Maybe A Walk Will Help by Nancy McCauley

The Only Thing Standing Between You and Your Dreams by Nancy McCauley

Step Out of Your Comfort Zone by Nancy McCauley

My drawings are all hand-drawn in pencil, outlined in black ink, and then scanned into Illustrator for color and layout.

“Maybe A Walk” – More than I’d like to admit, I experience creative block. The ideas dry up and my pencil feels heavy in my hand.  No matter how hard I try to create, I feel empty, uninspired and usually end up throwing my half-baked ideas away. My loyal dog, aka BFF, Tic-Tac, is always ready and willing to pull me away from the drawing board. When Tic-Tac and I are on a walk, the ideas usually begin to flow again. Hence, the doodle, “Maybe a walk”.

“Between You and Your Dream” and “Step Out” – Drawing is one of the ways I process the negative self-talk that sometimes fills my head.  I can be feeling down or overwhelmed, yet when I draw and begin to see my bright, happy “doodles” take shape, I immediately begin to push through my dark mindset.

Anyone who has tried to get their work published is familiar with rejection. I have received a lot of rejection over the years and even though I know better, it’s hard not to look within. “The Only Thing Between You and Your Dream” and “Step Out” are two ideas that came to light as I struggled to stay the course.

Nancy McCauley is a lifelong “doodler” that loves creating illustrations that make people smile. Her seemingly endless ideas reflect the characters in her life, attempts to quiet the emotional chatter in her head, and daily observations that for whatever reason spark her imagination.
Nancy comes from an advertising, consulting, and project management background. She has licensed her art for greeting cards, fabric designs, and personalized gifts, and is a trained graphic recorder that uses simple images and words to promote learning, retention of information, and memorable meeting experiences. Nancy resides in Chicago with her husband, two sons and sweet, funny dog, and can be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancybrownmccauley and Instagram: @nancybrownmccauley