This little fella is a creation from the fevered imagination of our youngest daughter, Shannon. She’s been drawing with serious, but often light-hearted, intent since she was seven years old. Now in high school you can see there is whimsy in her pencil and star-crossed love in her heart as Shannon created this character she calls Starco. How does one come up with creations like this? Let’s ask the artist.

“When I sit down and try to draw something specific, I usually fail,” explains Shannon. “So I’ve learned to clear my mind and let the pencil fly as if it had a mind of its own. It’s the best way I know to come up with something new and creative.”

While Shannon is a gifted writer who can hold her own in this family of wordsmiths, she has chosen to share her visual art in this family blog—at least in the beginning. We’re looking forward to the magic she conjures up next.