Meet children's book author Leslie Ann Clark
Welcome back! This week’s spotlight is with the lovely Leslie Ann Clark who is such a great example of why it’s important to put your artwork out into the world because you never know what will happen. One of her biggest dreams came true recently when the company that published her children’s book made a toy out of the main character!
Leslie’s art is centered around children. She writes and illustrates children’s books, and also designs fabric for children’s clothing. In this spotlight, she tells us how something amazing happened when a famous publishing company saw one of her fabrics through a shop window. I won’t spoil the surprise, but you can watch the video to find out what happened, and read this blog for some key takeaways from this incredible spotlight.
The video of my interview with Leslie is over on my YouTube channel HERE. Please subscribe to my channel when you pop over there to watch it.
Here are three key takeaways from this interview:
#1 – Be patient with yourself
When Leslie joined my Doodles mini-course and then enrolled in my signature program, The Pattern Design Academy®, she was pretty scared. She didn’t think she was going to be able to manage learning Adobe Illustrator. She didn’t think she was the kind of person who could use the software because it seemed too mathematical for her.
If you’re afraid to use Illustrator, you may feel the same way. What helped Leslie was getting the support she needed inside my community, giving herself grace and having the patience to learn. She was fully committed and created the most amazing patterns.
#2 – Be persistent
As Leslie explains the process she went through in the Academy® to create her mermaid pattern, she says, “you never can be discouraged because there are so many fabric companies,” and she printed a three-page long list of fabric companies that she found on Google.
I often say that the possibilities in Surface Design are endless, and this is true. It takes time and perseverance but if you’re persistent, you will achieve success. Leslie does a lot of research to find opportunities. Similarly, you may need to do a lot of digging and I encourage you to be persistent. As I like to say: We can do hard things.
#3 – Have an open mind
Leslie tells us how she went to “the kitchen table school of art,” and as she started reading and drawing with her kids, she fell in love with children’s books and thought, “maybe I should write one and maybe I should illustrate one.”
Leslie always knew that she wanted to be an artist, and even though she didn’t know how, she kept her mind open to what was possible. This is the same way she jumped at the opportunity to write a book for Harper Collins even though she had no idea what the book would be about.
As artists, we never know what can come out of our creations. It’s critical to keep an open mind and to be ready to embrace new opportunities even when we don’t feel ready. You never know what will happen when you put your artwork out into the world, and the outcome could really be a lot better than you expect, so do it!
If you would like to see more of what Leslie is up to, you can find her on Instagram, @im.leslie_ann_clark, or on her website, leslieannclark.com.
Pop over to my YouTube channel to watch Linda’s interview. Click HERE and please subscribe while you’re over there. It really helps spread the word and get more people to watch my weekly videos.
See you next week!
xo,
Anne
P.S. If you’d like to learn to make your first repeating pattern using Adobe Illustrator, grab my From Doodles to Dollars® course. It’s available by clicking HERE.
It’s Never Too Late to Create®
If you enjoyed this blog please share it with your friends and family. Click your favorite social platform below. And join my email list for weekly creative inspiration and an invitation to our private Facebook group, Anne’s Art Club.
MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
