Sophie Blackall is a magician, and she transported us to a place that honestly, I am still finding my way back from. Her voice made us all lean in, her humor captivated us, and her moments of quiet settled our spirits. So here is my attempt to bottle up some of that magic, and share it with you all!
...wish me luck.
It began with a sketch and a note, written in a sketch.
Michelangelo wrote this in response to his pupil, Antonio Mini, which lead Sophie into multiple notes, scribbled on scraps of paper by other artists she admires
"Draw like hell"
"Short moments, repeat often"
"Crude + simple"
"You are drawing too tight"
"I am 1000% sure you are drawing too tight! Stop it now!"
So with that in mind, Sophie decided to share some notes that she keeps for herself.
Notes to Self
Disclaimer from Sophie:
Take what is useful
1. Remember People’s Name
"Treat everyone like they are the most important person you’ll meet."
You never know who they will become. Write their name down. Ask again if you forget. Treating others with kindness is so vital to nurturing your ecosystem.
To illustrate this, she showed us a picture of a woman with bobby pins in her hair. There was much to see and a lot to take in but the question she asked and what we should ask is...
Does she have bobby pins on the other side of her head?
Her advice is to pay attention, ask questions, and discover what is on the outside, and inside. There is so much concealed from view.
So get to know people.
2. Read to Children
It surprised her to know that many creators didn't read to children. "This is how you know what they respond to!" What makes them roll on the floor laughing, what makes them happy, what makes them feel brave!
Get out there, and read to children.
3. Read to Yourself
Read! Read! Read!
—and read some more!
Consume as many books as you can! Take notes. See what is facing out in the bookstores, and the library.
Reading allows you to get you "out of the self and return to yourself." It helps you learn something new or remember something you’ve forgotten. Read an old book and see how you’ve changed. Don't forget that a book changed your life once upon a time.
Give yourself the luxury of reading.
4. Give Voice to Your Own Astonishment
Now this blew my mind. What a way to put this concept that we all know and feel so deeply.
"Begin there."
You were made to give voice to that subject. To that thing that sparks curiosity. Sophie keeps a folder of what she finds astonishing and interesting, giving them connections. I believe it was a case study in understanding why and how someone is hard-wired.
As she flipped through a slide of pictures that we were all unique and captivating, she was able to, in real time, show us how all of them were connected and furthered our understanding of her style and aesthetic. Her cabinet of curiosities, if you will.
"Don’t dismiss the tiny ideas"
She showed us how rediscovering a diagram of a lighthouse she had gotten led her down a path to create "Hello Lighthouse." A quote from her family made its way to a notebook and that sparked "If I Was Horse."
And then...she proceeded to narrate, from the podium, a video of a flip-through of her book.
...a magic experience.
Once my inner child stopped running around in pure joy, we moved into the next "Note to Self."
When You Are designing…
5. Mind the Gutter
Self explanatory. It's funny how many times we, as artists, forgot about the gutter of a book. Be mindful of what is going in the center of your illustrations. Plan for it.
6. Make them want to…
...turn the page!
It is our job to turn children into readers of all kinds of book to empower them as adults to read ideally and deeply. "Make children want to read a book over again and again and again. We know how one book can change a child’s life."
"Librarian are risking so much to get books in the hands of children who need them."
What can we go? We can make books that they want to read over again. Children truly have no agency in an uncertain world except in stories they’ve read. They might already know the ending but they still enjoy it the same. It is a little form of control for them and it brings comfort in returning to book they know.
7. Dig Deep
"The books we make will out live us all. So make a good one."
Kids years from now will read your book so really dig deep and make the best book you can. That means not using the first Google image you find or relying on AI. That means not tracing but drawing real people. Fall in love with the gritty, beautiful grime. It entails talking to strangers, booksellers, and librarians. Make the most of what is available to you!
8. Fresh Eyes
Find ways to clear your head and see with fresh eyes. Put that drawing in a...draw. Or cupboard. In a box, inside of another box...Take a break. Put your artwork away and return with fresh eyes.
Set some rules and restrictions and see what happens when you follow them...or when you break them.
Find new perspectives.
9. Document Your Process
Sophie proceeded to show the attendees a video of how she documented her process of Farmhouse. It was inspired by a real farm that she basically excavated and used everything she possibly could to document that experience. Whether it was in taking photos or using the smallest piece of aged wallpaper as a throw rug in an illustration, she showed us, in full detail, all the nuances and uses of her process.
And this allowed her audience to follow along on her journey. To the point, that the pre-sales of the book propelled her to the New York Times Best Selling List.
10. Trim Your Videos
"Just move the yellow bar."
The audience burst into laughter as we watched the awkward start of a video of Sophie before she trimmed it.
"When the earth laughs, it laughs in flowers" <3
"Trim your videos, people. Get to the good stuff."
11. Stretch
Your mind, thoughts, and body. Mimicking a video of herself on the big screen stretching, Sophie demonstrated the stretches she does to keep her body limber. Some attendees joined as well. But she also stressed to stretch. your mind.
"Be afraid, nervous and alive."
12. Stand Tall
"There are no good books that are only for children."
Be proud of the work you do, be proud of the field/career you're in. Period!
13.Collaborate
Collaboration is in the genetic makeup of our work. It is the creator and the audience. The writer and the illustrator. The words and the pictures.
There are so many people to learn from. Like she said before "make most of what is available to you." Engage with your community.
14. Build Community
Sophie currently works at a studio in Brooklyn which she shares with several different artists. It is where they share thoughts, ideas, their work, and their lunchtime. From that experience, Sophie wanted to create more spaces like that and she founded
Milkwood, a creative retreat for the children's book community.
It reminds her how vital community is. To this day, she is astonished and grateful to be able to provide this safe space for the children's book community, and in an uncertain world, the community is our anchor. Our community helps us experience the sheer joy of living.
In Sophie's words,
"All of these notes amount to the same thing. Keep going, keep doing it, and keep trying to make the best book you can."
Yes. Yes, we will.
AboutSophie Blackall is an award-winning illustrator of over 55 books for children, including the New York Times best-selling Ivy and Bean series, the 2016 Caldecott Medal winner, Finding Winnie and the 2019 Caldecott Medal winner, Hello Lighthouse, which she also wrote. She is the five-time recipient of The New York Times Best Illustrated Picture Book Award and has worked with UNICEF and Save the Children, UK on global health and literacy initiatives. Originally from Australia, she now splits her time between Brooklyn, New York, and the Catskill Mountains, where she and her husband run a retreat for the children’s book community called Milkwood Farm.
www.sophieblackall.com 
