(Last updated April 3, 2020)
*****Current challenge runs until Sat. April 4th through Sun April 5th, 3 pm EST
During school closures because of the Coronavirus situation, I will be doing a SAM & EVA Creative Collaboration Challenge every weekend; follow me on Twitter at @inkyelbows for announcements about my #SamEvaCollab and #KidsDailyDebbieOhi challenges. I am also updating my new Learning From Home resource page whenever I post new read-aloud and activity videos and other resources.
WHY? Because just like the characters in my SAM & EVA picture book, I love creative collaboration! For the longer answer, scroll down to the bottom of this page.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE:
Any young reader up to age 12 years old with an adult caregiver or guardian who is able to post images publicly on Twitter on their behalf.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Have your child create some art. I am open to ANY kind of art in any media (crayon, pencil, paint, collage, etc. - can be physical or digital).
If the art is physical, take a photo of it. Please make sure the photo is as well-lit as possible! If I can't see your child's art, then I won't be able to properly collaborate.
Post the image on Twitter with the hashtag #SamEvaCollab. Please include your child's age and (optional) first name. Suggested wording, if you need it: "This is from Rowan, age 6 for @inkyelbows #SamEvaCollab challenge" or "This is from my 6-year-old for @inkyelbows #SamEvaCollab". The hashtag #SamEvaCollab challenge is the important thing to include in your tweet, because that's what I will be browsing when looking for collaboration images.
HOW WILL MY CHILD SEE THE COLLABORATION?
I will reply directly to your tweet.
CAN MY CHILD SEND MORE THAN ONE PIECE OF ART?
Feel free to show me more than one piece of art, but I will be doing a collaboration with just ONE of those pieces per challenge. Your child can participate in every challenge if they'd like, of course!
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE YOU?
Sometimes I may respond within the hour, sometimes within a day. It will depend heavily on my own schedule and how many submissions I receive. I try to respond to every child but sometimes miss notifications, so if you have not gotten a response within a day or two, PLEASE do nudge me via my contact form.
CAN MY CHILD TELL YOU WHAT TO DRAW?
No, sorry. I want this to be as much fun for me as it is for your child. :-) I encourage you to follow What Should I Draw on Twitter, where parents tweet their children's idea and illustrators will draw it!
WHAT IF I'M NOT ON TWITTER? CAN I JUST SEND MY CHILD'S ART TO YOU PRIVATELY?
For now, this creative challenge is only on Twitter. I may open it up to other platforms, but I have limited time (despite the current Coronavirus situation, I am continuing to work at home and have other projects on the go). Partly for this reason, I am also only working with images posted publicly. I will not be responding to any images sent via private DMs. Please note that I am doing this on my own -- being able to just browse one hashtag on one social media platform makes it possible for me to do this challenge at all. Thank you for understanding!
However, feel free to share your child's art or writing with me privately via this contact form if you would just like me to see it, especially if it's in response to one of my other online creative challenges. I will only be doing creative collabs with publicly shared art, however.
WHAT IS MY CHILD'S ART GOING TO BE USED FOR, OTHER THAN THIS CREATIVE CHALLENGE?
I promise that I will NOT be using your child's art for any other purpose than this creative challenge.
To inspire other young creators, I may share our JOINT collaboration publicly. Only the info you gave me permission to use will be included with the image (e.g. "A creative collaboration between Debbie Ridpath Ohi and 6-year-old Rowan"). Unless you give me express permission, I will not connect your name with the image if I share it elsewhere.
IF I POST MY CHILD'S ART, CAN YOU GUARANTEE THAT YOU *WILL* DO A COLLABORATION?
Basically, YES, I can promise that....with the following caveat.
I reserve the right to NOT turn any image into a collaboration if I feel uncomfortable about it for any reason. Reasons might include: (1) any content in the image that is not family friendly or may be interpreted as not family friendly, (2) something in the image that looks potentially spammy or promotional of a product or service.
Also, in the unlikely event that I am suddenly swamped with HUNDREDS of submissions all at once, I may not be able to do them all within a day or two. But if that happens, I will post a message saying I'm am closed to new submissions until I'm able to catch up, so that every child gets a collaboration...even if it takes me weeks or months.
CAN I SHARE THE FINAL COLLABORATION ELSEWHERE?
Yes, feel free to scoop and reshare the collaboration for personal use -- on your other social networks, your blog, with family and friends, etc. I would appreciate, however, that you keep the credit info intact.
WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?
The main reason: Like many of you, I suspect, I find myself stressed about some of the things going on in the world right now. I worry about loved ones. I try to resist checking the news too often. What I'm finding helps: to focus on adding something positive, to help others (especially those of you with young ones at home) focus on something positive as well.
Secondary reasons: One of things I worry about is the future of the publishing industry and of indie bookstores....and of course my own future in that space. So I am also hoping that my #SamEvaCollab creative challenges helps in raising awareness of my work and that some of you who are participating might be motivated to eventually investigate more about me and my books. :-)
WHAT CAN I DO TO THANK YOU?
First off, there is NO obligation to do any of the following in order to participate in any of my creative challenges. But if you DO want to do want to thank me, I'd appreciate you spreading the word about my Learning From Home resource for those families currently in self-isolation or who have been affected by school closures. My resource is free and I'm trying to update it regularly. Thank you!
If you want to do more:
Please consider buying a children's book from your local indie bookstore. Some are closed, I know, but some are also accepting online orders. Or make a note to do this when your bookstore opens again.
You don't need to buy my books, if you are able to make a purchase...buy ANY children's book. This helps not only the book creator but also their publisher and your local indie bookstore.
If you can't afford buying a book, then please borrow one of my books (or that of other creators) from the library and share it with your young one? Some libraries are closed, I know, but some offer e-borrowing. Then if you like the book, please tell others about it?
It's a stressful time, I know, but I've been so encouraged by how many in the kidlit community (and if you are a supporter of children's books, you are part of this community) are helping each other. At the other end of the tunnel, KIDS WILL STILL NEED GOOD BOOKS.
Thank you for your support, and reading this far. -- Debbie