{"id":1411,"date":"2024-07-10T15:35:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T13:35:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/?p=1411"},"modified":"2025-06-24T19:57:55","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T17:57:55","slug":"the-gift-of-time-focus-and-kindness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/?p=1411","title":{"rendered":"<strong>The Gift of Time, Focus, and Kindness<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1411\" class=\"elementor elementor-1411\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-225fde81 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"225fde81\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-195335ab\" data-id=\"195335ab\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13475249 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"13475249\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.9.2 - 21-12-2022 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#818a91;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#818a91;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>In May 2024, a writer and an illustrator arrived at a cottage in Bj\u00f6rk\u00f6by \u2026<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>For me (the writer), it all began with an invitation to give a lecture at Sm\u00e5BUS 2023 International Children\u2018s Book Conference \u201eCourage and Vulnerability\u201c. To my surprise, I had instantly said yes (never before I had given a lecture in English, but the conference title intrigued me &#8211; and I had instantly liked the organiser, <a href=\"https:\/\/jokeguns.wordpress.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Joke Guns<\/a>, when I met her in Berlin). Usually, I\u2018m way more hesitant and doubtful.<\/p>\n<p>(If you are interested in the lecture, here it is: Dragons, Magic and Truth &#8211; Telling Queer Stories:<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Dragons-Magic-and-Truth_Lecture_smaBUS2023.pdf\">Dragons-Magic-and-Truth_Lecture_smaBUS2023<\/a> )<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>But, there I was, some months later, at a wonderful and inspiring conference, full of writers and illustrators, full of stories. We heard lectures, we talked and talked about our craft, our passion for children\u2018s literature, about how we write and draw, how we tell stories. There were inspiring workshops and inspiring people &#8211; and in the end, there was a new idea for a story (born out of one of the workshops).<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>And I talked about this idea with an illustrator I had met at the conference, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beaugaert.art\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Peggy van Bogeart<\/a>. She liked the idea, and she instantly said yes to working together. So we started working on the idea. Quickly it became clear, that we wanted to tell the story through words and pictures equally, sometimes writing the story, sometimes continuing the story without words through pictures.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The best decision we made: we applied for a Sm\u00e5BUS residency, open for those who took part in the conference, met there for the first time and wanted to work on a book project together. We checked all those boxes, and we got lucky: we were invited for a residency at Bj\u00f6rk\u00f6by! Three weeks where we would be able to focus completely on our work, our story!<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>So, in May 2024, a writer and an illustrator arrived at a cottage in Bj\u00f6rk\u00f6by. They didn\u2018t know much about each other, just that they wanted to work together on a story they both had fallen in love with.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"969\" height=\"2048\" class=\"wp-image-1415\" style=\"width: 150px;\" src=\"http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/signal-2024-07-10-150914_005.jpeg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/signal-2024-07-10-150914_005.jpeg 969w, http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/signal-2024-07-10-150914_005-142x300.jpeg 142w, http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/signal-2024-07-10-150914_005-485x1024.jpeg 485w, http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/signal-2024-07-10-150914_005-768x1623.jpeg 768w, http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/signal-2024-07-10-150914_005-727x1536.jpeg 727w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>It quickly became clear, that we fit well together and Bj\u00f6rk\u00f6by cottage made living and working under the same roof cosy and easy. Two bedrooms, a shared working\/living room, a kitchen and bathroom turned out to be everything we needed. Add the beautiful surroundings and our luck to be there in May when spring had just begun, it was perfect for getting to know each other better and working on our joined project. We fell into a rhythm of working, taking a walk after lunch (often to the beautiful nearby lake) and then working some more. The time at Bj\u00f6rk\u00f6by allowed us to focus on our story, so that in those three weeks we had it all mapped out and nearly completely written and sketched. The landscape inspired us and if you know Sweden\/Sm\u00e5land, you will notice where the woods, the moss, the rocks, the lakes, the wide open sky and much more found their way into the book.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Well, if and when it will become a published book that is. (Fingers crossed and all.)<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Back home, I miss everything about it: the cosy cottage, the quiet, all that space around us, the woods, the lake, the endless sky, the rooks &#8211; oh, and we even saw cranes (my most beloved migrating birds) &#8211; but most of all sitting there in the downstairs living room working together on our book project, Peggy drawing and me writing, sharing what we had worked on in the evenings, taking inspiration from each other\u2018s work. And I miss our hosts, Joke and Johannes, who made all of this so easy and an all around fantastic experience, allowing us the time and space to build our story. Their kindness made us feel welcome and cared for and I hope we could give something back during our stay.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>So if you ever get the chance to spend some time at Bj\u00f6rk\u00f6by, to apply for a residency there: do it.<br \/>If you want to read Peggy&#8217;s view of our time in Bj\u00f6rk\u00f6by you&#8217;ll find it <a href=\"https:\/\/airinbjorkoby.wordpress.com\/2024\/07\/10\/maike-stein-germany-and-peggy-van-bogaert-belgium-the-story-of-an-amazing-smabus-residency-may-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a> (just scroll down), along with some inspiring pictures.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>And in order to be eligible for the residency, come to the next <a href=\"https:\/\/smabusfestival.se\/en\/home.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sm\u00e5BUS conference in 2025!<\/a><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In May 2024, a writer and an illustrator arrived at a cottage in Bj\u00f6rk\u00f6by \u2026 For me (the writer), it all began with an invitation to give a lecture at Sm\u00e5BUS 2023 International Children\u2018s Book Conference \u201eCourage and Vulnerability\u201c. To my surprise, I had instantly said yes (never before I had given a lecture in &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/?p=1411\" class=\"more-link\">Mehr <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">\u00fcber &#8222;<strong>The Gift of Time, Focus, and Kindness<\/strong>&#8220; <\/span>Lesen<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1411"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1411"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1532,"href":"http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1411\/revisions\/1532"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mkstein.de\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}