Blank Books, Again
The first of the blank books goes out tomorrow -- to Spain, where my books have been before, but I have not. I've finished the second and third books in the three-book St. Francis of Assisi series and will probably put them up tomorrow. The first one is already up, along with the lovely black and red Goth Deluxe journal. (That translucent, veined red paper slays me. I must return to the store, a craft zombie, for more of it.)
I have had, and continue to have, tremendous fun making these books. Yesterday I was talking with a painter friend who has also written a book. Writing is easy and fun, she says, but it's hard for her not to look at painting as work. Funny how that happens. I started off writing Liquor totally for my own enjoyment, because writing had become largely joyless. I told myself it was fun, disposable crap and I didn't care if I ever finished or published it. Somewhere along the line, though, it started to matter, and then I was told I couldn't possibly do it and it started to matter in a different way, and by 2006 it mattered so much that I had written four novels, a novella, and a bunch of short stories about the characters. And it had hardly ever stopped being fun; the things that derailed me from writing had little to do with my characters or subject matter.
Anyway, so far, making these books is play for me. I'm trying to improve my technical skills and make them look as good as possible. A couple of them, I think, even express something beyond aesthetics. But if it stops being fun, I'm going to stop doing it. Until then, I hope people will continue to look, bid, and enjoy.
Oh, and I made the tag "blank books" because I feel like an asshole every time I use the "art" and "books" tags on these entries. In fact, I think the "art" tag can go away altogether.
I have had, and continue to have, tremendous fun making these books. Yesterday I was talking with a painter friend who has also written a book. Writing is easy and fun, she says, but it's hard for her not to look at painting as work. Funny how that happens. I started off writing Liquor totally for my own enjoyment, because writing had become largely joyless. I told myself it was fun, disposable crap and I didn't care if I ever finished or published it. Somewhere along the line, though, it started to matter, and then I was told I couldn't possibly do it and it started to matter in a different way, and by 2006 it mattered so much that I had written four novels, a novella, and a bunch of short stories about the characters. And it had hardly ever stopped being fun; the things that derailed me from writing had little to do with my characters or subject matter.
Anyway, so far, making these books is play for me. I'm trying to improve my technical skills and make them look as good as possible. A couple of them, I think, even express something beyond aesthetics. But if it stops being fun, I'm going to stop doing it. Until then, I hope people will continue to look, bid, and enjoy.
Oh, and I made the tag "blank books" because I feel like an asshole every time I use the "art" and "books" tags on these entries. In fact, I think the "art" tag can go away altogether.