The New Golden Song Book

VINTAGEBOOKWEEK2022

At first, joining Vintage Book Week 2022 felt like stepping into a story I wasn't quite sure I belonged in. A Mary Go Round was still a strange, half-remembered thing to me, something I'd only glimpsed once at a theme park, never truly lived. Doubt tiptoed in before I could stop it. Was this mine to try? Did I have anything worth saying? Some small part of me almost let that doubt choose for me, almost let me sit it out.

But curiosity is a stubborn, lovely thing, and it nudged me forward anyway. So I let myself wonder. I let myself play, sketch without a plan, follow my imagination down whatever path it fancied. And somewhere in that softness, something shifted, quietly, without announcement. The hesitation loosened its grip, and in its place came a small, warm spark of excitement. What had felt like a test became something else entirely: a little journey back to myself.

Somewhere between the pencil lines and the daydreams, a truth I'd been circling finally landed. This was never just about one week, one theme, one challenge. It was about the thing that makes me feel most like me. And in that hushed, clear moment, I knew, gently, but certainly: I wanted to become a children's book illustrator.

What once felt like a faraway wish now feels like ground beneath my feet. That one week of leaning in, of choosing curiosity over fear, changed the shape of everything. Uncertainty softened into confidence. Maybe softened into purpose. And today, I'm not simply dreaming of this path anymore, I'm walking it, one small, honest brushstroke at a time.

And the story didn't end there. In 2025, it found new life, folded into a beautiful snowing Christmas card, full of wonder and a little bit of magic. This year, it's coming back too. Stay tuned.