Fuck Yeah, Book Arts!

“If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” — Vincent van Gogh

We’ve all experienced it at some point in our personal or professional lives. When our creative energy fizzles up and the clouds of self-doubt, panic and depression descend, the vicious cycle of creative block can become overwhelming.

I’m a firm believer that everyone is capable of being creative (beyond the obvious vocations such as artists, writers, musicans) such as mathmaticians finding the theory of color, or professionals having to pitch ideas in business meetings. 

For creatives working in all mediums, their work is often an integral -and perhaps even a defining- piece of their identity. Their art directly correlates to how they express themselves and interpret the world around them, so when the ideas stop flowing, it is unsurprising that it can often be related to an individual’s state of wellbeing and self-worth.

I’m interested in your experiences, both negative and positive: how you did/didn’t deal with your struggles in the face of adversity (going through/not going through stages such as procrastination, denial, fear, optimism, etc). Most especially, I’d love to hear from those willing to part with any tips or advice for those in similar positions, as a means to help overcome or avoid such situations, and get the creative juices flowing once more.

I will be collecting in submissions over the next month, and I hope to include the best anecdotes within a small self-help style pamphlet, for an non-commercial art college project.

All are welcome to submit regardless of age, country or occupation. Submission requires a paragraph or two of your experience, although more unusual forms of entries on the subject (such as poems, lists, charts, comics, photographs etc) are also encouraged. Your entry will be accredited to your name, and you will be contacted if it is chosen for the final draft. Submit here, or by email: xsweetvisagex@gmail.com.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to hearing your stories!

xThe Book Arts Girl

archiemcphee:

This awesome device is a fully-functional Typewriter Arm Guard with Bluetooth and Touchpad created by Thomas Willeford of Brute Force Studios. The keyboard is mounted on an intricately tooled Steampunkish leather and brass arm guard.

Watch a video demonstration here. Then head over to Etsy to view more images and, if you’ve got $1200 to spare, perhaps even order one for yourself.

[via Technabob]

visual-poetry:

»no thanks« by e.e. cummings (+)

shape poem in the form of a funeral urn dedicated to 14 publishers who rejected his book.

[read more]

Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (via excessivebookshelf)

escapekit:

Bodyscapes

“Israeli artist Ronit Bigal meticulously presents excerpts from sacred Biblical texts on the human body in her Body Scripture IIseries. Like Allan Teger’s Bodyscapes, Bigal gets in close to the contours of the human form, re-imagining the body as an abstract landscape. On the grooved, fleshy expanse, the artist systematically applies black Indian ink calligraphy in Hebrew that reveals passages of scripture.”

writingsforwinter:

nonfiction by writingsforwinter

(via lecataste)

bookuse:

Having good taste…..

(Source: photojojo)

Megan Falley, “If You Really Love a Writer” (via pigmenting)

(via pigmenting)

scissorsandthread:

Fake Calligraphy | Jones Design Company

I’m pretty jealous of people who have great handwriting, especially those who can do calligraphy! I should really try and find out if there’s a course in Adelaide. But until then, here’s a tutorial on how to fake it til you can make it! Haha! If that seems to be too much work too, there’s also a free font download too.