When Marie was a kid, she would flip over her school work and draw flowers and rainbows instead, getting mostly terrible grades her entire K-12 career (with the exception of As in every art class). The smell of Crayola crayons is still one of her favorite scents. Reading was always difficult. Having managed to never successfully read a chapter book, until she was over 30, she cheated and failed every book assignment. Marie went to STCC for liberal arts/fine arts, took a school break, and then went to Springfield College for graphic design. Designing logos was what she liked best. Though there were many hints to it along the way, Marie didn’t realize she wanted to be traditionally published as an illustrator/writer until she was a grown-up, reading picture books to her little kiddo. To help improve her storytelling, she reads tons of picture books, attends SCBWI functions when finances allow, and she “elfs” here in the Illustration and Art Notation Stations. Marie has been a member of 12×12 since 2017, and this is her 4th year “elfing”. Un-agented, and pre-published, she has been an SCBWI member since 2013. Knowing creativity is contagious, she enjoys facilitating writing workshops for kids at her local library too. Hoping to plant tiny hints that they can become creators too.
12 x 12 Contributor
