A Toast to 2009

Get your blogger ready! Set! Write!

That will be my theme for this year, well, not completely. I do intend on bringing to you some insights into the children's market, as an illustrator, writer and designer. Having worked as a web designer for the last two years has given me a broader perspective of the tools our society uses in order to publish materials. People have a need to communicate and it will be satiated by whatever means possible. And I do mean, "whatever means". It's been a little rough this last year, especially for those freelancing, with the economy nearly seizing up in the wake of speculators and bankrupting financial institutions. Not an easy road ahead either by the looks of things. There is hope however, if we all stay calm and don't tighten our wallets too tightly, things will work out just fine.

For instance, larger coorporations and department stores have been collapsing left and right, but as I search the job boards there are still start up companies seeking out trained professionals for work. Also, with the inaguration of our new president, it seems as though the job market has actually doubled in the last few weeks judging by the list of postings to online job boards. If Obama's auora can make that kind of a change I'm all for it! Also, as a member of a children's writer's listserv I was getting some pretty disturbing news about publishers downsizing and not taking manuscripts. Then I realized these cuts were in the already bloated adult departments and, even better, I'm an illustrator and they take rather kindly to pretty postcards anyway. :) I made sure though, just in case, to purchase books for Christmas. You have to put your money where your mouth is - literally at times! That's how we all made it thorough the Great Depression. Just one thing at a time, and the hope that things could only get better from here on out.

Here's to a prosporous and eventful 2009!