When I was 25 I was living in the UK in Brighton in a one bedroom flat with a previous partner. It was during the recession and I was unemployed. I had been trained in fashion/textiles but there were no jobs in that area at all. To keep myself busy I was writing books, illustrating and sending them off to publishers in London. I got rejected and rejected and rejected. But I still thought to myself, ‘I want to be living by the beach illustrating children’s books by the time I am 30’.
Not too long after that I got a call from my brother who was living in Australia. He was offering my partner at the time a short term job contract at his company. We both decided with the recession happening why not head off and see what happens. It was the best possible time to try something new.
The last time I’d been to visit my brother he was working for a publisher who did instructional/educational books. Not super exciting! But when we arrived I realised he was now working for a children’s book publisher. Probably the biggest children’s only book publisher in Australia. You see where this is going right? Lol. He also lived in a beach side suburb with a view of the ocean. When we arrived there was no work for me. Then his company decided they needed some freelance illustrators to do posters.
I’m not trained in illustration but of course I applied, showed the images I'd done for the submissions in London and got that job. Although at the time I didn’t realise it, I was a step closer to my dream. It was fun! I’d also done some training in Quark, a design program, before I left the UK and once the illustration job was finished I got offered a trainee graphic design position at the company. Closer to my dream.
My partner and I moved into the beach suburb too with our own views of the beach below. Closer! And to cut a long story short over the next few years I made contacts in the children’s publishing industry and near to my 30th birthday I got asked to do illustrations for 4 children’s novels. Not for my brother's company but another publisher where I had made friends.
When I made the wish I didn’t realise the publisher my brother was with was purely for children. My brother had no idea that I had written that in my diary. And I wonder now if I hadn’t said I want this by the time I am 30 if it may have happened quicker. But either way it was a wonderful unfolding that I only realise now in hindsight.
I didn’t have any idea when I made the wish that the beach I would live beside would be in Australia and that I’d have to travel across the globe for it. Never having trained in illustration didn’t stop me putting that dream out there and so I was illustrating children’s books living by the beach by the time I was 30.
After this experience I decided not to put time limits on my dreams (or any limits come to that) and let it come as soon as it was ready. I also realised that dreams change and grow and full time illustration wasn’t next on my dream list. But that’s another story.
