So making these books started as a challenge to myself. Could I make the books that I was envisioning in my head. A mixture of usability and beautiful art using formal bookbinding techniques. Before I started I spent hours and days on you tube and bookbinding sites learning the techniques. I looked at everything from the formal book binding process to clever tricks learned by junk journal artists.
You’ll see as you browse through the store that my sizes are inconsistent. That’s because as I said, it just started as something I wanted to try out and because of this, it was the materials I was using that dictated the styles I was making. Later, as I was in full production on book making, I realized that if I didn’t make the same 2 or 3 sizes, this was going to be a packaging and logistics nightmare. And so then I came up with 3 (okay well maybe 4) different sizes and tried to stick to it. The irregularity in the sizes of course doesn’t matter when you love the book. It’s just a logistical shipping, packing nightmare – and that’s a small detail.
When I wasn’t making the books, I was dreaming up ideas in my head and jotting them down so I could draw them out more carefully once I was home back in my studio. I love that process as much as I love making the books and I keep all my notes and they are fun to look back on to see how many of the concepts I realized. And in fact, I did turn almost all of those ideas into books. I couldn’t and still can’t stop dreaming up ideas and then next, the fun part is figuring out how to make those ideas work in the form of a book.
To say this was a passion is an understatement. It was and continues to be an obsession and I love every minute of it. It seems to bring all the skills I previously used into 1 coherent and professional looking finished product. Oh and I haven’t even begun to discuss the packaging and how I loved dreaming that up!
I have made many things in my creative life but I have never been as proud or as pleased with work I have done as I am with these books.