I wanted to create something that would help kids with emotional learning. Mental health is very important to me and I hope to someday make that the focus of the books I write. In this piece, I wanted to convey the importance of not fearing processing big emotions. As a child, I learned a song that basically said being mad or sad was bad and to put a smile on because that’s what everyone else around me would prefer. I changed the lyrics to also help convey my new message that it’s ok to process our emotions instead of ignoring them. That is why I have the girl embracing what could be viewed as a big, scary emotion. It actually isn’t. It just wants to be acknowledged. I got a few ideas for the shape of the monster off Pinterest, but drew from my own imagination for the rest. I wanted the focus to be the monster’s sad face so I added glowy eyes that would immediately draw the viewer’s gaze there.  I really enjoyed the lesson! It helped guide my thoughts through the creative process to the final product. Thank you!