It has been a really busy time! I’ll note some of the cool stuff that I’ve been up to lately:
Springbreak in Kitkatla written by Kim Spencer was officially released during Spring Break. I’m so pleased to see this book out in the world and I was able to meet the author, Kim, for the first time at a reading a few months ago. She is a wonderful person and I look forward to meeting her again down the road.
Kohkom’s First Drum written by Monique Gray Smith was recently released and it’s an absolute joy to see the celebration around this book! It’s offered in Cree and French so please pick up a copy for the little one’s in your life or for your local library, book store, daycare, or preschool.
A new series by the Narwhal is out regarding Grizzly Bears has been web published by the Narwhal and I’m so excited by the illustrations I produced for this article. I intentionally used a mixed media approach to combat the ongoing issues that AI created with manipulating creativity into a fast-form product that sucks the spirit out art (mini-rant!). Please check it out and read this incredible article: https://thenarwhal.ca/north-cascades-grizzly-recovery/
I attended the Arctic Winter Games in March with the UBC Comics Collective with a number of artists with the intention of producing a comic based on the experiences of the athletes competing in the Indigenous Dene games. In short, it was an incredible experience, I had always wanted to go to Whitehorse and I feel drawn to returning there some time down the road.
I’m working on a cover and feature illustration for a youth reader novel which I’m VERY excited about. I really enjoyed working on the Maggie Lou books and to be honest, there’s a different approach I take with just working on cover art which I really enjoy.
I’ve signed on for a new book with Scholastic which will take shape later this year. I cannot wait to work on it but I’ll keep the details under wraps for now.
In terms of personal stuff:
Floor hockey season is winding down, it’s always fun playing with this crew and I am pretty sure I’ve played floor hockey for TEN WHOLE YEARS which is actually insane to think about.
I’m returning to my softball team, East Van Crows, this Spring and I’m really amped for another season with Mabel League.
In my professional career role, I have the opportunity to attend a conference in Chile this July and I cannot even wrap my head around how fun it will be to travel down to South America for the second time in my life.
Life is interesting and I feel a shift in what kind of person I want to be. Sometimes, you can’t plan on how life will shake up. Sometimes, you realize that you’re carrying a lot on your mind and heart and you fold up aspects of yourself to compensate for the comfort of others. Sometimes, we live in a web of “what-if-this-happens” which, personally speaking, tends to hold me in a static state that prevents me from actually feeling alive in this world. I am ready to live fully. I am ready to claw back pieces of myself. I am ready to feel what I need to feel. Only time will tell how this contributes to the shift but I feel it coming. Like a storm on the horizon, it feels a little scary but you also just can’t wait to feel the cool wash of rain on your face.