W. Lyon Martin

About me:

Some of my earliest memories are of wanting to be a sought after artist type. Of course, I was thinking along the lines of folks like Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock. Hey - if you are gonna dream, you might as well dream really big.

I followed my dream by going to college and getting a BFA in Graphic Design, Cartooning and an a bit of Fashion Design on the side. Actually, the fashion design was my parents' idea, they wanted me to be "practical." So I was. For 20 years, I was practical and not particular happy with my life.

I got even further side-tracked from art when my daughter was born. As a single mom, my focus was earning enough money to keep a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. But like all babies do, she grew up. As she grew she depended on me less. So my dream reasserted itself with a vengeance.

They tell writers to write what they know. The same can be said for telling stories in art. I reassessed my previous art life as a fine artist, my current life as a mommy and my desire to give back to my community. I started a children's book.

Guess what? It's not practical to be a children's book author or illustrator. It's a rare person who can make a living this way. BUT I am incredibly happy for the first time in my adult life. I wake up singing in the morning. What could be better than that? Hot diggitty! And I have several other books in various stages of incomplete, plus a host of ideas for books beyond that. It doesn't look like I'll be back to "practical" any time soon.

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