Obstaja razlika med ustvarjanjem lastnega projekta in med ilustriranjem zgodbe drugega avtorja. Ko ustvarjam svoje delo, se mi zdi kot da plavam med neštetimi možnostmi iz ustvarjalne juhe, ki so na voljo. Drugače je, ko ustvarjam iz svojega jedra. Navadno še bolj vključim vrednote in stvari, ki jih cenim in so mi pomembne. Bolj sem neobremenjena pritiska ob misli, ali bom dovolj počastila delo avtorja zgodbe. Ta skrb ni prisotna, ko ustvarjam svojo zgodbo in mi daje več svobode.
To pa ne pomeni, da mi je muka ilustrirati druge zgodbe. Sploh ne! Čutim pa veliko odgovornost do nekoga, ki mi je zaupal svoje delo v ilustriranje. Ko slišim želje uredništva in pisatelja, moram v vseh željah in omejitvah najti prostor za svojo svobodo, kjer bom lahko združila čim več želja, ohranila svojo integriteto ter hkrati počastila avtorja, ki je zgodbo napisal. Zdi se, kot da drugače okušam zgodbe, ki jih dobim v ilustriranje od teh, ki jih ustvarjam sama. Vse to me bogati. Izjemno sem hvaležna, da lahko ustvarjam.
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When I talk to people, I’m often asked whether there’s a difference between working on my own personal project and illustrating someone else’s story. Not long ago, I would have said no. However, I now see things differently.
There is a difference between creating my own project and illustrating a story written by another author. When I’m working on my own, it feels like I’m swimming in countless possibilities, choosing freely from the creative “soup” available to me. It’s a different experience when I create from my own core. I usually bring in more of my values and the things I care about deeply. I feel less pressure, because there’s no one else’s work at stake—only mine. That absence of concern gives me a sense of freedom.
But that doesn’t mean illustrating other people’s stories is a burden. Not at all! I simply feel a stronger responsibility toward someone who has entrusted me with their work. When I hear the wishes of the editor and the writer, I need to find a space within all those requests and limitations where I can express my own freedom—where I can bring their vision to life, while also staying true to myself, and at the same time honor the author who wrote the story.
It feels like I “taste” the stories I illustrate for others differently from the ones I create myself. And all of it enriches me. I’m deeply grateful for the trust I receive from my dear publishers and writers.