In my Willa Adventures, Andy becomes the one who believes in Willa before she believes in herself—and together they set off on the most curious adventure.
Characters don’t arrive fully formed, and Andy showed up as a creative spark when I needed a way to send Willa on some kind of magical journey. In flies a fruit fly—she gets shooed right into Willa’s face, as if she had somewhere very important to be. 
After Willa stops giggling at the sight of something so unexpected—a fruit fly, dressed and somehow so cute—she begins to realize that Andy and this day is not ordinary at all…not even close..
Andy is a leader in the Royal Fairy Brigade. She comes from another realm, and she has to convince Willa that she is magical too… and the right girl for the job.
Her personality didn’t appear all at once—it emerged as the story unfolded, almost as if she already knew who she was.
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I’m learning that creativity is less about control and more about discovery. The characters begin to help write the story themselves, which feels a little magical in its own way.
Andy started as something very small—a fruit fly near the dining room fruit bowl—and grew into an anchor character throughout the story. There’s something special that happens when a character surprises you, makes you laugh, or slowly becomes someone you care about. At some point, you don’t just like them—you love them.
And then it becomes hard to keep them to yourself. They feel a bit like your children. You bring them into the world, and eventually, you want others to meet them too.
I first tried to bring Andy to life through drawings back in 2014, long before I knew how she would truly take shape. During a doodling session, she started as something closer to a fairy godmother—but what emerged looked more like a fly. It wasn’t easy to draw, but the idea felt unique, and I trusted it. Andy, the fruit fly, had a place in the story.
Then came AI.
A few years ago, I had hoped AI could help bring characters like Andy to life, but it fell short—especially when it came to consistency. So I set it aside for a while.
More recently, a conversation with someone I know—who was helping illustrate his grandfather’s childhood stories using AI—sparked my curiosity again. We talked about tools, limitations, and possibilities. That conversation led me back to exploring what had changed… and what might now be possible.
I discovered a newer platform that seems to be pushing forward in character illustration. It feels like something has shifted. I’m still exploring, but for the first time, it feels like I might be able to bring Willa—and Andy—into a more visual world.
I’ll be sharing more about that soon. It feels like the beginning of something.
