I Sketched Fellow Passengers On The Ferry In Amsterdam In A Tiny Sketchbook, Here's The Result (30 Pics)

I majored in Fine Arts in college, specifically painting. I created figurative artwork that told stories, which wasn't really fashionable at the time. After I graduated, I became more interested in creative writing. It seemed inevitable that I'd eventually combine the two pursuits and drift to illustration. I got a nudge from some friends to start submitting my manuscripts with drawings, and for a while, illustration became my primary freelance business. 

How I ended up in Amsterdam is my fairy tale story! I met my husband in a parking lot in Brooklyn, New York. He's English and had an urge to move back to Europe (this was before Brexit). He told me he had three cities in mind: Brighton, Zurich, and Amsterdam. We took a whirlwind tour of these cities in two weeks, and, after much deliberation, I chose Amsterdam. Much like New York, it's a fabulous city for walking, and, of course, cycling, with vibrant street life and an international population. Those qualities were very important to me. It also has a rich tradition in the visual arts. I still live in Amsterdam, in a little terraced house in the North, and I have a studio in the NDSM neighborhood. 

It's frustrating when the thing you're working on doesn't turn out the way you hoped it would, however vague your original vision for it might be. I've learned that the best solution for this situation is to either take a different approach or get some distance. Try drawing from a different perspective, with a different medium, or just take a walk and leave it on the back burner for a little while. Even though I believe that you shouldn't just sit around waiting for inspiration to strike, I'm ecstatic when I get an idea that strikes me like a bolt of lightning. It literally sparks me up. I get all tingly. I also really enjoy seeing my creations out in the world and how other people react to them. 

Illustrating and writing are my ways of exploring the world, and I have an adventurous spirit. The frustrating aspect of it, that I never really master illustration, is also what makes it endlessly fascinating and interesting. I can always improve. There's always some aspect of it I can tackle and try to make better.

This year has been really rewarding so far. I made it a goal to start pitching short-form comics to magazines and newspapers, and I've managed to get published in The New Yorker and The New York Times. I intend to switch gears in a couple of months and return to a graphic novel that I want to develop. It's also based in Amsterdam, and will be a combination of historical fiction and magical realism. See, I'm getting all excited again!

The sketches from this article developed into a full-blown art project which was subsidized by the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts called Faces on the Ferry. You can find out more about that art project on the dedicated website, or read some other press clippings on this page of my website. I also still have some screen prints from this art project available through my Etsy shop.