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Back to Featured Interviews >> MEET MITRA MODARRESSI, MITRA (6/2011)
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| Mitra Modarressi |
My favorite thing was to hang out in my room, a very messy place, and draw. Once, in summer camp, the counselor put on a record and had us draw whatever the music inspired us to create. I loved it, and I went right home and put on the Beatlesʼ “Sgt. Pepperʼs Lonely Hearts Club Band” and continued on my own.
What books influenced you most when you were growing up?
I was obsessed with the “Little House” books (I wore a bonnet to school) and
anything that Garth Williams illustrated. His drawings made everything so appealing and cozy. I loved the book THE BLUEBERRY PIE ELF because it was about a character that was too small to be seen, which resonated as a child, and because it was about pie. I also loved the “Dorrie the Witch” series. My daughter is named Dorri in part because of them.
When you went to college, were you already pursuing a writing career, or a career in illustrating, or just art in general?
I went to Rhode Island School of Design and majored in illustration, but it wasnʼt
clear that I wanted to make books. Illustrating appealed to me more than fine art
because I liked having a concrete starting point for creating something, not unlike
listening to music back at summer camp while drawing.
What was your first job when you graduated from college?
I worked in the childrenʼs section of a book store. It was great exposure for me to all of the wonderful writers and illustrators out there.
What kinds of things inspire you to write?
For me, illustrating is the best part, so I want to write a story that will allow me to
have the most fun visually. Doodling or jotting down ideas with sketches helps me get ideas.
How did your life change when you got married and had children? Did it make it easier or harder to find time to write?
Marriage didnʼt change things too much, but kids certainly did. I felt a lot of my
creativity seemed to be sapped out of me. Work comes much more slowly, with less hours of the day devoted to it. I like the balance in my life, although I am at the point where my kids need me less and I could work more, a goal for the future!
When is your next book going to be in stores?
OWLETʼS FIRST FLIGHT will be out in the spring of 2012. It is a very simple rhyming story about an owletʼs night time adventure.