2024 ✨

Out with the New-Year-New-Me thoughts.

Hiya! If you're new to my stack. I'm Fran, I'm an illustrator and picture book maker living in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Gee's Storees originally started as a quarterly newsletter and has slowly evolved into this Substack publication. Here, I share news and updates on my work, behind-the-scenes content as well as insight into my journey in the magical world of children’s publishing and illustration ✨ Hope you'll join our lovely community, I am looking forward to getting to know you!

2024 did not come with a New Year, New Me mantra, but rather a New Year, Old and Improved Me mentality.

I finished off the year, with a good break, from work, technology (especially technology), and well-spent with my family (including those little furry ones) and close friends. There was food, meaningful conversations and catch-ups, lots of laughs and lots of catching up - and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. ✨

Even though the Christmas and festive spirits weren’t very high with me this year, for a number of reasons, being able to spend that time with loved ones was really all that mattered - cooking with my mama (and whoa did she cook up a storm!), spending quality time with my sisters, catching up with friends, and sharing my bed with 3 space-hogging felines - all things I’ve learnt to appreciate more since moving to Edinburgh. So overall, I’d say it’s been a fruitful end to a chaotic and tiring year.

Some reflections and intentions

I’ve had a few goals set at the end of 2023, and this year I’m taking the jump to focus on these. I always start the year very motivated, and it slowly diminishes as the year progresses, until I’ve reached exhausted-pigeon-mode by the end of the it. I think I’ll start slow (but not too slow) and let things unfold without too much pressure on myself, with minimal self-guilt-tripping if possible and not overthink each step. I’ve just got to do things and ignore the loud voices in my head that love pointing out all the negative outcomes in anything I do.

Turning a ‘No’ into an omen of positivity.

I’ve finally decided, to take up

Katie Chappell

‘s ‘REJECTION CHALLENGE’. I’ve been toying with the idea for around 2 years, and always just thought it was normal anyway for me, so I never really listed or took note of rejections, but here’s me taking it on officially - paper and pen in hand, sticky notes and all! Lezgo!

So here’s to a new year, with less self-shaming and people-pleasing, and more positivity, spontaneity and risk-taking!