What is it you seek?
You are here, so you must be seeking something.
As a child, I most remember seeking a voice. I didn’t have a loud or particularly confident voice, but I did draw pictures much of the time. In grade school I doodled magical unicorns on friends’ Trapper Keepers and made comics from schoolyard tales. My pictures could give the stories of others a visual voice, which turned out to be just as important as all of the words.
I knew early on that I wanted to be an illustrator. In college, I was a seeker of skills and the confidence it would take to sell them. Upon graduation, I was a seeker of opportunity. I flew to New York City with several portfolios and a perfectionist’s spreadsheet of appointments. I was a seeker of validation and was rewarded plenty. But when I returned, my phone did not ring.
And so I sought patience (which still eludes me).
After months of odd jobs and auditioning for every possible game show in Southern California, I was called for real illustration work. Over the next few years I would land my first picture book, a major ad campaign, and a solo gallery show. I met the goals I set in school. So was this the success I was seeking all along?
Alas, the problem with seekers is that they will always find something more to seek. For us, satisfaction is short-lived, if it is ever felt at all.
My first child was born in 2008, just after a record year for my art. I was so afraid of what would happen to my career once I had a kid that I gave myself near impossible deadlines thereafter. I did not nap when he napped (as is universally advised). And so for the next year (or several) I would be a seeker of sleep.
I kept moving. If I stopped I might have been unable to pick myself back up. So I worked 16-hour days, drawing and painting and serving on boards and teaching college students - until one day I simply could not remember why I was seeking all of the things that I sought in the first place. So I prescribed some time to seek myself.
I paused and connected. I had a second child. I actually turned down assignments that didn’t speak to me. This was not easy. But I sought focus.
Two years ago, our family made a spontaneous move to Charleston. I would finally allow myself to focus solely on crafting and illustrating stories. Much of my career thus far has been in drawing and painting seekers. Like me, (and I suspect you as well) they seek adventure and joy and knowledge and justice and truth (and sleep). They have tales to tell, and I hope to channel their voices. I am henceforth a seeker of stories, and I look forward to sharing them soon.
Illustrations ©Jaime Zollars 2016
I wish I had even an iota of the talent you have. Amazing work. Keep it up and please keep sharing with us!
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Thanks so much! I look forward to sharing more here.
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I'm so glad I decided to follow you, you have such stunning artwork! And if it's any consolation, I know how it feels myself to be a seeker of more. As a local metal musician, I am always looking for the next opportunity to set up for myself and on behalf of my band. We are at a bit of a standstill until we can get our newest member up to speed with the music, but as soon as we're stage-ready once again, my mind will inevitably switch back to "seek" mode, always looking for the next gig, the next song to learn, the next song to record, the next bands to share the stage with, and so on. Since I can mentally relate to the seeking process which you described here, I can tell that following you and your art will be quite the adventure, and I very much look forward to it! Kudos, and cheers! :)
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Thanks @damiancraymond ! It's funny because I always thought it would feel differently to reach my goals - like I'd accomplished more - but yes, it is always on to the next thing. That said, I think once you've stopped seeking, it is all over, right? Good luck with your music!
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молодец
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I love your drawings! they are very dreamy :)
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Thanks so much @camilla ! You have dreamy feel to your work as well :)
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thank you so much storyseeker! that is a great compliment coming from such a talented artist as you :)
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Your illustrations are lovely! You have a very unique art style that I absolutely love.
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Thank you @pseudopoise I checked out your recent post - great idea to use a paint marker over acrylics! I also have favorite Terry Pratchett quotes :)
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Oh wow thanks for checking out my post! I appreciate that. And yes, I love the Pratchett quote I posted. :) Great minds think alike, huh? :p
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You have a new fan, I think this work is fantastic. I can't wait to see more of your work, it is captivating.
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thanks @opheliafu :) It's nice to meet fellow creatives here and contribute :)
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You have a great set of artistic followers already, I hope it continues to grow. Your work is amazing!
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omg so beautiful!
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thank you @msgivings !
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Wow! What beautiful illustrations @storyseeker!
I love your work and really look forward to more.
Following now.
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thanks @rigaronib ! I appreciate the support!
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You bet, friend!
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you have a great helper I think :) welcome @storyseeker following you
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Thanks @nekromarinst ! Your drawings are great! I'd love to design a beer label one day - that is something I've yet to do...
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Woah those are some eerie drawings!
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I do enjoy strange old stories and am inspired by old fairy tales. That was apparently enough to turn my work a bit to the darker side :)
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Theres a lot about you as an artist that I hope to emulate! The style, the really clean linework. I cant get enough of that last one with the masks.
If you have any advice for an aspiring illustrator, let me know!
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Thanks so much @stirlzzz ! I sometimes feel like those small detailed pieces are too much work because they take me forever (even though I enjoy the process and the clean-ness of a super-sharp pencil). I'll think on the advice for the aspiring illustrator and also consider a possible post on the topic. There is so much more to it than I realized while in school, so the advice is somewhat complicated to sort out.
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Beautiful story and work!
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Welcome, Jaime! I'm so happy to see you here! We seek the same things. :)
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Thanks @fairytalelife ! More to come - and I look forward to keeping up with your posts too.
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wow - you're sooooooooo gifted!
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Your voice is such a unique and palpable one, and I'm so happy and grateful I found you on here to follow! As a fellow seeker I celebrate our hunger, thirst and persistence to ignite and keep the fire of creativity and understanding alive in all of us. You do amazing work, thank you for being you! :)
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Hi storyseeker,
Glad I just found your post! You have amazing talent and positive energy. Everyone should "slow down" at least long enough to reevaluate their lives and search their hearts for what's truly "important."
Looking forward to future posts (I joined this month). I will upvote (hope the vote counts since it was posted months ago). And I will follow.
Peace,
multiverse
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