Suddenly there is an idea –– like a jolt it hits you and if you take hold of it, it will take hold of you and then together you ride the wave until the idea is a reality and finally you have a book.
But how did that idea get there?
It hit me one morning, in the sunny lounge room at my parents’ house. I literally just started to sing it out loud. I captured it in writing. But in actual fact the pathway for this spark of creativity was carved by some great big moves well before I sat in the sunshine.
I’ve always loved being creative and this led me on a path into the creative advertising world. After high school, I studied a degree in Visual Communications design and then I entered the work force. I found myself settling in Canada because of a relationship and working in one of Canada’s top 100 employers. That journey in itself was a seventeen year process, following the path I assumed was expected of me. Following the necessary path to pay my way. Then came children. With them I found this incredible desire to make my world better and to create for them. They gave me a reason and motivation but also took away my time. I remembered my childhood and how I loved writing stories and illustrating them – an uncovered gift. So there was this desire but no time. I would wake up in the morning, dress and feed children, off to work, home from work, cook dinner, bath children, do housework, more work, crash and repeat this process week after week. My creative job was mildly creative but I was on a treadmill. So I took giant steps to change my world.
I left this wonderful company, my benefits, my bonus. I left my friends. I also left my adopted country to return to New Zealand, where I would start fresh with very little to busy my mind. A clear mind. This is where an idea can then get in and take you on. While you are surviving in your busy world, your mind will stay on that path to get you through. Your mind won’t have a chance to meander or wander down the hidden streams to where the treasure lies waiting. With nothing much on your mind there is space to explore.
The busy has since come back into my life, so now I have to remind myself to create time… time to create.
Rebecca Larsen’s first published book ‘Row, row, row your waka’ was released in November 2016. It is a picture song book in both English and Maori that kids love. www.rowyourwaka.co.nz
