The Wood Between the Worlds

Did you ever read the book, The Magician’s Nephew, by C.S. Lewis? It has always been one of my favorites. I love the part  where Polly and Digory find themselves in The Wood Between the Worlds. As a child, I spent many hours making believe about that place!

This week and last week I’ve been busy painting a picture of a similar place—a beautiful part of the forest where there is a door in every tree, each leading to a different world. It’s one of the illustrations for my new book which will come out in 2027.

Whenever I’m creating an illustration, I keep myself younger self in mind. I remember what I used to delight in as I flipped through picture books and I make sure to include all those little details. That’s been my plan as I illustrate my own version of The Wood Between the Worlds. It really is looking pretty now, but it’s been challenging!

For some unknown reason the colors wouldn’t cooperate for much of last week—I still don’t know why! The greens kept looking too yellow, or too blue, or too brown, or too gray (that’s the worst!) And I kept trying to correct my mistakes only to find it still wasn’t working.

I was beginning to feel my anxiety rise as the days passed and the picture hadn’t improved. I considered starting over. But then I reminded myself that often when everything looks like a big mess, it only takes a small adjustment to make a big improvement. Vast, sweeping changes are not always what’s needed, and in fact they are likely to cause new, big problems. So I began making one subtle change at a time and and then stepping back and considering. It began looking good!

This is true in life too. Often when it seems everything is out of alignment, one little adjustment will help more than you’d have thought possible. This is why I often pray, “Lord, please reorient my heart and mind toward You.”

Blessings to you,

~Amy