I’m SO excited to share my first front cover design which is for the 2020 QTAC Guide to Further Study! Over 50 000 copies of the Guide have been sent out to schools across Queensland and northern New South Wales, which is just an amazing sight for me ‘sea’! This cover artwork is very close to my heART as it represents the culmination of my life-long journey of learning, so it has literally taken me 43 years to draw this picture! You can see more about this important Guide for Year 12 students at https://www.qtac.edu.au/about-us/publications?c=qtac-2020-guide&page=1

The visual design brief for the front cover was to illustrate the theme of ‘education matters‘ and communicating the benefits of higher education for Year 12 students. I had many many ideas for the front cover and my own educational journey as a marine scientist to policy maker and project manager to running my own creative communications business sparked these ideas. Living my life of ESTEAM (Entrepreneurship, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Maths) where I now help people to “picture their ideas” became the inspiration for this cover art. And I just love that “my work makes the complex simple and the simple compelling“, which is a testimonial from the CEO of QTAC!

I’m really proud of this particular artwork as it has a special place in my heART for a number of reasons:

1. Until four years ago I didn’t even know my current job of a graphic recorder even existed, so my journey just shows the advantages of gaining a tertiary education along with thinking outside the box. So you CAN create your own career and turn something you love into something you live!

2. I was told at high school that I wasn’t smart enough to go to University and that I would probably have to repeat Grade 12… this was not good for my self esteem but I spent over 10 years at University, received my PhD in marine science and continue to be a Research Scholar today!

3. I have always been ‘drawn’ to the ocean and now get to follow my heART and draw attention to the importance of living with and loving nature through my children’s picture books, a dream come true!

4. Drawing out my own life-long journey of learning which is now being shared with 50 000 school students reminds me that I am living my life in colour and with ESTEAM!

A BIG thank you to the amazing and dedicated team at QTAC for the opportunity to create this cover art with you, it was such a great creative collaboration. And thank you to the special people in my life who have and continue to support my journey. You can ‘sea’ more of my creative journey and illustrations at https://drsuepillans.com/recording/infographics/ and via my social media @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram and as Dr Suzie Starfish.

I am VERY excited to announce that I have just signed a contract with Little Pink Dog Books to publish my second picture book “Cranky Frankie: Oceans of Trash“, by my alter ego and Authorstrator Dr Suzie Starfish ! I’m thrilled to now be working on a series of ocean science stories for children illustrating important environmental education messages! This story will draw attention to the impacts of marine debris and ocean plastic pollution told through the eyes of a very feisty, spiky and cranky Porcupine fish named Frankie! I’m absolutely delighted to be publishing with Kathy and Peter Creamer of Little Pink Dog Books and I can’t wait to share our creative collaboration with you. This great news also goes to show that you “just have to keep swimming” and believe in your stories!

I created this story as I spend a lot of my time either near, on or underwater and I am SO cranky when I ‘sea’ the tides of rubbish, plastic and even thongs and toothbrushes along the beach and floating in the ocean! Marine debris doesn’t just magically appear, WE are the cause of it, so WE are the ones who need to stop the tide of our oceans of trash. This story will illustrate the impacts of marine debris on our ocean ecosystems and marine species which will be entwined with messages of hope, solutions and ocean optimism. You can ‘sea’ more about the story behind this story and the progress of the story via my website at https://drsuepillans.com/books/marine-debris/ and the story’s hashtag #takeyourtrash.

I’m looking forward to diving into this new creative collaboration with Little Pink Dog Books and can’t wait for you to ‘sea’ the progress of creating my next story about the importance of protecting our Blue Planet. I write children’s picture books to illustrate to our future ocean stewards, our children, the wonders of our underwater world so they fall in love with and protect our oceans. I also use science in fiction to inform children about the status of our marine environment by using the power of positive storytelling — as I believe science in storytelling can excite, engage and importantly educate our children about our oceans.

You can also dive in with me and my ocean storytelling as Dr Suzie Starfish on Facebook and @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram.

I’m SO EXCITED that my first Blog of the year celebrates FOUR years of my creative business “Picture your ideas“!! I can’t believe that its been four years since I took a leap of faith and started my own small business specialising in creative and visual communications. This creative journey has taken me to so many amazing places to draw out many diverse discussions and share people’s important stories. With my pens, paints and paper I’m certainly living my life in colour!

Drawing out ideas, information and issues for people is a great job and after four years I never tire of seeing the amazement on people’s faces when they see the visuals I have created of their story.  Visual storytelling really is a powerful way of engaging with people to help put people in the picture and help them to see the ‘big picture’. One of my favourite client testimonials sums up my visual storytelling: “Sue makes the complex simple and the simple compelling“.

This celebration also means that my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish also turns four! Dr Suzie Starfish started her journey as a Facebook page to help share the wonders of our underwater world through the art and science of ocean storytelling. From there Dr Suzie Starfish has been using art and science in schools around Australia (as art is science made clear), is a published children’s author and illustrator (of The Great Barrier Thief) and you will be able to ‘sea’ me as Dr Suzie Starfish on TV soon too! WOW!!

Whenever you celebrate a business-birthday it’s a good time to reflect on your journey  to ‘sea’ how far you have come and to celebrate those achievements. Four years ago I didn’t even know this “job” existed and over the past four years I have followed my heART to provide a range of creative and visual services I am very proud of. I’m thrilled that I have now worked with over 40 organisations, visited many regional and inner city schools across Australia, started visual and science communication workshops and become a published childrens author and illustrator!

Thank you to everyone who has and continues to support my creative journey to “Picture your ideas“. Stay tuned here as I dive into 2019 with my pens and paper and you can also follow my creative journey @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram and @drsuziestarfish on Facebook.

What a year 2018 has been for me with so many new creative collaborations, the release of my first children’s picture book, school visits by my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish and working with amazing people to help “picture your ideas”. I’m always surprised by the amazing reaction I get from people when I draw out their ideas and present it to them as visual artworks. Being able to share my stories and those of others through visual storytelling is the best job ever!

Reflecting on my 2018 in pictures has given me lot’s to smile about as I continue to grow my small business by following my heART. It’s a balancing act and a steep learning curve everyday but not everyone can turn something they love into something they live, and I’m so grateful that I have! Some of the highlights of picturing 2018 for me have been the release of my first kids picture book The Great Barrier Thief, being part of creative education initiatives, drawing out important local and global sustainability and environmental issues, drawing some of the largest visuals I have ever done, holding science communication and visual workshops, picturing some of the big issues for Queensland school students and my school and kindy visits are always such a joy.

And being invited back by some of my wonderful clients for the 2nd and 3rd years of drawing out their ideas is just amazing! A BIG thank you to all of my amazing clients and for the community out there that provides me with such positive feedback and support. Drawing is putting a line around an idea and I love creating visual stories for people to help make the complex simple and the simple compelling.

As this is my last Blog for the year I wanted to thank my family, friends and followers for supporting my creative journey and I can’t wait to dive into 2019! Wishing you all a FIN-tastic FISHmas and ‘sea’ you next year. Best fishes, Sue  ><((((º>.¸.·´¯`·.¸><((((º>  .·´¯`·.¸><((((º>.¸

It’s not everyday that you make front page news! So I was VERY excited to ‘sea’ that my new picture book The Great Barrier Thief made its way onto the front page of the local paper this week. Who would have thought a little girl from regional Queensland would grow up to be on the front page of a city paper holding her dreams in her hands! Thank you Quest newspapers for supporting a local author/artist/scientist who is drawing attention to the impacts of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef. It’s times like this that I look back on my journey and I could sum it up by saying  it went “From frogs and failures to front page news!“.

…My love of nature started from a very early age when I fell in love with frogs (photo of me aged 5 in Bundaberg) and going to the beach. Due to my parents jobs we moved around a lot as kids so I was fortunate to go to many different primary schools in Queensland and ended up in the ‘big city’ of Brisbane so I could one day go to University. High school was difficult for me as I didn’t follow my heART and therefore failed at a number of subjects, and was advised that I should repeat Year 12 if I wanted to get into university (:0). But I did get into university and after many many years of study and research (at Griffith University and The University of Queensland) I received my PhD in marine science (photo of me & hubby graduating together) and ventured into the world of work. And three years ago I started my own creative and visual communications business, “Picture your ideas“. I wouldn’t change my journey as it has led me to where I am today as a marine scientist, artist, children’s author/illustrator and business owner. So, from frogs and failures came my front page news!

Apologies for my lack of Blogs over the last few months and the length of this one, but with the recent release of my first children’s picture book I have been a bit busy with my book launch, the marketing and promotion of my book and author visits, all whilst carrying out the other parts of my creative business. I have been overwhelmed by the GREAT response my book has received from children (and adults) in Australia and overseas and I’m proud to say that my book is already found in 6 countries around the world, in schools, kindy’s and libraries throughout Australia and even on the Great Barrier Reef itself (on beautiful Lady Elliot Island)!!

My book launch was a BIG celebration and I was so excited to ‘sea’ everyone who turned up to support my dream and for all the interest and invitations to visit your schools next year. I’m sooooo looking forward to my Dr Suzie Starfish school, kindy and library visits in 2019 to help draw attention to the impacts of climate change to protect the reef. I have created some special reef science-art storytelling to bring the wonders of the Reef into classrooms and show children how they can help to protect the reef now, for their future. Visit details by Dr Suzie Starfish are on my website at https://drsuepillans.com/books/the-great-barrier-reef/

Remember you CAN turn something you love into something you live! You can also dive into my creative journey and ocean storytelling @drsuziestarfish on Facebook and @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram. Best fishes, Sue  ><((((º>.¸.·´¯`·.¸><((((º>  .·´¯`·.¸><((((º>.¸

What a creative time I have been having lately helping people, teams and organisations to communicate their important messages and stories. In the past month alone I have been drawing out diverse discussions from creative teaching and learning to bullying and international education from Brisbane to Cairns! The more I see how visuals can engage, educate and excite audiences, the more I see the power of visuals and creative communications for people.

It was a privilege and pleasure to visually capture the important discussions of the very first Ministerial Student Advisory Council held by the Queensland Education Minister, Grace Grace MP.  It was an honour to hear the students stories and see them have a voice with the Minister.

I was excited as an alumni of Griffith University to be invited to visually capture the Queensland Creativity Summit for Initial Teacher Education. Teaching for creativity and teaching creatively were the key themes of the Summit and as someone who runs their own creative business and who is passionate about creative education these discussions and stories were very close to my heART!

And I have just returned from Cairns where I was visually capturing the discussions of the Study Queensland Pop-Up at the International Education and Training Summit. I was very busy listening to the excited attendees talk about what the new brand #StartHereGoAnywhere means to them; on the biggest drawing I have done to date!!

It’s so great putting people in the picture as I live my life in colour! You can see more of my creative communications via my Graphic Recording, as my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish and @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram.

On World Oceans Day I wanted to make a BIG splash about the importance and beauty of our oceans. As a marine scientist and artist I have always been drawn to the ocean and now as a storyteller I love sharing my deep devotion for the ocean with kids of all ages. I do this through the art of marine science and storytelling in the hope that people will ‘sea’ the beauty in nature and fall in love with the wonders of our Blue Planet.

I have been visiting schools as my alter ego Dr Suzie Starfish for the past four years and I get to ‘sea’ first hand how creative education engages, excites and educates kids about our oceans. Our children are our future ocean stewards so it is important for them to learn about, live with and love the oceans, so as they grow up they are moved to protect and save our Blue Planet. And WE can all love and look after our oceans with a BIG splash of #OceanOptimism!

For me World Oceans Day is all about celebrating our oceans, the people that study and protect them and the special stories we create from enjoying them. So I’m VERY excited to share that my first kids picture book about the Great Barrier Reef is now at the printers and should be arriving on our shores very soon! In the photos you can ‘sea’ a sneak peak of one of the larger than life characters in my picture book, Stan, the Commander and Chief of the reef. Always #haveGBRhope.

You can dive in and make a splash with me and my creative ocean storytelling via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/drsuziestarfish/ and @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram and best fishes this World Oceans Day!  ><((((º>.¸.·´¯`·.¸><((((º> .·´¯`·.¸><((((º>.¸
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I’m VERY excited and VERY proud to share that my creative business “Picture your ideas” turns THREE today! As a “womenentrepreneur” I have grown my small business into a livelihood that helps people to see the big picture through visual storytelling. This year also ‘seas’ my alter ego, Dr Suzie Starfish, celebrating her third birthday of making a comm-ocean in schools by bringing the Living Oceans into classrooms (#bestjobever)! I am thrilled that I now live my life with ESTEAM (Entrepreneurship, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Maths) and help people, schools and organisations to picture their ideas.

I was going to list all the amazing projects and pictures I have created with people over the past three years but you can see this from the photos I have posted. Instead, I wanted to take this opportunity to honour and celebrate the person that helped me to follow my heART, my youngest sister Jodie. My sister taught me the true meaning of courage, that you always have to believe in yourself and that life is precious. She is my hero, and a hero to me is someone who gets up when they can’t. Today she would have celebrated her 40th birthday so my gift to her is living my life in colour and taking her memory with me on this creative journey.

If you had told me five years ago I would be running my own business I would have laughed and used my hands a lot saying something like, “You’re kidding!”. After reading an article in a magazine about a career that I didn’t even know existed (Graphic Recording) I left my ‘secure’ 9-5 job to start my own creative business. Three years later I have worked consistently and happily drawing out ideas for people, teams and organisations all over the world, visited schools as Dr Suzie Starfish to share my deep love of the ocean and will be releasing my first kids picture book later this year! So I am so forever grateful that I have now turned something I love into something I live.

Running your own creative business though can be quite challenging at times and I’m learning every day how to grow as a person and womenentrepreneur. But I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else now….oh apart from being a guest on the Ellen Show to meet the real-life Dory and live by the beach to get my daily dose of Vitamin Sea! We all have dreams and sometimes they DO come true!! So today I celebrate my passion, purpose and pictures and thank my hubby, fur babies, family, friends and my Tribe for all of their support and the great people I get to picture ideas for!

You can also follow my creative journey @suepillans on Twitter and Instagram or contact me via email to see how I can help you to “Picture your ideas” at sue.pillans@internode.on.net.

Best fishes, Sue  ><((((º>.¸.·´¯`·.¸><((((º> .·´¯`·.¸><((((º>.¸
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