Thank you to the British Council in Kuwait who hosted me during the Kuwait Book Fair. I enjoyed being there, learning about the industry and meeting people who love making books and telling stories.

Dr Shahd Alshammari at GUST hosted a talk for her students and any other interested people. A graphic designer asked a very difficult question: “What does one do when a deadline is fast approaching and a successful layout hasn’t been achieved?”. My response was, “Yeah, I know what you mean.” And the question was repeated, and I realised they wanted an actual answer. Well, I didn’t have a solution, but I suggested a change of perspective or something to take one’s mind off the task until your head is recalibrated. Looking at other people’s work, watching a movie or taking a nap sometimes helps for me. Don’t be afraid to tear down what exists and start again, it sometimes does the trick.

I especially liked my storytelling events on Saturday at the British Council school and at their stand at the fair. The children who were there were ferocious drawers and proved that even with a slight language barrier it doesn’t matter when it comes to making a picture. One little girl even went ahead and turned her drawing into a book by folding it in half and summarising the theme of What’s Up MuMu? in three short sentences on the inside of the folded signature. They liked their drawings so much they insisted on keeping them and taking them home. We laughed quite a bit too.

Huge thanks to Fakheema, Shaymaa, Noha, Mohammed, and Michael (and many others) at the British Council in Kuwait.