You never forget your first meeting with an editor. And really, no matter how well it goes, the editor will probably know your are "green" and you will critique how you handled yourself for days, maybe even years afterward - no matter how it went.
My first big call came in the summer of 1997, a editor at one of the big NY publishers saw my artwork on a postcard I sent to her and wanted to know if I had more pieces like it. So within a matter of a few days, I was on a train to Manhattan with my portfolio ( which was pretty well put together) and wearing my new dress (which still makes me wonder about the reaction of the editor at our meeting that day, at least in part. My husband and kids were along to, I should mention, but with a plan to part company when I went in to my meeting and catch up afterwards in Central Park. The meeting was for 1 p.m so there I was, on time, walking through the lobby of a big New York publisher, very nervous, but also taking it all in and thinking how exciting it was!
When I arrived on the designated floor, the elevator door opened to a small hallway/sitting area with a phone on the wall which I picked up to announce my presence. A few seconds later the editor I was to meet with opened a door and welcomed me in. She said that the art director would be attending the meeting too. Looking back(the ongoing critiquing), I feel sure the interest in my work was more than just a portfolio review, there was probably an assignment she was considering me for at that time.
After the introductions and we were all seated comfortably, they looked carefully at my work and were mostly interested in my bunny paintings, one of which was on the postcard that piqued their interest in the first place.. I was starting to feel my hopes going up. Then the editor asked me how I arrived at wanting to be an illustrator.
I explained how I started to work towards that goal before I started a family, stopped for a while but started again after my youngest started school. The next thing, the editor broke into explaining about problems with women with families getting in over their heads with book assignments and might do one book and never want to do it again because of how much work it is. This is where I started to wonder if it was something I said -- or did I just scream suburban homemaker by the way I acted or looked? But I also remember thinking that I knew my work was strong and that I was very ready to work hard. But how do you really convey that when you have never done a book before? Or really, at the time, never even had my work published in a magazine. Whatever it was, nothing was going to come from this meeting other than the experience of meeting with an editor in person.
Should I have left out the "raising a family" part when asked? Probably. But it was the truth and she had asked. And it was an unexpected question. I doubt I would have started talking about my family in a meeting like this unless without prompting. I was there to talk about artwork. And really, it could have been as simple as the work not being right for what she needed at the moment. But I still suspect there was a little more to it.
In contrast, just a few months later at another portfolio review, the editor asked if the kids in the waiting area were mine and insisted they join us for the meeting. She explained they loved having kids visit. I wondered if another "mistake" was happening but it was not. And I guess everyone has a different comfort level with this. So I did learn that it might not be well received to present yourself as a homemaker at times, even if casually mentioning it. But equally, if your artwork is strong and well presented and you do all the right things to get your work and self out there, at least to my thinking, this should be considered above all else.
