Josh Langley's Blog, page 6

Josh Langley’s YouTube Channel for kids

I launched My YouTube channel for kids yesterday and it’s already gone nuts, growing from 12 subscribers to 88 overnight!

These are not your normal ‘Author Reads from a Book’ videos, I add my own commentary, insights and bad acting to as I go along! And I get to share my key messages of self acceptance, self compassion, resilience and emotional well being, in a way that kids and parents will love.

The Channel is a perfect way for me to bring my books to life and for kids right around the world to get a taste of what I’m like when I do my school presentations.

Watch and subscribe here

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“Josh this is so fantastic! I just love what you’ve done. Thank you for putting this into the world. It’s exactly what kids need right now.”- Karen Young founder of Hey Sigmund – Where the Science of Psychology Meets the Art of Being Human

Homeschooling

Now that most kids are at home, you can use the the videos as part of your homeschooling regime or simply watch them together and see what conversations they bring up. Or the kids can binge them all in one go!

Perfect for ages 4 to 12.

There are 5 playlists. 4 for kids and 1 for Parents.



Being You is Enough Playlist – excerpts from Being You is Enough . It’s Ok to Feel the Way You Do Playlist- Excerpts from It’s Ok to Feel the Way You Do. Magnificent Mistakes and Fantastic Failures Playlist- Excerpts from the BRAND NEW Magnificent Mistakes and Fantastic Failures .Other Fun Stuff Playlist: Interviews, Q and A sessions with me, drawing demonstration and other silliness. For Parents Playlist: I talk to parents about what really matters.

Click subscribe so you’ll be alerted to when I upload new videos.

If you or your kids want to ask me any questions, then email me at josh@outsidecreative.com.au

“Just used your YouTube video about angry feelings to defuse my 6yo who struggles to express himself in the same space as his exuberant 8yo sister. He was unimpressed but it had the desired effect

Trying to find stable ground when everything is collapsing

I thought we’d reached peak overwhelm during the bushfire disasters in January, but now that seems a distant memory compared to what’s going on now.

I don’t need to compile a detailed list of all that’s currently happening – you know it, you’re living it. It’s in the aisles of the supermarkets, it’s in the empty stadiums, the cancelled concerts and the rolling coverage on the news and social media.

Since last December, it feels like it’s been one shit show after another.

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We haven’t even had time to emotionally recover from the fires and floods and then we’re suddenly facing months of uncertainty about how the coronavirus will play out. We’re then locked up, shut out, distanced from each other and told we can’t even give a reassuring hug.

Some might lose their incomes, some their jobs and some their lives.

I wish I could offer some wise words of comfort to help soothe the inner angst that everyone is feeling, but I can’t. I’m feeling it just as much as you are.   

Events I’ve got lined up could be cancelled, meaning loss of income and my other income streams are on shaky ground too. I don’t have an employer or government assistance to help me out either.

But I’m just like lots of other people out there so I’m far from alone. So many people are directly affected in so many ways.  

And there’s no escaping the reality of it.



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While we may not be able to rely on our politicians for strength and guidance, we can rely on each other.

We’re in this together.

Let’s help steady each other’s ship. Let’s be the comfort we all need.

Be kind, be gentle, be understanding.

Find the good when things seem so bad.

See opportunities, to show our better selves.

Look for other little opportunities that may arise.

Finish that book you’ve been putting off, plant a veggie garden, spring clean the house, make art, start a new creative pursuit, start reading the pile of books beside your bed, talk to your family about your hopes and dreams, ring a friend and tell them what they mean to you – focus on what’s really important.

We can’t change how all this plays out, but we can change how we face it.

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The long wait is almost over

After nearly 2 years I finally got to hold my latest baby, Magnificent Mistakes and Fantastic Failures: Finding the good when things seem bad. While this is the advance reader copy (ARC) which normally goes out for reviews, my publisher sent me this copy so I could shed a little tear of joy.

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When it comes out in March, I hope the book improves the lives of millions of kids around the world.  Kids who for whatever reason may lack self-confidence, have anxiety, depression or are at a low point. Mind you every kid (and adult) can get something from this book. It’s a universal message, a human message. A message of resilience.

I read these stats while doing research for Magnificent Mistakes and they really frightened me: “One in seven young people aged 4 to 17 years experience a mental health condition in any given year and suicide remains the leading cause of death of children between 5 and 17 years” – Source: Beyond Blue

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And I’ve been completely humbled by the early reviews such as this one:

“In a world where kids are constantly pushed to achieve and succeed, where school is largely (sadly) focused on testing, comparing and ranking, all kids need to know that mistakes are how we grow! Failure is a healthy part of the process of learning. Josh Langley sums these key messages up in his cheekily illustrated new children’s book “Magnificent Mistakes & Fantastic Failures”. Most profoundly, the phrase “YOU are important to the world” highlights that we all have self-doubt and challenges at times, but YOU matter a lot.” – Amy Cox Founder Protecting Childhood.

I’ll be touring the book through the South West and Perth during March, April and May incluing the Reading Between the Lines Literature Festival in Busselton. I’ll let you know dates shortly.

I’ll also be available for primary school visits and incursions.

Pre-order

You can pre-order Magnificent Mistakes and Fantastic Failures at Big Sky Publishing and Booktopia.

Thank you so much for being on this journey with me and in my next newsletter I’ll announce when it’s in bookshops.

BTW here’s the winning entry from the Colour in Graeme the Giraffe comp!

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Want resilient kids? Tell them this.

If you want to build resilience in kids, there’s one simple, yet powerful thing you can tell them.

Its impact will be long lasting and far reaching.

Tell them,

“You’re important to me and the world.”

‘You’re important’, tells children they are not only valued, but they have a role to play in the bigger scheme of things.

It says they can make the world a better place, whether it’s through love, creativity, ideas, skills or simply being kind.

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Every child, no matter who they are, has something to offer. They are important to the world.

Telling them they’re important lifts them up and inspires them.

It helps them see beyond themselves, to wonder about what they could do, achieve and offer to others.

Reminding kids that they’re important to world, might help them when they need it most. So instead of feeling small, insecure and anxious, they might find the inner resilience to feel stronger and more confident in themselves.  

Preventing a tragedy

When I was doing research for my third kid’s book, Magnificent Mistakes and Fantastic Failures; Finding the good when things seem bad, I was astonished to read about the high rates of anxiety, depression and suicide ideation (suicidal thoughts) in children, even as young as 4. The Beyond Blue website has the rates here.

Teachers at the schools I visit, tell me similar stories, and that it’s getting worse.

While I don’t have the answers and I’m not a parenting expert, but having my parents, or even teachers, tell me when I was young, that I was important to them and to the world, would have made a big difference to how I was feeling at the time.

I think your kids need to hear it too.

“You’re important to the world”

While you may tell them they’re special, unique and one of a kind, also tell them they’re important to the world.

Because when they hit a low point in their life, it could be the foundation that they need to spring back from.

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If anything in this article has triggered something in you or you feel your child maybe at risk, please reach out to someone. Parents can call their local state Parentline: Numbers can be found here.

There’s also Kids Help Line 1800 55 1800 Lifeline 13 11 14; beyondblue 1300 224 636; Rurallink 1800 552 002; Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467; The Samaritans Crisis Line 08 9381 5555.

Book Review – Fauna by Donna Mazza

 I was asked by Allen and Unwin to write a short review of fellow author Donna Mazza Writer‘s new book, Fauna, but gee wizz, I was not prepared for such a powerful and challenging read.

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Fauna is a story that aches with the primal instincts of motherhood and pulses with psychological trauma.

From when you first find out that the main character, Stacy, is pregnant with the world’s first genetically edited baby using ancient DNA, you are drawn in like watching a slow-moving car crash.

What will the baby look like? How will she care for it? How will her family cope?

You’re then a passenger in Stacy’s slowly crumpling mind as she pioneers her way through bringing up the child. This is uncharted territory for everyone, even the IVF research company behind it all. No-one knows what will happen, let alone you, the reader.

Donna Mazza builds tension in Fauna like distant thunder, and even though there’s a simmering angst throughout, there is also a life vest of hope that keeps you going.

As a children’s author with a keen interest in children’s mental health and emotional well being, this is a fascinating look into motherhood and the bonds that tie mother and child together.

Fauna is out today. https://www.allenandunwin.com/…/Fauna-Donna-Mazza-978176087…

The Boy Who Couldn’t Spell

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When I was 10, I was given a dictionary for my birthday. It wasn’t any normal dictionary like the Macquarie or Oxford, it was the Misspellers Dictionary – perfect for kids like me, who couldn’t spell to save themselves.

You looked up how you thought a word was spelled, and then the Misspellers Dictionary would give you the correct spelling. Unfortunately, the way I thought words were spelled didn’t even make it to the misspelled section. I kept the book at home as I was too embarrassed to be seen using it by friends and teachers. I’d started to wear glasses by then too, and I didn’t need any more reasons for people to single me out.

The dictionary didn’t really help much, as my school assignments would still come back with more red ink than blue.  

I hated reading aloud as well. I’d be a tight ball of anxiety knowing it was my turn to read to the class and when the time came, I’d prove everyone correct in thinking I couldn’t read as well as spell.

But the thing is, I could read (mainly to myself) and I could write. I wrote little stories about a boy called ‘Herpes Zosta” who went on Blinky Bill type adventures and drew pictures to go with them.

I loved coming up with ideas. My imagination was my safe place to disappear into while a difficult home life swirled around me.

Writing was sort of like breathing for me, it felt natural, but unlike breathing, it didn’t come easy.

The challenge of writing

Today I still find writing hard. To be honest, really hard. People think that because I do it all the time, words must flow like warm honey from my fingers. But sadly they don’t.

My anxiety means my brain runs a zillion times faster than my hands can type and I’m constantly making typos, and that’s only on a Facebook post! I then beat myself up for being such a klutz.

My undiagnosed mild dyslexia (I’m owning it) means I swap words around and phrase things strangely.

My lack of focus (again anxiety) when editing, means I take longer to read back what I’ve written, and I still miss out joining words or get the tense wrong, even after I’ve edited a paragraph or something similar. 

I always feel like a klutz.

Old beliefs from childhood, that I’m not good enough and that I’m all alone in this crazy world, still pop up and I have to beat them down with a squeaky rubber chicken so that I don’t take them too seriously. Bash. Squeak. Bash. Squeak. A bit of therapy. Bash. Squeak.

Given all that, it still amazes me that I now make a living as a writer and illustrator. I’ve written awarding winning radio and advertising copy for 25 years, written and illustrated 8 books (including winning a big book award) and I also write blog posts, articles and social media stories.

It takes effort though. It may feel natural to write and draw as self-expression, but it doesn’t come easily.

What pushes me to keep going?

I love ideas and need to get them out. I don’t want to try and impress people with prose or some half-arsed literary prowess, I just want to get my ideas across in the most direct way possible.

The only way to do that is to write like Josh Langley.

Simple, direct and honest with a few quirky phrases that drives my editor nuts. I write hoping for the least distance between you, the reader, and me. That’s what makes me keep writing, regardless of how difficult it can be.

My books now line the shelves of bookshops, libraries and homes around the country and the world.

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Kids fall asleep hugging them, parents’ credit them for changing their kids’ lives, and every week I get a message from a reader telling me how they feel a little less alone in the world.    

I think back to the little boy who couldn’t spell and whose life felt like a litany of mistakes, failures and disappointments and I’d whisper to him, “You’re doing OK kid, you’re going to be just fine. You’re important to the world”.

My 3rd Children’s’ book, Magnificent Mistakes and Fantastic Failures; finding the good when things seem bad is partly a love letter to that kid. It’s due out in March through Big Sky Publishing.

The Boy Who Couldn't Spell

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When I was 10, I was given a dictionary for my birthday. It wasn’t any normal dictionary like the Macquarie or Oxford, it was the Misspellers Dictionary – perfect for kids like me, who couldn’t spell to save themselves.

You looked up how you thought a word was spelled, and then the Misspellers Dictionary would give you the correct spelling. Unfortunately, the way I thought words were spelled didn’t even make it to the misspelled section. I kept the book at home as I was too embarrassed to be seen using it by friends and teachers. I’d started to wear glasses by then too, and I didn’t need any more reasons for people to single me out.

The dictionary didn’t really help much, as my school assignments would still come back with more red ink than blue.  

I hated reading aloud as well. I’d be a tight ball of anxiety knowing it was my turn to read to the class and when the time came, I’d prove everyone correct in thinking I couldn’t read as well as spell.

But the thing is, I could read (mainly to myself) and I could write. I wrote little stories about a boy called ‘Herpes Zosta” who went on Blinky Bill type adventures and drew pictures to go with them.

I loved coming up with ideas. My imagination was my safe place to disappear into while a difficult home life swirled around me.

Writing was sort of like breathing for me, it felt natural, but unlike breathing, it didn’t come easy.

The challenge of writing

Today I still find writing hard. To be honest, really hard. People think that because I do it all the time, words must flow like warm honey from my fingers. But sadly they don’t.

My anxiety means my brain runs a zillion times faster than my hands can type and I’m constantly making typos, and that’s only on a Facebook post! I then beat myself up for being such a klutz.

My undiagnosed mild dyslexia (I’m owning it) means I swap words around and phrase things strangely.

My lack of focus (again anxiety) when editing, means I take longer to read back what I’ve written, and I still miss out joining words or get the tense wrong, even after I’ve edited a paragraph or something similar. 

I always feel like a klutz.

Old beliefs from childhood, that I’m not good enough and that I’m all alone in this crazy world, still pop up and I have to beat them down with a squeaky rubber chicken so that I don’t take them too seriously. Bash. Squeak. Bash. Squeak. A bit of therapy. Bash. Squeak.

Given all that, it still amazes me that I now make a living as a writer and illustrator. I’ve written awarding winning radio and advertising copy for 25 years, written and illustrated 8 books (including winning a big book award) and I also write blog posts, articles and social media stories.

It takes effort though. It may feel natural to write and draw as self-expression, but it doesn’t come easily.

What pushes me to keep going?

I love ideas and need to get them out. I don’t want to try and impress people with prose or some half-arsed literary prowess, I just want to get my ideas across in the most direct way possible.

The only way to do that is to write like Josh Langley.

Simple, direct and honest with a few quirky phrases that drives my editor nuts. I write hoping for the least distance between you, the reader, and me. That’s what makes me keep writing, regardless of how difficult it can be.

My books now line the shelves of bookshops, libraries and homes around the country and the world.

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Kids fall asleep hugging them, parents’ credit them for changing their kids’ lives, and every week I get a message from a reader telling me how they feel a little less alone in the world.    

I think back to the little boy who couldn’t spell and whose life felt like a litany of mistakes, failures and disappointments. I’d hold him tight and whisper, “You’re doing OK kid, you’re going to be just fine. You’re important to the world”.

My 3rd Children’s’ book, Magnificent Mistakes and Fantastic Failures; finding the good when things seem bad is partly a love letter to that kid. It’s due out in March through Big Sky Publishing.

One Image that Defined the Most Transformative Decade of My Life

Of all the images that have documented my journey from messing around drawing stick figure cartoons in 2010 to becoming an award wining children’s author and publishing 8 books, there is one that stops me in my tracks. It’s an image that completely defines what I’ve achieved in last 10 years.

And I’m not even in it!

In true fashion, when you let go of expectation and follow your curiosity, you’ll find yourself in so many different places, doing things you’d never dreamed of.

However, what all the books and Facebook memes about following your passion don’t mention, is the impact you can have on people along the way. The achievements, awards, adulation and praise are all wonderful, but it’s something else that gives me a lump in my throat.

The Image

This is the image that best sums up the last 10 years for me. Below is the screenshot from a comment left by a mum who wanted to tell me about how my second kids’ book, It’s Ok to Feel the Way You Do had changed her son’s life.

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Messages like that, are my motivation to keep creating more books, to keep stepping on stage to talk and to keep putting on a cape to make the kids laugh. To just have a book published isn’t enough for me, I want to know my books and what I do, actually helps in some way, whether big or small.

Some other images that help summarise the last 10 years.

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Thank you to Diane, Sharon, Denny, Jodee and Allison at Big Sky Publishing, to Nicky Delany at WA Books, the people at my favourite bookshops who have championed me and my work, to my husband Andy who’s been beside me the entire journey and lastly to you. Thank you for reading my books, reading my posts and following my journey.

Let’s see where the next ten years leads!

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10 Extraordinary Things That Happened This Year

10. Ambassador for the Children’s Tumour Foundation Undie Run

I still can’t believe I wore a pair of snug undies and tight fitting T-shirt, and walked around in public! But that’s what I did as ambassador for the inaugural Bunbury Cupid’s Undie Run for the Children’s Tumour Foundation. The team raised a load of cash and awareness for Neurofibromatosis.

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9. I got to see inside a prison (without being arrested)

When I was invited to talk to prisoners at Bunbury Region Prison by Prison Educator and City of Bunbury Councillor Wendy Giles, I jumped at the chance. For obvious reasons you can’t see the prisoners in the photos, but it was great to meet the guys and talk about writing, publishing and using writing as a way of expressing yourself.

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8. Meeting my old piano teacher after 40 years, and finding out she’s a famous artist!

When I was 10, my piano teacher, Mrs Noakes, taught me to play Star Wars, Chariots of Fire and even Islands in the Stream (Yes, I know!). But these days she is an extraordinary artist and has exhibited in the some of the biggest galleries around the world. She saw an Instagram post of mine and thought, “Is that the same little Josh I taught all those years ago?” She then got in contact. It was such joy to catch up after so many years and swap stories. See her fabulous artwork here.

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7. Meeting Michael Leunig at the Margaret River Reader’s and Writers Festival

Being my local festival, the Margaret River Readers and Writers Festival is my favourite. I was invited back this year to run a Find Your Creative Mojo workshop with Andy, and be a panel member for one of the talks. But the highlight was meeting Michael Leunig in person. You can read about how nervous I was here.

I also caught up with fellow author Holden Sheppard, after chatting for ages on Facebook. His amazing book, Invisible Boys, has exploded across the country.

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6. Creating Graeme the giraffe

Graeme, the poster boy for Magnificent Mistakes and Fantastic Failures, exemplifies the feeling of the book. When my editor Diane asked why a Giraffe in a tutu, I said he represents how you can feel after reading it; brave, carefree, adventurous and joyous. You can preoder Magnificent Mistakes now. It’s due for release late March 2020.

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5. So many special workshops, collaborations and unique events

This year I was lucky enough to run a couple of workshops with Joelene Lavrick from Life Lessons Australia. I was invited by Beth at Dymocks Busselton to interview Holden Sheppard as part of his mammoth tour promoting Invisible Boys. The Shire of Augusta Margaret River invited me to run a couple important workshops for kids, and I talked about my anxiety diagnosis at a Volunteers South West breakfast in Bunbury. I was also a guest presenter at the Rockingham Writer’s Convention in September.

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4. Geraldton trip with Outside Creative.

I don’t often talk on my author website about the copywriting business, Outside Creative, that I run with my husband Andy, but this deserves a special mention. Because when Andy and I get together to run a workshop, it’s a event! We were invited my Redwave Media/7WestMedia to run a series of workshops on advertising for their Geraldton clients, and it was great fun. Nothing like a road trip to a beautiful spot by the ocean, with friendly people, wonderful clients, all while doing something you love. We also got to meet Ashton Agar the cricket dude!

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3. CBCA Book Week… umm months!

During August and September I toured over 18 schools across Perth and the South West, speaking to thousands of kids while wearing a cape! I still pinch myself when I remember I get paid to talk to kids about self esteem, resilience and that they are enough!

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2. Getting Diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder

Getting the diagnosis has helped me understand my thought processes and behaviours, and begin work with them instead of beating myself up thinking I’m flawed in some way. I’m now seeing a therapist to help heal the wounds of my childhood that led to the anxiety. I can’t recommend enough the importance of dealing with issues from your past to create a brighter, more loving future, for you and everyone else. It’s one of bravest and rewarding things you can do.

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1. Getting Married

In March, I married my partner of 20 years, Andy, and it was the most love-filled day I’ve experienced in my life. It’s taken me a long to time to accept my sexuality, but on that day I was able to stand proud for the first time. If I can accept myself for who I am, then I can accept other people for who they are. Hopefully, they can then begin to accept themselves for who they are too.

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Have you bought your Festive Season greeting cards yet?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been a little disappointed with the lack of fun and imaginative seasons greetings and Christmas cards out there. So being a writer and illustrator I’m in a perfect position to make my own! I wanted to come up with unique ideas that incorporated elements of my kids books and also that looked at Christmas from an inclusive angle for everyone.

I mean how many cards are there that kids can give? Or cards that feature a LGBTQI theme? Or cards that represent people of colour, autism spectrum or who generally don’t fit in or who think differently?

That’s why I’ve made my Josh Langley range of Season’s Greetings Cards.

’tis the season for dancing card



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This is a card that kids can give (or adults for that matter), that features Graeme the Giraffe from the cover of my forth coming kids book, Magnificent Mistakes and Fantastic Failures. Click here to buy through Redbubble and for delivery worldwide.

‘Tis the season for being silly card



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I’ve used the characters from the cover of my popular kids book, Being You is Enough to create the perfect silly card! Perfect for kids and adults. Click here to buy through Redbubble and for delivery worldwide.

LGBTQI inclusive card



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There aren’t many greeting cards that feature an inclusive LGBTQI theme, so I created my own. Being gay myself, I wanted to make something that I would want to give to a friend or family member to make them feel loved and included. Click here to buy through Redbubble and for delivery worldwide.

Celebrate diversity card



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The world is made up of all sorts of people. and I wanted to represent a just few of them with this card. This card features LGBTQI, people of colour, autism spectrum and the black sheep, the oddballs and people who think differently. Click here to buy through Redbubble and for delivery worldwide.

Big thanks to my sister in law Kali for helping with the project and for Redbubble for providing the platform so people can buy them.