🎨 From Ballet Shoes to Picture Books: The Creative Journey of Momoko Abe | Creatives Across Borders 🌍

In this inspiring episode of Creatives Across Borders, I sit down with the incredibly talented Momoko Abe—Japanese-born author, illustrator, and creative powerhouse behind the hit picture book Avocado Asks.

We explore Momoko’s unique path from aspiring ballerina in Tokyo to filmmaker in London, and ultimately, to becoming a rising star in the UK children's book scene. She opens up about:

• Her cultural transition from Japan to the UK
• Breaking into traditional publishing
• The influence of Ukiyo-e and kawaii culture on her work
• Winning awards and working with the likes of John Agard and Jeanne Willis
• The real talk on making a living as a creative—and why she still works a part-time job in TV 🎬

Whether you're an aspiring illustrator, a fellow creative, or just curious about the global journeys artists take, this conversation is packed with insight, warmth, and encouragement. 💫

Chitra Soundar is a celebrated children's book author with over 50 published books. Chitra's journey from a computer scientist in India to a full-time storyteller is filled with cultural richness and deep creative insight. She discusses her path from early scribbles to professional writing, her creative strategies, and offers valuable advice for aspiring writers. Chitra elaborates on her multifaceted career, including writing picture books, educational stories, and TV scripts, particularly highlighting her recent work on the children's TV show Nikhil and Jay on CBeebies. Also mentioned are her experiences with industry connections and professional organizations like SCBWI and Colourful Connections, which have played pivotal roles in her career. With dedicated work habits derived from her tech background and a commitment to authentic storytelling, Chitra's narrative is both inspirational and educational for anyone intrigued by children's media.

A summary of the show including related links can be found in this post:
https://wafunkpublishing.com/creatives-across-borders-chitra-soundar/

Marissa Valdez is a talented Hispanic-American illustrator and #1 New York Times bestselling artist, about her incredible journey into the world of children's books.

Starting with a degree in animation, Marissa’s path was far from straightforward. From working as a graphic designer to a preschool teacher, a life-changing podcast finally inspired her to pursue children’s book illustration. Today, she creates magical stories from her home in Birmingham, UK, where she lives with her husband.

During our conversation, Marissa shared:

• Her insights on the differences between American and UK illustration styles.
• How her Hispanic heritage influences her vibrant, character-filled artwork.
• The business side of her arts including her teaching courses and art licensing
• Practical tips for aspiring illustrators.
• Sneak peeks into her current and upcoming projects!

If you’re an artist, writer, or just love children’s literature, you won’t want to miss her inspiring story!

A summary of the show including related links can be found in this post:
https://wafunkpublishing.com/creatives-across-borders-marissa-valdez/

In this episode of Creatives Across Borders, we sit down with Jasmine Richards, an accomplished author and founder of Storymix, to explore the fascinating world of book packaging. With nearly 20 years of experience in children's publishing, Jasmine takes us through her journey of building Storymix from the ground up, co-authoring the hit Aziza’s Secret Fairy Door series with Tola Okogwu, and navigating the challenges and triumphs of the industry.

Jasmine sheds light on the concept of book packaging, explains how intellectual property (IP) plays a crucial role in book optioning, and shares her approach to storytelling in today's diverse market. Whether you're a writer, publisher, or creative entrepreneur, this interview is packed with insights, valuable lessons, and Jasmine’s wealth of experience.

A summary of the show including related links can be found in this post:
https://wafunkpublishing.com/creatives-across-borders-jasmine-richards/

Dapo Adeola is a renowned children's book illustrator, author and storyteller.  Join us as Dapo shares his journey, current and future projects, and invaluable advice for aspiring creatives. Discover the inspiration behind his acclaimed works, such as "Look Up" - winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize -
and "Hey You," and learn about his innovative approaches to storytelling and business.

📌 Topics Covered:

• The essence of agent representation and approaches to landing the right agents
• Insights on working with publishers and managing freelance projects
• The importance of diversifying creative work and exploring different mediums
• Strategies for monetizing art, including prints, pins, and merchandise
• Why he includes a "no commissions" disclaimer on his Instagram
• Practical tips for managing the business side of being a creative
• Debunking different myths about the children's book publishing industry
• Learning resources for starters and experienced creatives alike

A summary of the show including related links can be found in this post:
https://wafunkpublishing.com/creatives-across-borders-dapo-adeola/

 Steven Bryant is a multi-talented creative professional with a background in graphic design, illustration, and photography. His passion lies in creating illustrated children's books, having self-published six since he began his series in 2017. Growing up, Steven was always engaged in drawing, writing, and reading, with a childhood dream of working in animation, inspired by Disney cartoons. Though life's twists led him to graphic design, his love for writing and illustrating remained strong. Steven's career began with graphic design work for various clients, but he eventually decided to pursue his passion for children's books. Starting with simple sketches and concepts, he leveraged his design skills to write, illustrate, and self-publish his first book, Santana's Bad Hair Day. This marked the beginning of his ongoing journey in children's literature.

A summary of the show including related links can be found in this post:
https://wafunkpublishing.com/creatives-across-borders-steven-bryant/

Flavia Drago is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator from Mexico. She is best known for her signature use of horror characters for captivating children's picture books which include, Gustavo the shy ghost, Leila the perfect witch and Vlad the fabulous vampire . Her fascination and works also form the context of her current PhD at Anglia Ruskin University where she's researching horror as a genre in children's picturebooks. In this interview, we talk through her journey from the start and across different countries. We also examine topical issues like how her works are perceived across cultures given the varying connotations of horror-like subjects. Plus, we touch on what spooks Flavia (if any), her perspectives on horror as a genre, current and future projects, agents and much more.

A summary of the show including related links can be found in this post:
https://wafunkpublishing.com/creatives-across-borders-flavia-drago/

Ori (short for Orianna) Bellardi is a Venezuelan toy maker, 3d maker and painter. She has worked with award winning artists such as Dapo Adeola and Chris Chatterton bringing their characters alive in colourful mind-blowing 3d printed and painted toys. Interestingly, Ori's journey started from the kitchen having practiced and worked as a chef for 15+ years across Venezuela, India, Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands. Today, through persistence, perseverance and quest for excellence, Ori has found a way to translate her creativity in the kitchen to toy making. In this interview, she walks us through her journey, processes, mentors, projects, struggles, high points and more. If like me, you're curious about 3D printing, this is also a very educative interview as she breaks it all down to the basics. I've included chapters so you can navigate to different segments within the podcast.

Tune in to learn about

• Ori's career transition from chef to toy making.
• Her step by step process of 3d printing and painting including the tools and costs involved.
• Ori's projects, influences and mentors.
• Ori's career highlights, struggles and more insights into her background.
• Useful tips for other creatives to follow

A summary of the show including related links can be found in this post:
https://wafunkpublishing.com/creatives-across-borders-ori-bellardi/

Selom Sunu is a British-Ghanaian character designer and illustrator whose works include the Google Doodle of Andrew Watson, CBeebies JoJo and Gran Gran show, and Children's books by publishers like Penguin and Harper Collins. What you may not know is his business and marketing background, the late start to his illustration and animation career, the story behind his mentorship with an experienced Disney character designer, positioning using LinkedIn, influences, workshops, passion for adult education, work-life balance as a father and husband. 

Tune in to learn about

• His late career transition from a business and marketing to illustrations and character design
• How he came about his mentorship with a renowned character designer at Disney and the mentoring process
• The role of LinkedIn and opportunities he's had like Disney Television Animation, Mercury Filmworks, Google among others
• Resources for developing your skills in the  animation and illustration industry
• Useful tips for other creatives to follow

A summary of the show including related links can be found in this post:
https://wafunkpublishing.com/creatives-across-borders-selom-sunu/

Lola Usupova is a children's book writer and illustrator. A suitcase, dreams and lots of courage is one way to sum up Lola's beginnings. From have native sunny Uzbekistan first to Russia, then Poland, Sweden and now the UK, Lola's artistic journey is still unravelling. Yet, her story as a promising children's book writer and illustrator is captivating. Her journey has involved learning different spoken languages on the way but one that remains consistent is her passionate artistic language, drive and dreams. Listen to Lola's unfolding story for some inspiration.

A summary of the show including related links can be found in this post: https://wafunkpublishing.com/creatives-across-borders-lola-usupova