In The Studio With Illustrator Aaron Becker
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Oliver Scott
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The award-winning author and illustrator invites us into his colorful home and studio in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Nature was really showing off on the day beloved author-illustrator Aaron Becker invited us into his home and studio in Amherst, Massachusetts. On the edge of autumn and winter, the trees were awash in all their color-changing glory—and during golden hour, no less.
It was a fitting backdrop for Aaron’s studio and work, in which the themes of nature, light, and color are paramount.
Raised in Baltimore, Aaron worked at Disney and Lucasfilm before taking the leap into children’s books, partly inspired by his own journey into fatherhood (his two daughters are now 7 and 14).
“Around the time our first daughter was born, I suddenly lost my film job. I decided to throw a Hail Mary pass towards my dream of working in picture books,” he explains. “There was a lot of fire burning inside at that moment; becoming a father for the first time, having to support a family; all the responsibilities of life plus trying to make a go at being a working artist on my own terms. I’m not sure things would have worked out if there hadn’t been that much pressure for it to succeed.”
And succeed he did, with his debut book, Journey, winning multiple awards and becoming a pioneering voice in the wordless picture book genre.
Now, with nearly a dozen books under his belt, he’s got two impressive new releases this year: the climate-themed The Last Zookeeper and Winter Light, which is a part of his innovative Light series, featuring semi-transparent colored panels meant to be held up to the sky.
In today’s profile, Aaron talks about these new titles, as well as his journey to fatherhood, his creative habits, what success means to him today, and so much more.
Be sure to follow Aaron on Instagram @storybreathing to keep up with all the latest.
Tell us a bit about your career before publishing your first book.
"After college, I worked as a graphic designer, but felt frustrated that I couldn't ever draw as well as I wanted; I knew I wanted to make picture books but lacked some basic skills. So I went back to art school late in the game, and from there, ended up working in the film industry as a concept illustrator for about a decade where I honed my visual storytelling chops."
How would you describe the process of getting your first book published?
"Around the time our first daughter was born, I suddenly lost my film job. I decided to throw a Hail Mary pass towards my dream of working in picture books. There was a lot of fire burning inside at that moment; becoming a father for the first time, having to support a family; all the responsibilities of life plus trying to make a go at being a working artist on my own terms. I'm not sure things would have worked out if there hadn't been that much pressure for it to succeed; I knew the alternative of going back to working at a studio was not the life I wanted, so I really put everything I had into that first book. Finding an agent was relatively straightforward because of my film portfolio. That said, this is not a normal path; it just was worked for me."
“The Last Zookeeper is my climate book. I spent a long time trying to figure out how to crack that topic in a way that didn’t feel didactic or falsely hopeful.”
Your first book, Journey, was a huge success off the bat. What was it like grappling with quick success as a first-time author?
"I loved it, actually. Not the attention or public success, but the fact that I finally could feel with certainty that the work I wanted to do had a place in the world. I'd spent 15 years working for other people, hustling for gigs or trying to please other people, and now I could just tell the stories I wanted to tell. It felt like a golden ticket. The sweet spot for me is having enough success that I can make it work long-term, but not so much that people want a piece of me. I had about two months of book-fame with Journey and that was enough. I was so glad to come back down to Earth and keep creating."
Tell us a bit about your latest book—The Last Zookeeper—which took 5 years to complete. What inspired it?
"Zookeeper is my climate book. I spent a long time trying to figure out how to crack that topic in a way that didn't feel didactic or falsely hopeful. One evening, after putting the project aside, I found myself sketching. This hard-working, caring robot appeared on the page out of nowhere. I instantly realized he belonged in the book. From that point on, the final draft came out relatively quickly. The robot was me. I was exhausted from the efforts, but I cared. And that's when I knew what the book would ultimately be about. I think to solve our environmental crisis, we're all going to have to find a way to care, despite the work and sacrifices involved."
Your Light series is also really beautiful and unique. What inspired these books?
"I'd gone off to a meditation retreat that was held at a former Christian boarding school. We were doing this walking meditation between stained glass windows and instead of remembering to silence my thoughts, I started to brainstorm ideas about a book with glowing, colored light. And You Are Light was born!"
Tell us about your latest in the series, Winter Light.
"One November, as the daylight was shrinking, I thought of the winter solstice and how it's always meant so much to me; a chance to celebrate light when there is none. I wanted an alternative to all of the holiday-cheer books out there; something that acknowledged that, yes, this is in fact a dark time of the year, but we also have the power to create our own light. And boy will we need some light this winter."
Do you have any go-to creative habits or practices to get going and get inspired?
"I started teaching this term at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence. It's been amazingly inspirational. It forces me to communicate something meaningful about my craft while also being open to what this next generation is bringing to the table. On one hand, I feel like I barely have time for the effort during the week, and on the other, I feel like it's a necessity to get out of my studio and interact with young, creative minds. A real privilege, in fact."
What advice would you give to an aspiring kid-lit author/illustrator?
"Only pursue this if you can't imagine not doing it. It sounds like a dreamy profession and who hasn't felt like they had a great idea for a children's book? But I find the reality is much more about hard work, persistence, curiosity, and drive. If it's what you need to do, then go for it. You'll find your way."
“The sweet spot for me is having enough success that I can make it work long-term, but not so much that people want a piece of me.”
Has being a father changed how you think about your career, creativity, and "work"?
"EVERYTHING. I remember coming home from the hospital with our now-14-year-old and wondering—Wait! The nurses aren't coming with us to help during night-time wake ups?!! We're IN CHARGE?!!! I was incredibly stressed out for the first few years, and this was the time when I was working on Journey and trying to make a go at a new career to help support our family. That stress is actually a pretty major driver for me; the sense that failure is not an option. The stakes were too high!"
Did you always know you wanted to be a father?
"Absolutely, though as my wife will gladly point out, it took me long enough to finally decide I was ready."
How old are your children now and what are they most into?
"We have 7- and 14-year-old daughters. The teenager is into field hockey and friends and schoolwork. She's 100% first-born material. Our youngest is a creative beast, prepared to run for president (she figured out what year she'll be eligible) and, in the meantime, take over my children's book career."
What excites you about the stage of fatherhood that you are currently in?
"With the older one, I think it will be amazing to watch her transform from a high school freshman to a college one; all of the ways she will 'be-come.' And with the youngest, my wife and I are SO excited for her to learn to sleep through the night. It's only been seven years, so I'm sure she'll figure it out soon enough."
What makes you most nervous?
"I would say I'm nervous about the future they're inheriting; the ways technology has so infiltrated our lives and the dangers (both political and environmental) that are sure to arise from our changing climate. It's a hard time to be a parent."
When it comes to books and fatherhood—what children's books have you enjoyed with your kids?
"We love graphic novels in this house. And my all-time favorite read-aloud is Clever Jack Takes the Cake by Candace Fleming."
Is raising creative kids something that's important to you? If so, how are you aiding that?
"The kids took over my former art studio in the mudroom, which we renovated for me to work on the Journey sequels. So they have a pretty awesome space with tons of supplies at their disposal. They're self-guided, so I just try and make sure there's a good amount of materials to work with and let them go nuts. Clean up is a problem. No joke."
What was your own upbringing like?
"My mom set up a work table in much the same way; my folks were very hands-off, which led to a lot of boredom on my part; perhaps key to growing my imagination (and the plot to Journey, now that I think about it). My wife and I overschedule our daughters like so many of us and I think it's a problem. We've had to scale back and make sure there's time for self-initiated creativity."
When you're not dreaming up new kids' books, what do you do for fun?
"Mountain bike. It was my pandemic-era salvation and continues to bring me joy. (As I answer this, today is Day 1 after the election and I spent three hours today just meandering through the leafy trails, getting lost and escaping from it all)."
What's up for you next?
"I'm working on a new wordless book about venturing into the unknown and embarking on my first graphic novel series for emerging readers after many years of trying to get that one off the ground. Wish me luck!!!"
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