It’s been a little while. About 5 months, really! In creative terms, that feels like forever. With tendonitis and a hand injury, I spent somewhere between 6 and 8 months learning how to rest. As someone who struggles with knowing how to relax, it was both a difficult and wonderful time. I learned to doodle for the joy of it in small intervals rather than big ones, and I spent a lot of time observing. Observation is a gift for creative individuals.
Meeting people in real life, watching them online, and just casually listening to people’s stories, I became aware of how much feelings of unworthy penetrate our culture. I cannot begin to tell you how often I hear people tearing themselves down, saying they’re not creative, they’re unlovable, unworthy, not good enough, not likable, that they have imposter syndrome, and have nothing real to offer the world by their existence. They’re afraid of living, afraid of creating, afraid of being. It’s as though those fears cause their lives to cease to move forward in any healthy direction. They’ve become completely paralyzed by their fear, anxiety, and a sense of lack of value.
My heart broke for these people. As I worked on concept art for some of the books I’m illustrating, a new book pushed all of the other creative endeavors out of the way.
An idea took over that shoved everything aside: a book not for children but for anyone, with little reminders of who you are, what you’re worth, and that you ARE worthy, loveable, creative, and that you can do hard things!
That’s when little doodles of Kitty and Corgi came spilling out of my pen:
Since so many people feel unlovable or unworthy of love, Kitty and Corgi and I wanted to reach out with a hug, and remind you that you are worthy of love.
That, yes! You are beautiful.
You are indeed stronger than you think. You might think of yourself as weak, pathetic, a loser, or ‘I could never do that’ - but you are stronger than you realize!
And for anyone scoffing right now, saying yeah right! I want to remind you to listen to the encouraging little voice inside of you. Not the voice of doubt. Ignore that voice. Bop it on the head and make it go away. Listen to the little voice that encourages you, lifts you up, prompts you to be creative, makes goals feel achievable, and makes life worth living.
To quote Dune, “Fear is the mind-killer.” Ignore the fear. Ignore the voice of anxiety. Ignore the voice that tells you you’re not worthy.
I have many other illustrations that have already made their way into the book, and I will share more along the way! But not all at once 😉 Gotta leave some things for you to discover when the book comes out!
What other little encouragements do you find important?
I hope you were encouraged by this post today and that you leave here remembering that you are worthy of love and that Kitty and Corgi stay by your side through this journey. ♥️ If you know someone who needs to hear this today, please send it their way! Pass on the love and encouragement!
And if someone sent this to you, know that you are loved ♥️
Lots of love,
~Emma Juneau 🐱 🐶
P.S. Cuteness alert! If you want some happy reminders or just need some pretty Desktop Wallpaper, check out the new Kitty and Corgi Desktop and Phone wallpaper at KittyandCorgi.com!
Awesome. Congratulations! More of the same more often please.