I was feeling pretty good about myself. The color proofs for my new picture book coming out next year (illustrated by the wildly talented Scott Nash) arrived and look fabulous, I got my sketches in for the next picture book (that I'm illustrating) in a week under deadline, and my novel in progress is flowing - I mean REALLY flowing. So that means I'm doing absolutely everything right, right?

Nope.

These days that's just a part of a writer's and artist's job. Take a gander at Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, the whole world of social media out there that's not only used for keeping in touch and spouting banal updates - it's also being used for promoting work - big time.

Have I been promoting my work big time?

Letmethinkaboutthatno.

I'm on Facebook - Linkedin too, but mostly I go there to feel bad about myself. I see authors and artists talking up new books and projects and OMG, that just isn't in my DNA. It looks good when they do it, though and the better they are at it the more I wallow in that - a good old adolescent style wallow. I figure it's better than eating a ton of ice cream.

Like every other cool person on the face of the Earth, I'm a fan of Mad Men. I do NOT watch that show to wallow at all. I'm there to drool. And in the first episode of this season a couple of quotes stood out for me because they spoke to my lurking about watching these promotion tools. Don Draper (drool) had been interviewed by a magazine and he completely dropped the ball. He said nothing about himself which clearly frustrated the interviewer. Mr. Draper saw very little sense (and if you watch the show you'll know that he also saw very little wisdom) in divulging much personal info.

Mistake.

When called on the carpet by his firm's partners after the not so flattering article came out, Don Draper looked astounded - and then a little whiny. "My work speaks for itself!" he cries in protest.

And here's where he gets the big smack-down by Bert Cooper. "Turning creative success into business IS your work! And you failed!"

This day and age, that's true for us writers and artists. And lucky us we have the tools to do it. Those sites, blogs, book trailers, virtual launch parties...

But it seems so exhausting. I think I'd rather live in that Don Draper land where all that matters is that you work hard, do good work - and look pretty. But since I don't, I guess I'm off to visit Facebook and try to leave a non-banal update.

Happy promoting.