Saying YES to Opportunity

I've learned to open myself to the opportunities that present themselves to me in many ways. Sometimes we have requests or invitations to projects that seem too daunting at first, and our immediate inclination is to say no.

In retrospect, some of the most rewarding projects I have gotten involved in at first seemed too frightening, and I almost back off. But because I did not, those projects turned into other opportunities, usually through the networks it created.

One project I almost turned down was a collaboration with Jan Steinbright, author of Raven House Mouse. She asked me to illustrate this children's story, and for the life of me, I could not find a way to illustrate a Tlingit mouse character without it looking too "cartoonish." Eventually I got it.

Jan is beginning work on a sequel to this story. Keep your ears open.