'My Writing Process' Blog Tour

{A picture of Emily from her Twitter profile that I love}

I was invited to this exciting 'My Writing Process Blog Tour' by the lovely and talented Emily Helck. I met Emily years ago in Jersey City while she was a curator at Art House Productions. Since that time, I have enjoyed Emily's writing immensely and was moved to tears by some of her pieces relating to her battle with breast cancer. The raw depictions she provides in her blog {along with a good dose of humor} are touching to say the least. Thank you Emily for inviting me to this blog tour! 

Now, here goes the part where I talk about my writing process ;)

"The Angry Artist" a picture book for creatives. Click above for the video!

1) What am I currently working on?

I'm  very excited about my current project called, "The Angry Artist", which I'm deeming the first picture book exclusively for creative people. Since this project is more about sharing my experience and trying to make others smile in the process, the whole concept is to give the book away for free. Pretty please sign up for my email list this week so you get your own digital copy this August! 

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre? 

I would say my work is very 'straight to the point' and simplistic in lots of ways. It's very similar to my art style.

3) Why do I write what I write? 

I write about what I'm thinking about the most at the moment. Whether it be a special person, holiday or story I just need to get out.

4) How does my writing process work?

Believe it or not, I actually enjoy drawing stories before ever writing the words. I know for most author/illustrators it may go the other way around, but for me I love to see my story first. My first children's book, 'Boo, Bat & Pumpkin Throw a Party' I illustrated entirely before ever writing the first word.

5) What special bloggers/writers would you like to introduce to this tour?

Alison Wood of Art-of-Crafts.Net
I met Alison a few years ago via an online crafting community that we were both involved in. Since that time I have corresponded with her many times, and have written various crafting tutorials for her website. She is an amazing advocate of crafters in the UK {and worldwide!} and runs an awesome website relating to arts & crafts. She hosts lots of giveaways, competitions and offers great written content daily so check her website out today!

Stephanie Olivieri www.stepholivieri.com
I first noticed Stephanie's work on LinkedIn, as we are in many of the same illustrator groups there. I always thought her art was charming, so I was so happy that she responded when I reached out to her for this post! She is an illustrator and writer. Click on her website to see her charming artwork as well as how to purchase it.

Patricia Serrano www.freshtraveler.com
Patricia attended a workshop that I was a part of this summer at NYU's Tisch school of the arts. She is a talented writer, traveler and filmmaker! Her very approachable personality is apparent in her writing style. Visit her website for some wonderful 'adventures off the beaten path'.

The lovely ladies I've chosen to feature above are all very busy with their own businesses at the moment, so although they may not be able to participate with this blog tour right away,as, and if their schedules allow, I will post the dates for their blog posts in the comments section below.

Thanks as always for reading!

xo Ashley

Guest Post : Emily Helck on the Beauty of Mistakes

Emily Helck, created around age 4

In elementary school, art was always my favorite subject. So much so that it didn’t even feel like being in school. I worked hard, but with exuberance, and was always proud of what I could accomplish. At a certain point, when I reached fourth or fifth grade, things began to change. I turned a more critical eye to my artwork. When drawing, I became easily frustrated at mistakes, and I would tear through sheet after sheet of paper, starting over every time my pencil moved in a way I didn’t like. My pile of unfinished projects, full of what I considered mistakes, soon dwarfed the things I finished. I stopped making art for a long time.

In college, I found my way back to drawing. I experienced many of the same frustrations -- I would make small mistakes, and feel like a whole piece was ruined. Then one day, motivated a little bit by how expensive my paper was, I decided not start over after a misstep. I did a drawing and left all the mistakes in. And I loved it.

Emily Helck, Dear, 2006

I loved seeing my thought process, my decisions, play out on the page. After that, everything changed for me. I started to accept my mistakes on the page as part of the work, part of the process.

Emily Helck, #4 from 5 or 6 Houses Drawn from Memory, 2008

To say that there are no mistakes when making art doesn’t feel quite right, because sometimes there are. Sometimes the hand holding the pencils wavers, and a nose doesn’t come out quite right. Or sometimes the glaze on your pot drips down in a way you didn’t want. Or any number of other things. The point is, a mistake doesn’t ruin a piece of art. Sometimes, it’s even what makes it great.

When I work with kids on art projects, my hope is that I can impart a bit of this knowledge. It is something that each child needs to learn on his or her own, but I try to do my part by encouraging them not to get hung up on what they see as imperfections. It's probably a good lesson not just for art, but for life too.

~Guest Post by Emily Helck for Cupcakes + Owls 2012