We’re proud to report that one of our Sarasota Magazine contributors, illustrator M. Dean, has been announced as the winner of the first-time ever Creators for Creators grant!

Dean (known as Molly to us; full disclosure, she’s the daughter of executive editor Kay Kipling) is a 2015 Ringling College of Art and Design grad who moved to New York City, where she works as a freelance illustrator and also creates her own graphic novels and webcomics. Her work for us includes two “Graphica” spreads, from our November 2016 issue, and also from our November 2015 issue.

The $30,000 grant will enable Molly, who grew up in Sarasota, to continue and complete work on her submitted proposal comic, which has the title I Am Young. “I want to tell stories about the foibles of youth, the mistakes and nuances, the people, places and things that feel important,” she says about her project. “I’ve been tossing around short stories about young people from a long time ago in my head and I went through various titles to find one that could both tie these short stories but remain universal.”

Creators for Creators is a nonprofit founded by a group of established comics artists, whose goal is to support original comics work from new creators.

“I’m so thankful to everyone who has picked up, read and shared their enjoyment and appreciation of my work,” Molly says. “With this grant I’m so grateful that I will be able to create more of it.”

A few images from the proposed I Am Young, below.