Hi! I’m Kayla Stark, an illustrator working primarily in the children’s publishing world. You’re reading “Odd Thoughts”, my blog/newsletter where I talk mostly about illustration, process, publishing, and anything else that’s tangentially related in my life. Join in! Everyone’s welcome!
Recently (4-5 months ago) I began repeating the same 3 words to myself while working. It could be during sketching, making a final illustration, coming up with ideas—doesn’t matter. It’s always the same 3 words:
In that time “fast, funny, fun” has become my working motto. If it sounds simple…well…it is, and it isn’t.
FAST: Of course I like drawing, but I don’t want to spend forever and a day on ONE illustration. This took me so much longer than it should have to realize. I had (have) some tangled up thoughts about the quality of art vs how long it takes to make. Do you agree or is this just me? (still reckoning with this on the daily)
FUNNY: The things I like and want to make are typically funny (if they aren’t funny, just let me live in denial). When work makes me laugh, I’ll have a better time doing it, and I’ll want to share it with others.
FUN: It’s my job (my one life!) and how I spend a majority of my waking time…I want it to be fun dammit! I know it’s impossible for every day in this career to be fun, but I’m shooting for a high fun to soul-sucking ratio. 🥳 > 💀
This motto may only be 3 words, but lemme tell ya, it’s easy to forget. So I’ve been writing it everywhere around me. When I get sucked into drawing each blade of grass or tuft of fur—BAM! FAST, FUNNY, FUN! I write it on the page where I can see it.
When I continually redraw a line in my sketchbook because “it’s too wobbly, someone might look through this” BAM! FAST, FUNNY, FUN!—up where I can see ya!
When I’m scrolling online and I feel like shit because “everyone else’s art is so much better and look at all the success they have doing it that way” BAM! FAST, FUNNY, FUN!—front and center.
This (below) is the teeniest crop from a story I’ve recently worked into a picture book dummy. 😬 It’s the first BIG project where I kept “fast, funny, fun” in mind from the beginning. It also happens to be one I’m really proud of! (so far…so good!)
“Fast, funny, fun” has nothing to do with medium, nothing to do with trends, and everything to do with the feeling I want in my work and process. They’re the guiding words that help keep me on track, my illustration motto!
What’s your “fast, funny, fun”?
Here I’ll help. Fill in the blanks. When I’m making work I want it to feel ______, _______, and ________. (add as many words as you want, who am I to stop you? That wouldn’t be very “fast, funny, fun” of me.)
Topic Change:
It’s October—the month when everyone draws!
Do you join the global frenzy and do a drawing challenge in October? I normally don’t, but I always feel a smidge of FOMO. This year I want to make a few, I don’t anticipate I’ll make all 31 days; there’s a lot of other things I have to do and am excited to tell you about. 🙃 I made this little guide for myself—I’m limited to my nib pen (with black ink), graphite, orange, and yellow (some purple may sneak in). Ah! I forgot to write “fast, funny, fun”, but you know it’s included!
I made a list of my own prompts too! The first one is: crunch some leaves 🍂
Thank you everyone for your continued support here! I’m having a nice time building up this newsletter and this space. If you haven’t subscribed and don’t want to miss a post, just click the big, orange button—I’d love to have ya aboard!
Oh Kayla this is exactly the advice I needed. Gonna work on my own motto but Fast, funny, fun resonates!
Well these simple thoughts are so helpful and had me chewing on them all day yesterday and still today… posthaste, playful, punny… see what I did there? Basically I want the same things out of my art!