A new Kopsie book is in the making. These books are meant to help parents talk with their young kids about a variety of themes. Going to school, getting a baby sibling, eating healthy. Or parents getting a divorce. And this new one will be about a more difficult subject; cancer. René wrote a really good story to explain what happens to someone, in a clear and understandable way. And I think it’s the first time I actually got sad while sketching my storyboard.

And at the same time I also felt very happy, satisfied. Being able to work on something like this, which can actually help people. That with my illustrations, I can contribute to kids better understanding what’s happening to someone they know. It’s something meaningful and that’s important to me. It’s also why I loved working on the illustrations for a book about loss & mourning (not yet publishes so can’t show those yet).

Moments like this is when I have a very clear understanding of why I want to do what I do. Yes I also love to make happy drawings just because it’s a fun idea! But I’ve always had this need to do something to make the world just a bit better. And this is how I can use my skills to do just that. I can’t create the cure, but I can help people who have to deal with it. And that’s a wonderful feeling.

Do you have a drive that keeps you doing what you do? What is it?