MY COLORING BOOK JOURNEY
By Janet Swierczek, Mille Lacs Band Member Elder
Hi, I'm Janet R. Swierczek. I am a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and an Elder. I am also an artist and the creator of Janet's Coloring Books.
My journey began many years ago when I started drawing my own characters. I would show my drawings to my friends and ask them what the thought. They would tell me, "She is cute!" Their encouragement inspired me to keep practicing, drawing, and developing my characters.
As I became more serious about my artwork, I went downtown to the library to learn about protecting and copyrighting my work. I knew these characters were special to me, and I wanted to protect what I had created.
My first two publishing experiences did not work out as I had hoped. After putting so much time, love, and effort into my coloring books, I was heartbroken and unsure what to do next.
I'm not going to lie—I cried. But I knew how much these books meant to me, and I wasn't ready to give up.
Then something happened that changed my outlook. I found a YouTube video about making coloring books and realized the creator was using a program I already had.
I stopped crying and thought, "That's what I have!" I kept watching, took notes and learned everything I could.
Most importantly, I made myself a promise: I wasn't giving up on my coloring books.
And I didn't..
Years later, in 2025, I discovered ChatGPT and began exploring new ways to develop my original 2D artwork and characters. Seeing new possibilities gave me another idea: my characters could become beautiful covers for my coloring books.
In 2026, I decided to start over—but this time, l wasn't starting from nothing. I was starting with everything I had learned along the way.
I began rebuilding my coloring books with a fresh, new look while continuing to develop the characters and stories | had worked on for so many years.
My journey has had its ups and downs. I've been disappointed, l've cried and things haven't always worked out the way I hoped. But I kept learning, creating and, most importantly, I never gave up.
Today, I am proud to share my artwork and imagination through Janet's Coloring Books, available on Lulu.com.
This is my journey— and I'm still creating.
