Meet Christina Forshay

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Forshay.

Christina, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I definitely took the long and winding road to become a full-time illustrator. I graduated from CSULB with a degree in Illustration and spent a couple years working for the City of Long Beach in different positions. I painted murals, taught art to kids and worked in the city’s Special Events and Filming office. It was really fun and exciting, but I felt I owed it to myself to fully pursue my dream of becoming a full-time freelance illustrator. Eventually, I left my job with the city and gave myself one year to pour all of my energy into illustrating full time. I spent the year honing my portfolio, advertising my work, and meeting people in the industry. The hard work paid off and I started getting small jobs. The momentum picked up and over the next couple of years, with the help of an agent, steady work was coming in. Eventually, I got the contract for “The Really Groovy Story of the Tortoise and the Hare” (Albert Whitman, 2011), my first picture book contract.

My latest book, “Goodnight Soccer”, was released last year. I’m super proud of it and it holds a special place for me because I played soccer from age nine all the way through college! It features a young girl and her family enjoying an evening together watching a women’s soccer game.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Building a business for yourself is a challenging road to take. Being an artist and creating art is amazing, but the business of selling the art and marketing it so I could actually make consistent money was something I had to learn along the way. Things, like building a contract, invoicing, and preparing taxes, was definitely a challenge as well. But every project provided learning experiences, I could apply toward the next job and over time I became more confident with the business side of things.

Then, I had kids and figuring out how to balance family life and work-from-home life became a challenge. Over the years, I learned to accept that life is sometimes more work-heavy and sometimes more family-heavy. Giving myself permission to be flexible and prioritize is a big key to my well being and my ability to accomplish career goals.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
As an illustrator, my work is geared toward the children’s market. I’ve worked on educational materials, book covers and picture books including a series for Sports Illustrated Kids (“Goodnight Baseball”, “Goodnight Hockey”, “Goodnight Football” and “Goodnight Soccer”). I’m most proud of working on diverse books for children, like “A Morning with Grandpa” by Sylvia Liu (Lee & Low, 2016) and knowing that I get to play a small part in helping kids develop a love for reading. Also, seeing photos of parents and their kids sharing my books at bedtime really, really inspires me and reminds me how my chosen career path has a positive impact on others.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
The definition of success has changed for me over the years. When I first started out, my idea of success was based on tangible things: seeing my work published, winning industry awards, getting the next contract. Believe me, these are still goals and markers of success, but today, my definition of success is broader. These days, I feel successful when I look back and see how much I’ve learned from positive and negative experiences on my journey. Success is having the confidence in knowing that I’ve built a pretty good arsenal of tools that I can use to conquer bumps in the road on the way to my next dream.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.christinaforshay.com
• Phone: 562.900.6095
• Email: christina@christinaforshay.com
• Instagram: @christinaforshay
• Facebook: Christina Forshay Illustration
• Twitter: @ChrstinaForshay

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