Since I was little, I have felt a creative force within me and a huge love for drawing and painting. Mom asks me, "Do you remember when you were a little girl? You once said, all inspired, 'Something is happening in the woods!' "A dream was alive.
I still remember the feeling of imagining fairies, pixies, little beetles dancing, trees whispering, red mushrooms growing... But I never imagined I would be where I am today. I'm still in awe of how life has led me to become an artist and to tell my own stories in the form of books.
My first book, Every Little Kindness, was created during my Master's program at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana. I was inspired by my friend's action when she adopted a dog named Brko, the main character in the book. He was saved from a shelter where he would have been put down. I wanted to honor her act of kindness. She showed as an example of action. And this is how the story starts. The accent color in the book is red. This color represents life (the color of blood), love (the affection for the dog), and anger (due to the dog being lost). Miš Publishing published the book. In 2021, it was released in the US by Chronicle Books. This edition includes a few changes that contributed to the storyline and its message even more.
Are We There Yet?/A smo že tam? is the second wordless book in this series. The inspiration comes from my life. From my fears and sometimes frustration: what if everything planned goes wrong? Then what? How can I cope with the unknown and uncertainty? The main accent is yellow, signifying warmth. I wanted to create a warm atmosphere as a reminder that life, bigger than myself, is always taking care of everything. However, I must show courage and take the necessary steps. The book was launched into the world by Miš Publishing.
Finding Forgiveness is my third book in the series of wordless picture books as a graphic novel. The inspiration came from my dear agent, Allison. She gave me the courage I needed. Forgiveness is a precious quality, but steps toward it can be quite difficult at times. It feels like working within ourselves reflects the change happening outside. When barriers and heavy emotions melt, life changes, and also connections with others. In the book, the main color is blue. In my country, Slovenia, blue represents the color of forget-me-not. And blue is the color of the sky, but also the color of sadness. All those connect beautifully with the storyline. The book was published by Chronicle Books. The rights are held by Stimola Literary Studio.
So, here they are, three books that I never imagined I would bring to life with the help of wonderful people. Each one was created with passion and love, and each one has its own distinctive accent: red, yellow, and blue. I didn't plan to use those primary colors. It happened intuitively. And just like all other colors are made from the primary ones, many stories can be created with the wordless books I'm writing about.
I don't know why I'm looking back. Maybe because I want to believe in a kind world where we could live together as one family. Maybe to realize that all this happened. I feel so much gratitude. And amazement. And I wonder where this dream leads from here.
