Storytelling Journey
In 1999, Professor Julian F. Fleron said, “The creative adult is the child who survived.” The professor describes me perfectly. My creative child constantly explores unique ways to share stories that children love to read.
I was that kid always making things up, allowing my imagination to put me in situations where I’d never been but wanted to be. Stories and art, my deep love for animals and riding horses, got me through a childhood overflowing with difficulties.
But I’m not alone, am I? All of us have a story to tell—good or bad. My early life isn’t rare; I grew up wanting something I struggled to identify. No one knew I was near-sighted with a severe astigmatism that made it impossible to read the writing on the chalkboard and equally difficult to correctly assimilate words on a page. They labeled me stupid from first to fifth grade, except I wasn’t. I got glasses somewhere in between and that fixed my eyesight, but to make matters worse, add dyslexia to the mix, until my fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Plotkin, had me stay after school every day. She seated me in a closet and, with a flashlight, Helen Plotkin would shine that spot on one letter or number at a time, forcing me to focus on that one symbol. I’d memorize it and not continue until I correctly filled a full sheet of notebook paper.
I discovered that the lower-case letter ‘e’ is not upside-down and backward, and while I still see e’s that way, the letter can’t fool me, because now I know better. As I progressed, Mrs. Plotkin taught me that a capital E and the number 3 are not even in the same symbol family and they face opposite directions, just like those pesky p's and q’s! Plus, {wink} one of those little buggers has a tail! Then Mrs. Plotkin advanced my education to explain that someone thought it a good idea to mix letters and numbers into mathematical equations! Mind blowing. Mrs. Plotkin tempered that information by opening doors into a brand new world; explaining people actually write stories, not just tell them. That wonderful woman—God's gift—taught me to love reading books and she inspires me to help children today.
Of course, as the years progressed, I learned to adjust my stories, switch them up, and replace myself with a fictional character to better entertain the reader. I also learned that it's okay to break writing and illustrating rules; not a few, nor many, I broke them all! Which led to wild unconventionality.
Because I always struggled within the American educational system, at fifteen I leapt at the opportunity to enter college and study technical illustration. When I exited public schooling, I graduated high school with honors, an Associates Degree, and multiple scholarship opportunities. I declined them all, chased after my dreams, and now it is clear: my exit from the ‘higher learning’ system led me, without regrets, to where I am today.
After two interesting careers—one in corporate America and the other training renegade horses—I’ve settled into the most rewarding stage of my life: children’s picture books, a glorious endeavor filled with sharing, discovery and wonder. After a lifetime of chasing my inner child, now I do what the late Quincy Jones once suggested: "Follow your goosebumps!" he said, "they’ll never lead you wrong."
Thanks and gratitude to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for His many blessings. To Him be the honor and power and glory forever.
