The story of a bird

and a little girl who just wanted wings.

This story here is part of the Story Challenge I’m doing over on Instagram at the moment. I had people asking me why I’ve got a wee bird as my logo and though I tried to keep it brief, I felt it deserved a better explanation. So below is a story about a little girl whose only wish in life, was to find her wings, and fly far away.

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!

Ever since I could remember, I quite often had my head up in the clouds, daydreaming about running of to some far-off land, where I could just be, and life was somewhat more magical, packed with adventure surrounded by the weird and quirky. I had quite a tough time fitting in at school and the norm and never really had a clear idea of what it was I wanted to do when I grew up (mostly because I felt like I never did). I always hid the fact that I always listened to soundtracks and not the latest trendy music playlists, and I used to enjoy spending my Saturdays watching Disney cartoons on my big sister's laptop, also while in her bedroom. I obsessively watched Pirates of the Caribbean, praying that somehow I'd find myself aboard a ship, sailing away on adventures of my own! I hated when the characters at the end of most adventure movies NEEDED to go back, like why would I want to leave Narnia, or Wonderland or even Neverland?!

It always felt like there was a little child inside just trying to find a way of flying away into one of these stories. That's where my fascination with birds comes in. I wouldn't call myself a bird-connoisseur at all but I always did envy them, the way they could just take off and fly into that vast open sky (unless they'd fly into Maltese skies in which case they wouldn't last very long unfortunately). The concept of flight, the freedom and weightlessness that it brought was a feeling I struggled to find when I was younger, and I started to be able to express that when I discovered illustration.

That brings us to Gee, the little bird who was born 5 years ago. While scribbling ideas for my logo and brand, the little doodle of a bird made its way so naturally, I wasn't even thinking what would work or what 'look' I wanted to go for, but it just felt right. I had just designed a few characters for my thesis project back then, and sketched out a bird inspired by the shapes of old teapots - and thought I'd try it out as a logo, and it felt like it captured the yearning I've had since I was young - to have that big open space, to run and fly to wherever. So really, it was a ‘happy accident’.

If anyone asks, yes, I would choose flight as a superpower. Basic? Maybe. But oh to be able to soar and fly at that speed and height! Of course, I'd need to make sure there were no poles or buildings in the vicinity because we all know I'd crash land the minute I'm up there.

So if you were wondering, that's the story of the bird, which was so unplanned but so reflective of who I was.

Here's to you finding your wings and soaring as high as you can!