We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Melissa Campbell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Melissa below.
Hi Melissa, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
The most meaningful project I’ve created is my first children’s book, Maggie and the Magnifying Glass. I’ve always been a writer. I have boxes of poems that I’ve written since I was a child, but I never did anything with them. In 2017, I had a story come to me one day. I grabbed a piece of paper and started writing it down verse by verse. When I would write each verse, I would read them individually to my 2 boys. At the time, they were in elementary school. I remember how their faces would light up as I was reading it. They were fascinated that I was creating this story. My youngest son said, “Mommy, how are you doing that?” I knew after I had created it that it was different than other poems I had written. I wanted to keep it so I stored it in my email. I never forgot about it though. I would forward it to family and ask a friend to read it to their child on occasion during the first year. After that, I only revisited it in my email a few times. Fast forward to 2022, I was sharing a leadership blog I had written with a colleague of mine. She put the paper down and said “wait – you have a story and a dream to publish it as a children’s book? Do it!” It had been 6 years since I had written the story. My children are in high school now, which gives me more time to commit to trying to put the book together, so I jumped in head first with no idea what I was doing.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am a technology leader that has worked across a variety of industries. I’ve had the opportunity to work on some of the most complex and innovative products that solve real-world problems for people. I’ve always loved technology. As a child, I would take things apart when they didn’t work, fix them and put them back together. When we got our first personal computer, I wrote my first programs as I was eager to explore everything I could do on the computer. I also grew up in a creative family. All of us have one or more creative skills. My skills are writing, drawing, painting and taking photos of nature. My go-to creative outlet is writing. When thinking through ways in which Maggie and the Magnifying Glass could make an impact, I immediately thought of children who share the same types of curiosities I did. I also thought about children who may not realize just how much fun they could have exploring nature with a magnifying glass. These concepts align with children interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) which is something I knew I could help drive. My book covers Science, Technology and Art at a minimum. I’ve been visiting schools and plan to join nature centers to teach children about magnification and many of the things they might see if they’ll explore and take a closer look! My goal is to get my book into the hands of as many children as I can to inspire them to get outside and explore. I’ve witnessed the excitement in their faces when I have delivered my books to children and provided them with an age-appropriate magnifying glass. The kids completely light up. I feel as if I’m watching my book play out right in front of my eyes. It is a really rewarding feeling.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
For me, I feel it is so important for children to be outside playing and exploring in nature. There are so many benefits to being outside including, connecting with nature, mental wellness, physical exercise, problem-solving, increased curiosity and more. In addition to nature, I want children to understand some fun concepts of science, technology and art. Maggie and the Magnifying Glass introduces them to the concept of magnification, rhyming words and explores many of our senses throughout the story. The illustrations are bright and fun watercolor drawings that draw the children in to the journey. I’ve created coloring and activity pages that I use to further engage and teach the children. These have been a huge hit. I didn’t create this book to make a living on it. I created it as another creative outlet that hopefully introduces or reinforces STEAM topics that they may be interested in.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Putting your own personal creative work out there for others to see is the ultimate example of vulnerability. No matter what, you are going to get feedback and you have to be ready for it. I enjoy seeing the reactions that people have to anything I create. When it comes to my book, I get the opportunity to see the reactions of the children. Children have no filter. They will say what they are feeling. I’ve been delighted to share my book with them and experience first hand the positive emotions they have. That is such a reward for me because it means I accomplished my mission. I gained their attention and guided them through a journey of curiosity and exploration of nature.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://maggieandthemagnifyingglass.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/MaggieMagsBook
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaggieAndTheMagnifyingGlass/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/maggiemagsbook
Image Credits
The illustrator for all book images is Montana DeBor.