Simona Ceccarelli: smceccarelli.com, books, Instagram @simona.ceccarelli
Bologna Book Fair
Whether it succeeds or fails, each project you launch is a stepping stone towards your next idea. Don’t bank so much on the success of one project that you don’t move on to the next one.
Do common things uncommonly well to set yourself apart.
Don’t force every idea to become a cash cow; leave some art just for yourself. You might still make money off of it, but don’t create it for that cause. Focus on the purity of the craft and let other endeavors (artistic or not) pay the bills.
Time spent perfecting your craft is not time wasted, and neither is time spent earning a living. Find the balance and appreciate both pursuits.
Simona Ceccarelli is an Italian children’s book illustrator and writer. She began her working life as a medical research scientist for ten years before pursuing art at San Francisco’s Academy of Art. She studied concept art before settling into her career as a children’s book illustrator with the help of classes from SVSLearn.
In 2016 she received her first paid book job and spent the next three or four years illustrating books here and there. As her popularity grew, Simona felt ready to take the risk of illustrating full-time. She quit her job as a creative director in 2020 and gave herself two years to match her former income with illustration work.
Four years later, she is a remarkably successful illustrator with books published across continents. Simona has worked with Sterling Children’s Books, Penguin Random House, Scholastic, and many more, and is a household name in the German market. She is known for her highly complicated illustrations and loves drawing animals and busy, multi-character scenes.
Simona lives in Switzerland with her husband and two children. Keep an eye out for her next book, which she both wrote and illustrated!
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