About Katia Wish:
Katia Wish is an illustrator, author, educator and creativity coach. She has spent the past decade teaching college level art, writing and illustrating children’s books and comics, and engaging in numerous projects as a mother of two young kids. Katia is the winner of the 2011 Tomie DePaola Award from SCBWI. She lives in Boston, MA where she teaches Illustration at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Creating comics is a relatively new direction in Katia’s work. She has over a decade of work experience in children’s books and teaching Illustration at the college level. To see her children’s book and teaching portfolio, please visit www.katiawish.com
January 2022 - started to create comics as a personal project
June 2022 - published in the Boston Globe Ideas section
October 2022 - exhibited at MICE (The Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo)
October - November 2022 - 6th Biennial Juried Alumni Exhibition: (RE)CONNECT, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
January - February 2023 - published in Literary Mama magazine
February 2023 - published in Cup of Jo
March 2023 - published in Mutha Magazine
March - April 2023 - published in Literary Mama magazine
May 2023 - exhibited at LadiesCon
May - June 2023 - published in Literary Mama magazine
May 2023 - published in Cup of Jo
June 2023 - editorial illustration published in the Boston Globe
July 2023 - interviewed for Mothers Who Make
July 2023 - taught workshop: Drawing Comics for Everyday Life, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
August 2023 - published in Mutha Magazine
September 2023 - published in Cup of Jo
November 2023 - exhibited at Boston Art Book Fair
February 2024 - published The Belladonna Comedy · Medium
Bio. Longer version:
My name is Katia Wish. I am an illustrator, author and educator. I have over a decade of writing/illustrating children’s books and teaching Illustration at a college level.
After my marriage abruptly ended in 2020 when my sons were 5 years and 5 months respectively, it was my creativity, and specifically the solace I found in creating comics about my daily life as a single/co-parenting mom that helped me to move forward.
I hadn’t anticipated being a divorced mother. Nobody does. My then husband and I had been together for 20 years, 15 of them married. And though from the very beginning, we shared custody of our kids, I still felt overwhelming loss, loneliness and confusion. I had defined myself as a wife and a mother. To say that I went through profound and prolonged grief would be an understatement.
Along the way, many amazing family members, friends, a life coach, colleagues, my sons’ school communities, neighbors and even strangers provided support. Motivational and self-improvement books and podcasts also helped. And over time, my vision of my future began to shift.
I started noticing and being grateful for what I had, not what I had lost. I recorded little moments with my kids - hilarious, heartwarming, challenging and sweet. That led to a whole new direction in my work - comics about single/co-parenting and overcoming divorce.
This new body of work has gained momentum quickly. So far I have been published in The Boston Globe, Cup of Jo, The Belladonna Comedy/Medium, Mutha Magazine and Literary Mama.
I have emerged not only with a newfound sense of creative purpose, but I have also become a better teacher. Today, I not only teach various art techniques and concepts, but I go much deeper. I encourage my students to overcome fear, to challenge assumptions, and get their work to a whole new artistic and emotional level.
Besides teaching at Massachusetts College of Art, I have begun to develop new workshops. My first workshop in 2021, Urban Sketchbook, generated amazing interest and responses.
Since then, I have developed and taught the following workshops: Urban Sketchbook, Character Design for Children’s Books, Drawing Comics About Everyday Life and Making Creativity a Habit.
After my divorce experience, I have more empathy and understanding. I appreciate the little moments and kindness in my life. I have become an undeniable, relentless and fearless optimist. Something I had strived for all my life but had never achieved.
New habits now motivate and inspire me: meditation, exercise, gratitude, being accountable to a life coach, connecting with people around me in meaningful ways and the most important one - letting myself dream!
If you have an illustration project, book, teaching/speaking opportunity or any other creative project that deals with parenting, creativity, overcoming divorce, grief or being mentally strong, please reach out. I love taking on new challenges and figuring out how to reach people in the most emotional and compassionate way. Let’s work together!
Have a beautiful day!