Welcome to For the Plot!

Observations, ramblings and the occasional tall tale from a children's book illustrator.

Hi! I’m Lisa and I illustrate children’s books. It’s been a journey getting to the publishing world so here’s a condensed version of how I got here.

I was born, raised and still currently reside in Houston, Texas.

Like every other artist/illustrator out there, I’ve been drawing since I was a kid and yes, I showed a penchant for it. But, despite really, really wanting to, I didn’t know the first thing about turning art into a business. So I turned to…business…as a business.

I went to business school.

I majored in Management Information Systems and minored in Marketing. I landed a nice corporate job where I swear, I was a people person.*

But alas, the DIY-Etsy-hustle culture of the early aughts took hold and had me dreaming of doing something, anything creative.**

It wasn’t until I picked up my long forgotten art practice that I felt like something might click. I started peddling drawings at my neighborhood sidewalk fair. Fairs turned into shows into commissions and into dreams. Dreams that snowballed into me quitting my day job.***

The next few years were a blur of traveling craft fairs, wholesaling prints, exhibiting in shows, collaborating with fellow small businesses and trying to navigate this entrepreneurial art world.

Then marriage. Then kids. Then the pandemic happened. Everything shut down. Priorities changed.

In those quiet-but-not-so-quiet COVID years, I did a few commissions, a bit of freelance. I learned to knit. I gardened. I homeschooled. I managed online school. I thought “what if”.

So, here I am.

My detailed road to publishing is a post for another day. But for now, I’m happy to have a little space here where I can share a little more and overthink a little less.

Here, you’ll find:

• Bad illustrations. Like, really bad. For better illustrations, please visit my website.

• Story time (Ex: how I found my agent, the critique that changed my life, that time I was almost on TRL)

• Behind the scenes (art WIPs, writing WIPs, life WIPs)

• How-tos

• Recommendations: from books to pencils to niche perfumes

• Listicles and guides

Because sometimes when you’re not sure why, do it for the plot.

I’m so happy you are here. If you have any suggestions for posts, discussions, how to get a monstera to fenestrate, please leave a comment. And find me in various other places across the internet if you want to learn even more!

Instagram: @lisachowart

Bluesky: @lisachowart.bsky.social

Website: lisachowart.com

*An Office Space reference for you fellow millennials. And also, not an entirely inaccurate depiction of what I did at work.
**I became a certified yoga instructor. I wrote articles for an online fashion magazine. I assisted a local fashion show. I dabbled in blogs.
***I’m still sorry, Mom and Dad.