. That was such a good heads up. When you're at my stage you feel like 'if only I'd be published and everything will be perfect' like this magic goal. As if once published I'd never work again. 😁 But the goalposts just move, and my self critical nature will remain. Sheesh! Xx
Hahaha! I honestly thought everything would be perfect once I got published too! I absolutely fell for the Instagram hype and was expecting to be so happy the first time I saw my work. I really think it's only social media that's given us this false impression that there's an "end point" (constantly just out of reach) when we'll feel successful / happy / satisfied.
Although a self critical nature is annoying (I have one too!) someone once told me that if you're completely happy with your work then you have nowhere to go. If you are always a bit unsatisfied with it then you keep on improving, so your work will always be better and better.
And the other side of being critical of your work is you can look back at older work and realise how far you've come and how much you've improved, then you've proved to yourself it's possible to keep getting better and better. Sorry for going off on a massive ramble here! 😬🤣 xx
Congratulations Nanette! It looks really beautiful! And I can totally relate. My inner critic is VERY LOUD! But I have come to accept her and see that she also helps push me when I need it, and work hard at getting the artwork as good as I would like it to be (which, ironically, is still never as good as my inner critic would like!)
Yes Ella! The inner critic can be so useful to keep you pushing forward! I find it really helpful to sometimes look back at old work and realise how far I've come, and then I know I can keep going and get better.
I once heard Ness Wood say you should give your inner critic a name so when they start to wobble you, you can say: Get lost, Shirley / Beryl / Nancy / whatever you've called them! 😂
Nanette, the illustrations you've shown are --WOW! What medium do you use to get those really rich colors? I love the way dad is holding Rajiv, and the facial expressions. I can't wait to see the book, Rajiv's Starry Feelings! I think including bits of your life in the illustrations makes it more real, and at the same time more magical.
I so understand about seeing mistakes AFTER the book is in print! The first edition of the last book I published, Once When We Were Merfolk, had a spelling error on the dedication page, which NONE of my proofreaders caught. I didn't catch it myself until it had been out for 9 months! Once I discovered it, I took the book off the market and fixed the error in the next edition, along with adding some back matter.
Ah yes, Suzanna, I can imagine a spelling mistake would drive you crazy! That's the kind of thing that is so easy to miss no matter how many times you've looked at it!
Thanks for your lovely words about my work! I use liquid watercolours and ink and then there's some digital collageing at the end. On the constellation images there's more digital and less ink as they took quite a bit of building up and there were some technical issues with using so many dark colours.
“...I’ll feel mortified” 🙈 so much of this resonates with me, it might be a tad different as in I do it with logo designs, packaging or brand kits! Ha!😅 - anyway, super congrats to you Nanette! It must be quite the experience to open a box and see your books for the first time – beautiful work! 🤩🙌🏼
Hahaha! Yes, I think we all feel this way Susan! Seeing your logos out in the wild must be a weird experience too as they get used for years and years after you've first made them! I'm married to a graphic designer and at random, odd moments he'll suddenly say 'that's one of my logos' 🥰
I definitely feel this. I self published a book last autumn and there are already things I would change. Art is never finished because we’re always growing and seeing it with new eyes.
I 100% feel this. When I see my work in print, I usually feel immediate *ick*! (Also the scale, and ink density are different from what I've been used to seeing, especially if I did something digitally, but that's a whole other topic haha) But yeah, I feel this. I never want to say so publicly (especially right after publication) for fear of the publisher/editor seeing. 😖
Exactly! It's impossible to say in public in case the client sees it! That's why I thought I'd say it while talking about a book I was really proud of.
Also, the difference seeing something on screen vs on paper is quite big, and the paper stock can make such a big difference to the colour!
Inspiring to know bhs of an llustrator’ s feelings and experiences. I always see my creations differently once I come across them later. The relationship is usually completely in contrast to the one I have immediately after the making process. The hyper self critical artist is something we all have to work through I reckon. Thanks fo sharing Nanette and congratulations !
Hi Alex! It would be interesting to hear more about your experience with your work once it's out in the world. Your pieces must go on to have whole lives and appear quite different to you once someone else has worn them, cared for them and lived in them. I imagining it a bit like seeing an ex with their new partner - haha! no idea if that's accurate!
haha yes - I have a built up image of my ideal customer and it is so very far from the truth most of the time. I have both positive and negative reactions I can assure you. My plan is to share more about my work - so much more . I`m still in the very early stages of my substack career!
Omg. this book is gorgeous. I added it to my daughter's wish list for when the time comes (she is a little too young for it now).
I totally relate to your struggles, but I thought established illustrators don't feel like that anymore!
This is why I struggle with creating a portfolio because I only like my most recent work and cringe looking at anything older. I could have a portfolio made of two pieces (changing every 2 months).
This looks absolutely stunning, Nanette. And I agree with Jane. No one else judges our work half as harshly as we do our own. So when we’re actually PROUD of something we’ve created, it’s a very odd feeling. I’m sure most people feel the same even if they’re not entirely honest about it in public.
Yes! It's so weird to feel proud! 🙊
Social media has made a right mess of how we view things, I think. Everyone projecting something that isn't entirely how they feel, or how their life really is. Substack seems to have a bit more of an honest vibe to it than other more showy platforms though!
It looks like a stunning book Nanette! Congratulations! I can certainly relate to that thing of spotting little things you wish you had done better when it's too late - but I can guarantee no-one else notices...
Thanks Jane, that is a really good point that no one else notices all the things we do!
Love this!
Hi Kate! Lovely to see you over here and thank you!
I’m dipping my toes in!
I've not had anything published yet, but usually I do react with a 'well it'd be a nice problem to have 😅' however you've really made me think! I really dislike almost every piece of work I make. I'm a dreadful perfectionist and it's pretty rubbish. Seeing as I'm hoping to be published in the future I'm going to head your warning and prepare to feel similarly. That was such a good heads up. When you're at my stage you feel like 'if only I'd be published and everything will be perfect' like this magic goal. As if once published I'd never work again. 😁 But the goalposts just move, and my self critical nature will remain. Sheesh! Xx
Hahaha! I honestly thought everything would be perfect once I got published too! I absolutely fell for the Instagram hype and was expecting to be so happy the first time I saw my work. I really think it's only social media that's given us this false impression that there's an "end point" (constantly just out of reach) when we'll feel successful / happy / satisfied.
Although a self critical nature is annoying (I have one too!) someone once told me that if you're completely happy with your work then you have nowhere to go. If you are always a bit unsatisfied with it then you keep on improving, so your work will always be better and better.
And the other side of being critical of your work is you can look back at older work and realise how far you've come and how much you've improved, then you've proved to yourself it's possible to keep getting better and better. Sorry for going off on a massive ramble here! 😬🤣 xx
Congratulations Nanette! It looks really beautiful! And I can totally relate. My inner critic is VERY LOUD! But I have come to accept her and see that she also helps push me when I need it, and work hard at getting the artwork as good as I would like it to be (which, ironically, is still never as good as my inner critic would like!)
Yes Ella! The inner critic can be so useful to keep you pushing forward! I find it really helpful to sometimes look back at old work and realise how far I've come, and then I know I can keep going and get better.
I once heard Ness Wood say you should give your inner critic a name so when they start to wobble you, you can say: Get lost, Shirley / Beryl / Nancy / whatever you've called them! 😂
Haha! Yes, I’ve heard that one before - it’s a good idea! X
Nanette, the illustrations you've shown are --WOW! What medium do you use to get those really rich colors? I love the way dad is holding Rajiv, and the facial expressions. I can't wait to see the book, Rajiv's Starry Feelings! I think including bits of your life in the illustrations makes it more real, and at the same time more magical.
I so understand about seeing mistakes AFTER the book is in print! The first edition of the last book I published, Once When We Were Merfolk, had a spelling error on the dedication page, which NONE of my proofreaders caught. I didn't catch it myself until it had been out for 9 months! Once I discovered it, I took the book off the market and fixed the error in the next edition, along with adding some back matter.
Ah yes, Suzanna, I can imagine a spelling mistake would drive you crazy! That's the kind of thing that is so easy to miss no matter how many times you've looked at it!
Thanks for your lovely words about my work! I use liquid watercolours and ink and then there's some digital collageing at the end. On the constellation images there's more digital and less ink as they took quite a bit of building up and there were some technical issues with using so many dark colours.
“...I’ll feel mortified” 🙈 so much of this resonates with me, it might be a tad different as in I do it with logo designs, packaging or brand kits! Ha!😅 - anyway, super congrats to you Nanette! It must be quite the experience to open a box and see your books for the first time – beautiful work! 🤩🙌🏼
Hahaha! Yes, I think we all feel this way Susan! Seeing your logos out in the wild must be a weird experience too as they get used for years and years after you've first made them! I'm married to a graphic designer and at random, odd moments he'll suddenly say 'that's one of my logos' 🥰
I definitely feel this. I self published a book last autumn and there are already things I would change. Art is never finished because we’re always growing and seeing it with new eyes.
You're so right Sarah! What a great angle to look at this from - that we're always growing!
I 100% feel this. When I see my work in print, I usually feel immediate *ick*! (Also the scale, and ink density are different from what I've been used to seeing, especially if I did something digitally, but that's a whole other topic haha) But yeah, I feel this. I never want to say so publicly (especially right after publication) for fear of the publisher/editor seeing. 😖
Exactly! It's impossible to say in public in case the client sees it! That's why I thought I'd say it while talking about a book I was really proud of.
Also, the difference seeing something on screen vs on paper is quite big, and the paper stock can make such a big difference to the colour!
Congrats on the beautiful book! It looks so full of heart. That hug is such a special moment! 💖 And thank you for sharing your experience.
It is a very lovely story. I'm glad you like the hug, it's my favourite moment in the whole book! Thank you so much Beth! ✨
Inspiring to know bhs of an llustrator’ s feelings and experiences. I always see my creations differently once I come across them later. The relationship is usually completely in contrast to the one I have immediately after the making process. The hyper self critical artist is something we all have to work through I reckon. Thanks fo sharing Nanette and congratulations !
Alex
Hi Alex! It would be interesting to hear more about your experience with your work once it's out in the world. Your pieces must go on to have whole lives and appear quite different to you once someone else has worn them, cared for them and lived in them. I imagining it a bit like seeing an ex with their new partner - haha! no idea if that's accurate!
haha yes - I have a built up image of my ideal customer and it is so very far from the truth most of the time. I have both positive and negative reactions I can assure you. My plan is to share more about my work - so much more . I`m still in the very early stages of my substack career!
Looking forward to following your substack career! 😊
Thanks for sharing, I can totally relate! And congratulations on your beautiful book!
Thanks so much Nicola! Your books are all absolute gems! 🥰
Omg. this book is gorgeous. I added it to my daughter's wish list for when the time comes (she is a little too young for it now).
I totally relate to your struggles, but I thought established illustrators don't feel like that anymore!
This is why I struggle with creating a portfolio because I only like my most recent work and cringe looking at anything older. I could have a portfolio made of two pieces (changing every 2 months).