Description

In 2023, I wrote, illustrated, designed, and independently published a collection of 100 poems titled It's Fun to Be Weird. 

Armed with a rhyming dictionary and syllable counter, I cracked open a Google Doc and started to write. I pulled inspiration for topics and rhyme variation from everywhere: rhymes I wrote as a kid, song lyrics I penned in my twenties, my old sketchbooks and notebooks, Shel Silverstein's collections, my archive of drawings and illustrations, others' offhand comments, and any other peculiar thought I had. I then illustrated the majority of the poems in Procreate.

I set up the file for the 6"×9" book in Adobe InDesign, keeping my original 1990 copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends on my desk for inspiration. I chose a silly, informal font for the poem titles and a more serious, readable serif font for the body of the poems. When organizing the poems, I was mindful of keeping the poem rhyme schemes, lengths, and tones varied. 

I saved creating the cover design using Procreate and Adobe Illustrator for last. Being that it was going to serve as the book's first impression, the cover was the most intimidating step. I decided to name the book It's Fun to Be Weird after a poem with the same title, as I felt that best summed up the nature of the collection. Therefore, the cover illustration required someone doing something elaborately fun and odd. I chose bright orange as the sole pop of color because it was friendly, exciting, and sure to attract attention.

After I sourced my own ISBN and barcode, I chose Mixam as my printer and ensured the poetry book was set up to the correct specifications. In November 2023, the first edition of It's Fun to Be Weird officially leaped from its humble origins in my mind to being a real paperback book, available on Etsy and in local gift and book stores in Orlando, FL.

I’ve since made several excerpt videos to promote the book on social media, experimenting with both Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects.