Aaron Becker's Blog, page 23
January 13, 2014
I’m not sure exactly how I feel about luck. Thomas...
I’m not sure exactly how I feel about luck. Thomas Jefferson was a great believer (“The harder I work, the more I have of it.”). But others, like the venerable Obiwan Kenobi, would have nothing of it (“In my experience, there’s no such thing.”).
One dreary winter day, a few years back, I was on my way home from the post office, having just mailed the signed contract for my first picture book off to my publisher. It was quite a moment. After wanting to make a children’s book for more than fifteen years, I was finally about to embark on the process for the very first time. So it was hard to not feel a bit superstitious when, while crossing the slushy street, I saw a lone red ball rolling gently in the grey periphery. After all, this was the same red from the book. The red that can be made real from a child’s marker. And somehow it was there, popping off the page and into this literal crossroad. I picked it up and took it home, hoping its previous owner wouldn’t mind.
Since Journey published, what has surprised me the most is the feeling that this book is not something I created. At any given point in the book making process, I found myself working hard, but working hard at details; small moments of attention that would slowly build a book: a thumbnail gesture, a castle’s brick work, a dip of a brush in water. I rarely stopped to see the whole, and found that even upon publication, in reading the book to children, (though I recognized the places, the characters, the lines, and colors) I felt as if the end result could not have come from me. Like the red ball, it appeared.
And for this I am gracious and a bit amazed.
December 12, 2013
The best few days of my illustration career: hard at work on the...
The best few days of my illustration career: hard at work on the cover for the New York Times Book Review 2013 Children’s Book Issue. Prints now available here.
December 10, 2013
Only a few days left to order Journey prints if you’d like...
Only a few days left to order Journey prints if you’d like to receive them in time for Santa. When is the last time you treated yourself to art?!!
December 8, 2013
May you all find a little bit of wonder this holiday season....
May you all find a little bit of wonder this holiday season. Happy Holidays!
December 2, 2013
November 20, 2013
It’s the home stretch, folks!
Thanks to all of your votes,...
It’s the home stretch, folks!
Thanks to all of your votes, Journey has been selected as a finalist for Goodreads’ Choice Awards! Amazing. The book is in really good company and the competition is going to be close. You can vote again for this final round, and if you haven’t voted at all, what are you waiting for?!! Go Journey Go!
https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-picture-books-2013
November 12, 2013
A few weeks ago I received the honor of a lifetime: to...
A few weeks ago I received the honor of a lifetime: to illustrate the cover of the Children’s issue of the New York Times Book Review! I was given free reign and enjoyed every minute of it. For those of you who missed it in the issue this past weekend, fear not! The artwork is available now as a limited edition gicleé print.
Get yours here before they run out
November 4, 2013
At long last, signed gicleé prints from Journey are now...
At long last, signed gicleé prints from Journey are now available through Square Marketplace. Each limited edition print is signed and numbered by yours truly and are full bleed - meaning you get to see into the margins past where the images were cropped for the book. Archival ink and high quality paper stock - the colors came out more vibrant than I could have imagined and I’m very excited to share these with you all.
October 29, 2013
The window won’t open. You push. You pull. You angle your...
The window won’t open. You push. You pull. You angle your wrist in upside-down corners, blindly hoping for leverage. In desperation, you bang on the sill. And something budges. At first a barely audible crack, of which you’re only halfway vested in. But then the window opens: a full blown gateway to fresh air.
Lately around our house, a lot of windows have been opening. It’s late fall here in western Massachusetts; not necessarily the time to make a habit of this. But after all, these are metaphorical windows, and metaphorical windows are always good to open.
About a month ago now, my wife, after ten years with a well regarded environmental non-profit, was laid off. It came as a shock at first. But the window is open now. Our three year old daughter has time with Mom. We have our evenings back; the demanding boss relegated now to his own private misery. My book career is finally getting some legs, and for the first time since becoming parents, we can actually handle this sort of setback. This, in stark contrast to the time three years ago when I lost my job with Disney after a CEO’s decision to shut down an entire company overnight; our daughter barely a month old. Even back then, though I didn’t know it at the time, a proverbial door (or was it a window?) had opened, giving me space to finally pursue my dream of creating a children’s book.
And then there’s this. Just yesterday, I made the call to put off a book project I’ve been struggling with for over a year now in favor of devoting more time to the one that was closer to my heart and next on my list. For months, I’ve been feeling like I’ve been getting nowhere with each edit taking me further away from what I was searching for. Ironically, now that I’ve shelved the project, I’m suddenly getting a ridiculous amount of work done – the pressure is finally off. I’ve taken care of long-neglected correspondences, cleaned my office, figured out e-commerce for selling prints, gone on long walks with fellow illustrators. At long last, the window is open.
I’m glad to breathe the air.
October 28, 2013
For those who missed the Journey original artwork show here in...
For those who missed the Journey original artwork show here in Amherst, there are a few items left for sale. The gallery can arrange to ship the framed pieces. Check out my website’s shop to see what’s left!
