Ask the Author: Shea Proulx
Answered Questions (7)
Shea Proulx
Hi Briana!
Sorry for the delay in responding, I haven't checked my author page in a while - but it's time for some updates!
In my opinion, Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn is the only actual parenting philosophy/technique book that you ever need to read. The gist is, you love your kids unconditionally, and rewarding them or punishing them sends the wrong message. The good things you do for them, you do because you love them, and the things they enjoy but that you limit or withhold are up to discussion, and are withheld for their own good, which is another aspect of your love. It's more work, not less, to have discussions instead of "rules," and the book doesn't advocate negligence, but total emotional involvement and empathy - the same kinds of relationships that we value with close friends and family members.
Lauren Iredale recommended this book to me when Alice was very young, and you can see the author's influence on her mother, Lael Whitehead through her wonderful autobiography, about being one of the pioneers of the un-schooling movement on the West Coast: A Path of Their Own: Helping Children to Educate Themselves. Whether or not you have an interest in self-education, knowing that it's not only possible, but perhaps ideal, this book can give you so much strength for navigating the school system - as long as you can show your child that you have faith in them and their journey, the rest is all details.
For something completely different, check out Heather B. Armstrong's "It Sucked And Then I Cried." This blog-star wrote a hilarious, gripping, unbelievably honest bio about her experiences with pregnancy and birth as someone who very much relied upon her mental health prescriptions, and who, like many moms on meds, had to go off them to have a safe pregnancy. It's a little told story, and so important. You get a great sense for how our darkest times can be the greatest source of humor and perspective when we dare to tell our stories - a valuable lesson for every stage of parenting, from day one. Best of all, this woman is so funny, and nothing is off limits.
I hope you're still interested in checking these out! Enjoy!
Sorry for the delay in responding, I haven't checked my author page in a while - but it's time for some updates!
In my opinion, Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn is the only actual parenting philosophy/technique book that you ever need to read. The gist is, you love your kids unconditionally, and rewarding them or punishing them sends the wrong message. The good things you do for them, you do because you love them, and the things they enjoy but that you limit or withhold are up to discussion, and are withheld for their own good, which is another aspect of your love. It's more work, not less, to have discussions instead of "rules," and the book doesn't advocate negligence, but total emotional involvement and empathy - the same kinds of relationships that we value with close friends and family members.
Lauren Iredale recommended this book to me when Alice was very young, and you can see the author's influence on her mother, Lael Whitehead through her wonderful autobiography, about being one of the pioneers of the un-schooling movement on the West Coast: A Path of Their Own: Helping Children to Educate Themselves. Whether or not you have an interest in self-education, knowing that it's not only possible, but perhaps ideal, this book can give you so much strength for navigating the school system - as long as you can show your child that you have faith in them and their journey, the rest is all details.
For something completely different, check out Heather B. Armstrong's "It Sucked And Then I Cried." This blog-star wrote a hilarious, gripping, unbelievably honest bio about her experiences with pregnancy and birth as someone who very much relied upon her mental health prescriptions, and who, like many moms on meds, had to go off them to have a safe pregnancy. It's a little told story, and so important. You get a great sense for how our darkest times can be the greatest source of humor and perspective when we dare to tell our stories - a valuable lesson for every stage of parenting, from day one. Best of all, this woman is so funny, and nothing is off limits.
I hope you're still interested in checking these out! Enjoy!
Shea Proulx
I don't forsee ever making something that doesn't allow me to fall back on drawing. I have no fear of blank pages because the creative process I'm committed to, in which sequential drawings tell stories that words cannot, takes so long to finish. By the time I'm done one project, the idea for the next has been brewing for so long I can't wait to get started. The first few books I made don't look publishable to me anymore, though that's what I hoped for them when I made them. What they did have going for them was that they were made utilizing a creative process that I enjoyed and was able to repeat, with small changes, so that my work seemed to slowly improve and gain more structure with each book I completed. When I feel stuck on a page I observe the world around me, or photos, sometimes. In the absence of a plan, delving into memory never fails.
Shea Proulx
I use words in my work the way most creators of picture books use illustraions. I like to let the drawings tell the story, including glossaries that give a little extra detail and context in a way that is somewhat optional. When I talk to people I often find myself blabbering on and on. The best thing about being a writer for me is knowing I can rewrite the script whenever I want, or even revel in the freedom to choose silence over text.
Shea Proulx
Try not to worry about what a thing is before it's finished. If you don't enjoy it, how can you believe that someone else will? You have to find a way to enjoy your process and not stress out about just what it has to "be." Though it will take dedication to finish what you start, the time you spend writing has to be is fun for you. The hardest work comes later, promoting, distributing, and advocating for the things you create. That work should be in service of something you were passionate about during the creative process so that you can call on those feelings later, truthfully.
Shea Proulx
I'm currently working on a super secret design project supporting a creative family member. I'm also editing a book called "Alice At Naptime," about my first year as a mother and artist. I'm experimenting with a colour version of "ABC Monstrosity" and drawing...something: the drawings are almost done but the text is TBD. I'm also doing research for...something else...a thing about time, physics, geology, ancestry, and what parts of our history as humans can be communicated visually. The text might actually come first for that project.
Shea Proulx
I am inspired to write words that expand upon the things I have drawn. These first two books were drawn long before I added any text. I hoped to supplement the drawings with glossaries that would open them up to further imaginings, only if the viewer chose to reach for them, rather than boxing in their meaning and possibility.
Shea Proulx
"ABC Monstrosity" was inspired by the mix of amazing and awful children's books I started seeing on my trips to the library looking for things to read to baby Alice. "I could be almost this amazing" I often thought. "I could not possibly create something this awful" was my hope and prayer.
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