Meet T.B. Coates | Illustrator & Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with T.B. Coates and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi T.B., do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
I honestly think there are two elements at play here. Your willingness to stay in the hard, and gut intuition.

My work is highly creative. And I think there is this illusion around this kind of work that it will always feel inspirational, or there will be great moments of triumph. But there is a reality that I have often heard and read from other authors and creatives…sometimes the work is just work. I would say more often than not, you just have to keep taking the next step. There will be discouraging days. There will be hours that seem to tick by slowly. But each forward motion is just that, forward motion. So when it’s hard, stay in the hard, and work through it. Don’t give up. Because one hard step after another you will create something you are proud of. Keep going. Be willing to stay in the hard.

Giving up has such a defeating note to it. But as someone wise once told me “The value of your “yes” is directly linked to the quantity of your “no’s””. So I like to think of the things I realize aren’t working and need to be let go of as making room for the things that will add value. Often when thinking through projects and whether I want to take them on, there is an initial gut reaction. Mostly likely my gut getting there faster than my brain can. It is trying to tell me if things aren’t in alignment with my core values. (Side note, I highly recommend jotting down a few core values as you are starting in any kind of business endeavor.) If your gut is telling you not to pursue something, then I recommend listening to it. Because more often than not, these are the things you end up quitting.

Most things are worth working through; if nothing else than to learn from. And as you cultivate this discernment, it will become easier to listen to your gut, and hopefully get to a place where you can have a healthy “no” that will lead to very little giving up. And much more “keep going”. You’ve got this.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am and children’s literature illustrator. Honing in on this one passion was hard work. When I initially started working as an illustrator I took on more projects outside of this periphery, and found myself grinding through the work. Then I realized that my passion was where it had always been…illustrating stories. Mine or other authors; these were the pieces I wanted to dig into. That I wanted to put the work into. So, I honed my craft and focused it on a specific mission: to create art that conveys a story. This is done using my chosen medium of ink & pen and watercolor paint. And the work, despite being just that, has continued to be exciting to me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are some staples I always like the include when a friend visits me here in the valley. We would definitely be hitting the Piestewa Peak/Dreamy Draw Trails. I love how much access we have in Phoenix to hiking trails. So, anyone visiting me will and does get a chance to take in our unique desert landscape on these trails. Dinner would be a Funghi Pizza at The Parlor (best mushroom pizza in the valley in my humble opinion).
And depending on their interests here are a few more places we would be checking out:
Pheonix Art Museum
Pheonix Children’s Museum (If they have kids. Did you know it is ranked third best children’s museum in the country?)
Flower Child (the food *chef’s kiss*)
Harumi (for my Sushi loving friends)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
So many people have helped me out along the way, especially women. From a woman I worked for finding me a college course on “how to illustrate children’s books”, to another continually asking me how my book was coming along…even when all I had to say was that I kept running into speed bumps. They propelled me forward.

So here’s to you Patti Sullivan and Inga Varney!

Website: https://www.tbcoatesillustrator.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t.b.coatesillustrator/

Image Credits
Eleanorphoto T.B. Coates