Friends,
Hello from sunny and breezy Lisbon. I’m finally back home after a months-long tour in the U.S.A., and I feel like a whole new person!
Tales from My Trip on the SCBWI Blog
This time around, I’ll be sharing golden nuggets from my trip on…
The Official Blog of SCBWI (The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators)!
In today’s article, I talk about why it’s important as an artist to have fellow artist friends. 🎨
My first article was about my beginnings as a picture book author-illustrator.
I’m taking over the SCBWI blog all of August, so do keep an eye out for my posts every Thursday.
NYC and Block Parties! 🍔
While I was in NYC, I got to attend my old block’s annual block party. ⭐️ Fun fact: my neighbors, husbae, and I started this block party tradition two years ago! Nothing like catching up with neighbors old and new over hamburgers from the community grill.
And whoah, perfect timing. My narrative art piece, “The Magic of Block Party Season,” came out a week later in The New York Times. I was able to pick up a paper copy before I got on my flight back to Portugal that evening.
Soul spark ✨
What’s been inspiring me lately: the kindness of friends
I grew up in a house that rarely hosted any relatives or friends overnight, so staying at someone’s house often required over-apologizing or showing up with a big gift in exchange for the stay. This recent work trip forced me to shed this self-limiting belief of ”visitor as burden,” as I asked many friends to house me as I travelled through Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.
Let’s just say… wow! Not only did my buddies gladly open up their homes to their itinerant artist friend, but they also expanded my understanding of friendship. They replied to my ask for help with love. We’d slap our knees and laugh into the night, enjoy delicious meals together, and scribble away at cafes as we worked on our respective crafts.
I am forever grateful to these friends who taught me that friendship is about sharing our joys and truths with one another.
With a grateful heart,
Haruka