the materials talk back.
As I hinted last week, I’m working on making paper at the moment. I have been for the past few months, actually. It started off as a bit of an experiment—a medium that had been calling to me for a while. The idea of being able to customise the size, form, colour, weight, texture… the idea of giving my work a link to myself all the way through. So I set off trying to understand its needs. I’m now making batch one-thousand-and-one, or at least it feels like it. I tried, I waited, I tested, I amended, and then I did all of that again, many times.
Through the process, the medium has given me so many ideas, so many creative thoughts. Ranging from the joy of reusing and mending, to the concept of waiting, the fragility of it, and the possibilities for structure and restructure. And I fully intend to keep all those thoughts in mind.
Right now, I’m focusing on something simple—a journal. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a journal fanatic. I use the term ‘journal’ loosely. Mine are also sketchbooks, scrapbooks, photo albums, and so many other things. I look at a journal as a collection of life, honestly. So I loved the idea of finally being able to make my own. Even more, I love the idea of creating that possibility for others like me.
This is where I market myself a bit and say I’m launching a shop! The journals will be one of the things I’ll be selling. I’ll also have some digital prints of drawings I’ve been working on since my move, and I’ll put my more fine arty works on sale too. So, I’m working very hard right now to get things looking and feeling good for anyone who’s interested.
Back to the paper—my absolute main focus. I wanted to create a paper that was light but not flimsy, saturated but not dark, and textured but still smooth enough for writing and drawing. And I think I did it. I’m honestly so excited.
In the coming week or so, I’ll start binding it all together, and I have so many fun ideas. The covers are also done (sneak peeks attached), but I think the binding itself is where my true love for journals will come through—I hope, anyway.
So, yeah, that’s my little update for the week, and a roundabout way of saying that the medium really does shape my ideas. The way it forms, the way it crumbles, the links I have to it and the links I’d like to add.
Catch you again next Friday!
