Lola Usupova - children's book writer and illustrator

02/29/24 • 43 min

Lola Usupova is a children's book writer and illustrator. A suitcase, dreams and lots of courage is one way to sum up Lola's beginnings. From have native sunny Uzbekistan first to Russia, then Poland, Sweden and now the UK, Lola's artistic journey is still unravelling. Yet, her story as a promising children's book writer and illustrator is captivating. Her journey has involved learning different spoken languages on the way but one that remains consistent is her passionate artistic language, drive and dreams. Listen to Lola's unfolding story for some inspiration.

A summary of the show including related links can be found in this post: https://wafunkpublishing.com/creatives-across-borders-lola-usupova

A summary of the show including related links can be found in this post: https://wafunkpublishing.com/creatives-across-borders-lola-usupova

Previous Episode

Eva Wong Nava - British-Chinese picture book writer and sensitivity reader

Eva Wong Nava is a British-Chinese Children’s book writer, coach, and sensitivity reader. Born in Singapore before emigrating to the UK in the 1990s, Eva is a polyglot who speaks English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Italian proficiently. She is a Feature Editor for Representation for Words & Pictures, the SCBWI British Isles’ online magazine where she researches and writes articles on the topic of representation, inclusion, and diversity.

In this interview, Eva talks about her journey as a writer straddling multiple worlds. As a champion of Southeast Asian literatures, she talks through different events, people, and influences within the community. She offers interesting insights into the Southeast Asian writing community in the UK and beyond.
A summary of the show including related links can be found in this post: https://wafunkpublishing.com/creatives-across-borders-eva-wong-nava/

Next Episode

Selom Sunu - Character Designer and Illustrator

Selom Sunu is a British-Ghanaian character designer and illustrator whose works include the Google Doodle of Andrew Watson, CBeebies JoJo and Gran Gran show, and Children's books by publishers like Penguin and Harper Collins. What you may not know is his business and marketing background, the late start to his illustration and animation career, the story behind his mentorship with an experienced Disney character designer, positioning using LinkedIn, influences, workshops, passion for adult education, work-life balance as a father and husband.
Tune in to learn about

His late career transition from a business and marketing to illustrations and character design
How he came about his mentorship with a renowned character designer at Disney and the mentoring process
The role of LinkedIn and opportunities he's had like Disney Television Animation, Mercury Filmworks, Google among others
Resources for developing your skills in the animation and illustration industry
Useful tips for other creatives to follow

A summary of the show including related links can be found in this post:
https://wafunkpublishing.com/creatives-across-borders-selom-sunu/