A copy of my SIXTH book, Becoming My Best Self.
A bit about the theme:
I’m going to let you into a little secret… this book actually started out as an idea called The Graveyard Book. During the past two years designing my previous 5 books, there were multiple illustrations that didn’t make the cut. Some I didn’t like enough, some just didn’t feel right at the time, so I had the idea of 'bringing them all back from the dead' and putting them together into a 'Graveyard Book'. However, the more I worked on the book, the more I had the feeling that The Graveyard Book wasn’t working a concept. There was more depth to the illustrations - they all felt like they fitted a certain theme.
It took me a while but eventually I realised: while designing the first 5 books, I really wasn’t a good version of myself. I was working 100+ hour weeks with no breaks, resulting in a state of complete burnout & leading to multiple breakdowns. I felt like the biggest hypocrite - I was dedicating so much time to trying to help the world, but absolutely no time focusing on being kind to my own mind, or my own body.
That’s when I decided to make it my mission to put myself first, and focus on myself. I finally caved and asked for help with the business. I started spending weekends and evenings with people I love rather than with work. I fell back in love with moving my body and fuelling it with good foods, and worked hard on rebuilding my mental health. With a little clarity, I realised what these new illustrations were saying to me - the entire time I’d been designing them, I was slowly working on trying to become a better version of myself, and that message was slipping into my drawings.
All of us, no matter our past, or our current obstacles, have the ability to do at least one thing each day: to work on making yourself a better version of you than you were yesterday. Even if it’s just tiny steps to become a little kinder, a little more patient, a little healthier, a little smarter, a little better at that hobby you love - whatever it is, it’s empowering to be able to try.
I want this book to be the book that I needed six months ago. A reminder that (as cliché as it sounds) no matter how tough things have been, it’s always a good idea to work on you, for you. A huge shoutout to everyone who has been through difficult times in life, but refuses to let it turn them cold - it can take so much strength and bravery to keep striving to better yourself, but I’m so proud of you for trying. Day by day, we can all work on becoming our best selves. We got this <3
