Group sharing of penguin mothers

In the second stage of the 100-day reading and writing group, the sharing guest is illustrator and photographer Shi Shanshan - Penguin Mother.

As soon as you hear the voice, you can tell that she is an extremely gentle and beautiful girl. The opening remarks at the beginning are very friendly and magnetic, just like the voice coming from the radio at night. Mother Penguin’s previous full-time job was as an English teacher at New Oriental. Later, she became a professional illustrator through self-study and published books. This amazing talent is not only enviable but also fascinating. I couldn't help but follow the mother penguin's thoughts and want to know what "magic" it was that made her what she is!

1. From failing English to becoming a master of English

When Mom Penguin was in high school, her English scores were not ideal, but she came into contact with American TV series by chance and was quickly obsessed with them. I got on an American TV series, and in just a few days, I was immersed in the world of American TV series Prison Break. These days of full concentration not only gave her the motivation to learn English, but also gave her a sense of English and confidence. After going to college, she became more and more obsessed with American TV dramas, and she also improved her knowledge of grammar.

I think that maybe many high school students, college students and even white-collar workers are obsessed with American TV series and follow them, but not many can really help you improve your English. Therefore, Mother Penguin's method is not limited to the level of her expression, but more to her concentration and thinking when doing this. Because she is very focused, she watches without sleep and food, thinking while watching, without relying on subtitles or immersed in the plot. At the same time, she can see her own problems and know that she has shortcomings in grammar, and make up for it in time. Learning and practicing complement each other, which finally made her an excellent New Oriental teacher.

2. From New Oriental English teacher - professional illustrator

Penguin mother uses the odd time at work and the fixed two hours every night, which adds up to almost 5 times a day. Within hours, I started from scratch in basic drawing and slowly imitated my favorite illustrators until my works were shared and reposted on many platforms.

I think this is not just about finding what you love, but more importantly, perseverance. Although this perseverance and perseverance are not particularly emphasized, I think it is just like me. Just like practicing piano when you were a child, painting also requires a lot of time to practice, and the premise of this large amount of time is effective time, because it is not that you will get results if you spend time, only when you focus on doing this thing , this time is effective. At the same time, you must think more and reflect on your mistakes during the continuous practice process. Art itself cannot just be copied. There must be many creative parts of your own, and these are the results of a lot of personal thinking.

3. Professional illustrator - food photographer

The world of illustration has opened another window for Penguin’s career, because she draws a lot about food and mason jars The excellent illustrations of the recipe aroused the interest of the publisher, so they made an appointment with her. Relying on her love and persistence in this career, Penguin Mom actually taught herself photography in four days and took unexpected photos. Good results.

I think the reason for this leap has a lot to do with the accumulation and precipitation in the past few years. Mother Penguin usually likes to observe, think and do things diligently. She has always maintained a state of learning, which makes her Unknowingly, her learning ability became stronger and stronger, and her experience as an illustrator made her sensitivity to color stronger and stronger.

I really gained a lot from listening to Penguin’s mother’s sharing today. Focus on doing what you love, spend time learning and thinking attentively, maintain a state of learning, observe more, practice more and reflect more. We will finally embrace our dreams warmly! Just like a saying from The Time Traveler's Wife that Mother Penguin likes, the world is big enough and there is enough time.

PS: I have watched this movie 5 times and read the book twice. I love it! ! !