in the mail lately, some ramblings and a photo

yesterday my last order from the Book Depository arrived :)
i'd been trying hard not to spend money on "extras" (as i've mentioned in many previous posts), whether it's books or zines, and i only succumb to my obsession for such items on times of great need... Ok, this explanation doesn't make that much sense, but... what i mean is, i try to buy books/zines only when i feel i really really need to read a particular book/zine, or when i feel i need to have a particular book because it's important, for professional reasons, and, of course, personal reasons too.

so, moving on to the books i got...
the first one is «the Photojojo Book», which i found out about trough the Photojojo website, after following some links from the very cool CRAFT magazine blog.

i browsed Photojojo's online store, read details and saw some really interesting photos from pages of the book, so i got excited about the photography projects and the DIY potential of it.
since i've been dwelling with the idea of trying to find a job or "make" my own job, starting by trying to get some freelance work, the photo projects i saw on the book seemed like an interesting place to look for ideas...
now that i got the book in my hands, i've already browsed trough all the projects and it might really have some good projects for me to try out. what worries me is that all projects require tools or materials that not "everybody" has at home, so i'd probably have to spend some money buying stuff if i want to try one of their projects.
all projects have somewhat of Do-It-Yourself in them, and are much like a custom-made product (if you see them from a business potential point-of-view), so that would probably require me an amount of market/target research and also pricing studies... It's a bit overwhelming, i guess, considering i'm all alone in my "quest" for freelance work and/or building my own business... there isn't that much support from my parents, as it has always happened throughout the these last 8-10 years when the topic «starting my own business» comes up.


let's talk about something else, moving to the other book i got... «The Artist's Way», by Julia Cameron.
i had read about this book a while ago, on an Etsy forum and in some references related to Keri Smith's books. so i browsed for it on Amazon to read some sample pages and decided that maybe this is just the right book i need for this particular moment in my life.

i started reading it last night (or should i say... this early morning, around 5 am?). at first i got a bit suspicious because of its subtitle «A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity». i should have researched some more on that Spiritual part of the title... to be honest, it started giving me "itches" because of my atheist "beliefs".

The author started talking about God and the "Great Creator" stuff like that, and that's when i started thinking that maybe i really shouldn't have bought this book. really. because, if i don't believe in the existence of god or gods or whatever, would could i follow through the book's lessons and exercises if it was based in believing that? still, i "forced" myself to read some more, in hopes that somewhere ahead Julia Cameron would offer some other alternatives to religion... and fortunately (for me), she did!

so, i'm now going to keep reading it and whenever i read the word God i'll think of something else. my inner self power, my inner Goddess, Mother Earth, the Universe, etc etc...

hopefully, i'll learn something from this book. i've just created an account at the book's official online forum, just in case... maybe i can find some portuguese readers or even a local study-reading group, who knows...

and today, i got another lovely thing on the mail, my etsy order from Erin P., the latest issue of her Anon zine, along with some copies of a past issue. as usual, full of inspiring collages, and this time Erin writes a little and shares some of her experiences as an art therapist. her story made me admire her even more now, besides as an artist, also as a human being.

Go and get your copy now!!!

and to end this long and boring post, here's a crappy photo! think of it as my gift to you, my "thank-you", for reading all the way to the end of this post...

i didn't get to catch the sunset today; by the time i noticed, the sun was gone but the sky was still burning...

Beautiful colors, i just knew i had to take a photograph of such awesomeness, so i went to grab my camera as fast as i could and took a couple of photos from my living-room window. (the outside of the window is kinda dirty from the last rains, so don't be surprised by the weird spots on the image...)

A life without books...

full article here:
Motivate Me - The daily dose ezine - A life without books is no food for thought

an excerpt:
« (...) can you imagine a life without books?

no?

Then ask a person who can't be bothered to read

When you consider that the worlds greatest thinkers have put their thoughts, opinions and ideas into a format that we can access - isn't it a shame that most people don't bother to read, to explore the contents and to see how those thoughts, opinions and ideas can change their lives. Well I think it is.

We have a chance to have a few hours of intimate discourse with people we would never have met otherwise. How lucky are we?

You could argue that you don't have the time to read all there is to read - and you know what you are absolutely right - There are e-books, free books, printed books, articles and websites - which is why you have to be discriminating about what you read - because there is a lot of "rubbish" out there. Which is why you should also try to safeguard every precious moment you have that you could consider "spare" and put it to better / other uses.

1. Of all the books you have read - which would you consider to have made the biggest impact on your life?

2. What was the last book you read - why did you choose it?

3. What is the next book on your list of MUST read books? Why that book and not one of the others?

4. What book would you recommend to someone who is struggling - financially, emotionally, spiritually?

5. Do you give books as gifts?

You don't have to answer these questions of course, but perhaps you should take the time to do so, if you want to be a serious student of life and living. (...) »

Copyright © 2005/8, Elle B - Motivate Me! All rights reserved.

....................................

something for you (and me!) to think about ;-)

Making a Miniature Book // by MissRuth

Making a Miniature Book // by MissRuth
Originally uploaded by zineproject2009
«« «« «« «« «« «« «« ««


Making a Miniature Book

All rights reserved © MissRuth    at Flickr

Pikaland's 9 Tips to be More Creative

"
Pikaland's 9 Tips to be More Creative:


Amy Ng, Pikaland blogger and artist collaborator extraordinaire, has many a helpful article on creativity, business and life in her zine, The Good to Know Project. Amy hosted a Virtual Lab as part of our Holiday Workshops for Sellers series on Getting Out of the Box (you can find the recap here). I asked Amy to share more tips on sparking the creative process with Storque readers. Here they are...


About fueling creativity:

1. Creativity is fueled by experiences, sights, sounds and smells. Sitting still won’t bring new ideas in; experimenting and trying new things will jog your creativity.


2. I maintain a certain pattern to the day, with my morning bath signaling to me that I am starting my work with a fresh mind and spirit. After breakfast is when my day officially begins — I turn on the radio and look at my to-do list (see #3).


3. I jot down notes every night before I go to bed about what I need to accomplish the next day. This way, I’m actively placing my worries onto paper so I can go to bed not fretting about what needs to be done.


4. I have a box labeled for each different project I’m involved in, so I don’t worry about misplacing things or ideas. (This one was inspired by The Creative Habit.)


5. I also keep a different sketchbook for different topics and ideas. I have one for business, one for random sketches and another for my writing. And in these sketchbooks I sometimes allocate different sections so that my thoughts don’t get messed up too much (there isn’t a search function on them, like a computer has!).


6. I throw these sketchbooks all over the place, so when I have a thought I scribble it down quickly.


7. I try and find the pattern between things, and connect the dots between random things just for fun when I’m stuck in a rut. For instance, when I see the color yellow around me, I start to focus on finding yellow things — stuff that I didn’t notice before will show themselves to me. I’m heightening my sense of awareness because I’m narrowing my focus to one thing.


8. Doing things differently helps. I love calligraphy, but sometimes I seem to be stuck in a rut — it seems that I could only write in a certain way! So I stop, and see what others are doing, and try to analyze what I could do differently. A little more pressure on the downward stroke? Or how about adding more flourishes to that letter? It took me about a week of constant practice to free up my hand. If you’re stumped for ideas, have a look at Keri Smith’s 100 ideas to get you started.


9. Practice, practice, practice. Creativity is like a muscle that you need to flex regularly. I dread staring at a blank piece of paper, but everything begins with that first stroke. I’m a perfectionist, so I train myself to not use erasers at all when I’m drawing. And if I do make mistakes, I start on a new piece of paper — that way I let new ideas in and not just dwell on what I previously did.

Here are some books in my collection that I pick up whenever I need a boost:

1. The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp: I love this book. Twyla is a dancer and choreographer, but a lot of the things she has to say cuts across all disciplines.


2. How to Be an Explorer of the World: Portable Life Museum by Keri Smith: Keri reminds everyone to put on their explorer goggles and look at the world with new eyes — I did a review of her book here.


3. Living Out Loud by Keri Smith: Although the book is a little girlish for guys, I love the article she wrote about how to find what you love to do.


4. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: This is an amazing book that I pick up and read again and again. The message is simple — you won’t find what you’re looking for until you follow through on your dreams.


5. How to be an Illustrator by Darrel Rees and Nicholas Blechman: I like how they talk to illustrators and get their feedback on running a creative business.


6. Lines & Shapes by Lena and Mav: Amazing artists and beautiful, beautiful pictures. I have volume no. 5 and I treasure it.


7. The first issue of the Good to Know project: I like keeping a copy on my bookshelf so I can read up on what my friends have to say about being creatively stuck.

 | More Posts on Creativity |

"

wishlist: This is Not a Book

www.thisisnotabook.org

being a fan of Keri Smith's work, this is her latest book published... and the one left to complete my collection of my Keri's selected books for "fueling up" creativity!

more on Keri Smith and her work at www.kerismith.com

DA Coloring Book, Vol. 1

DA Coloring Book, Vol. 1: "

This is it, it's real. In three weeks time we put together a coloring book like you've never seen before. It features the drawings of 29 artists from around the globe.

I am so proud of this project and want to thank everyone who submitted a drawing. Now you can get your hands on it and fill it in with every ounce of ink you have lying around.

See the inside and all participating artists by clicking here or buy a copy today (while supplies last) with a portion of the proceeds going to the International Child Art Foundation.

Doodlers Anonymous Coloring Book, Volume 1

32 pages printed at 8.5'x11'

Left: Welcome Letter by OKAT
Right: Stacey Walker




Left: Conor Finnegan
Right: Josh LaFayette




Left: Nate Williams
Right: John Malta




Left: Abigail Daker
Right: uberkraaft




Left: Max F.
Right: Gemma Correll




Left: Tuomas Karkkainen
Right: Natsuki Otani




Left: Bony Bünz
Right: Simon Mills




Left: Lisa O'Hara
Right: Vaughn Fender




Left: Chris Piascik
Right: Kylo Coughlin




Left: Will Bryant
Right: Cassie Hester




Left: Pierre Antoine Thierry
Right: Liquidpig




Left: Emmi Ojala
Right: Jamie Tao




Left: Laura Alvarez
Right: Kate Ferguson




Left: Jolby
Right: OKAT




Left: Melissa Jones
Right: Hayley Warnham + Artist credits





Cover (front + back) as spread

Doodlers Anonymous Coloring Book, Volume 1

32 pages printed at 8.5'x11'
"

Mercado Negro: alternative book fair @ PORTO, Portugal

alternative book fair - from 9 to 19 December 2009

in Porto city, Portugal

...................................................................................
this is the perfect event, right now, and i wanted to go from the very first moment i saw this ad.
i got about 5 days left to visit the fair... but i'm not really sure if i'm gonna make it :-(
first of all, i can't go alone, that's totally out of question! i don't remember the last time i was out on the street, specially to attend an event. or like the last time i went to the mall all by myself. there were times when i could do that and be ok all alone, but in the last couple of years i don't feel ok about it, it makes me feel too anxious...
so you say i could go with a friend, right? ok, i've tried this one but i only have one friend in this whole frickin town that could/would like to go wiht me, but we haven't got our schedules straight yet :-(
and i can't even use the weather as an excuse, since it hasn't rained in the last couple of days.

anyway, i really wanted to go to this "indie" book fair but if i actually make it there, it's gonna be a bit sad because i'm gonna have to keep myself very self-contained on not spending (too) much. since i'm 'sort of' unemployed (again, after almost 2 years at a steady job) and i still don't know if i'm gonna have to pay back my ex-bosses for two-month's work for resigning instead of giving them the two weeks notice, i gotta keep my expenses short on "extras". and the gods* know how i get when i'm in place with lots of books and magazines, how hard it is for me not to touch them, pick some up and browse my fingers trough them... and not buying anything!


at least this event as been a bit useful for me to google up some of the organization's names and publishers, and i have come across some good news on the Portuguese zine (under)world. there IS actually some activity still going on! now i just have to find the courage to mail some of the people/orgs involved in this and ask them on the possibility of a zine workshop or some meetings or something to get like-minded people together...
i even thought about sending them an invitation to join the We Make Zines online community, but without a "proper" introduction of myself and/or my intentions towards them, i feel i'm kinda invading their space or even spamming them. and that would make for a terrible first impression, don't you think?


...................................................................................
* note: i like to use the expression "the gods know" but it's totally in a manner of speaking, since i'm not catholic (although i was raised by catholic beliefs), or anything like that. i don't see myself as a religious person, actually i identify more with Atheism. i just like to make the "god" plural and say "gods" for fun.

if i were to look for a religion, i think i'd be more einclined into something Pagan, related to Nature and definitely Mother Earth would the goddess i would most likely choose to worship ;-)

currently reading - Winter 2010

[continuous updating // last update: 2010-01-28]


zines:
there are many more zines that i've read since i first started this post/list, and many that i keep at my bedside table... i've come to find it's very hard to keep track of them in this post, sorry ;-(

to cut a long story short, currently there's an "old" issue of Doris zine (#20 or 21#), Here Be Dragons #9,   Journalsong #6, etc
in the meantime, there is Avow #23, Tenacious (Writings from Women in Prison) #18, and a couple of other mini-zines are "bookmarked" with a bright-colored little post-its, desperately waiting for their turn to be read!...


It’s Not the End of the World: building a life with limp wrists // by Ocean Capewell

Against the Flood #1 & #2 // by Hannah

Introvert #5 // by Nicole

Polaroid Celluloid #2 // by Niku

We'll Never Have Paris #3 // compilation zine by Andria Alefhi

Snakepit #11 // by Ben Snakepit

East Village Inky #42 // by Ayun Halliday

Abort #21 // by Jonathan Spies

Moments of Struggle: An Illustrated Introduction To Some Anarchist History // by Isy Morgenmuffel

[all 3 read in one night!]
Doris #15: The Anti-Depression Guide // by Cindy Crabb
Homobody #4 // by Rio Safari
Ker-Bloom! #80 // by artnoose

Telegram Ma'am #17 / Culture Slut #17 // by Maranda Elizabeth & Amber Forrester

Better Looking Than a Blog: A Collection: Ten Foot Rule Journal Comix Winter of 2007 // by Shawn Granton

Avow #17 // by Keith Rosson

Brainscan #19 // by Alex Wrekk

Brainscan #20 // by Alex Wrekk

Beyond Gallery Walls and Dead White Men: Anarcha-Feminism in Action // by Kendra and Lauren

Licking Stars Off Ceilings #1 // by Clemmentine Cannibal

Anarchism: What It Really Stands For // by Emma Goldman

Thirty Hour Sloth #2 // by Sarah Wayward

I am not a bad gorilla // by Zack Sternwalker

Support Zine // by Cindy Crabb

Navigating the Space Between Brilliance & Madness #1 // by Sascha Scatter/The Icarus Project

Bizarrism #10 // by Chris Mikul

Civilization Will Eat Itself // by Ran Prieur


[  although this isn't what you'd call a "Recommendations List", i enjoyed reading all of these zines, so, feel free to look them up online and buy some ;-)  ]



books:

The Photojojo Book: Insanely Great Photo Projects and DIY Ideas // 
by Amit Gupta, with Kelly Jensen // [blogged about here]

The Artist's Way // by Julia Cameron // [blogged about here]

Stolen Sharpie Revolution 2 // by Alex Wrekk  [re-reading it, actually]

Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-destruction // 
edited by Sabrina Chapadjiev // [blogged about here]

Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine? // by Mark Todd & Esther Pearl Watson  [re-reading / use as reference]

DIY: The Rise of Lo-Fi Culture // by Amy Spencer

lots of new stuff in the mailbox but oops!

got another big amount of stuff on the mail today; the rest of my last BookDepository order and a package from Microcosm. Microcosm = ZINES!!! but sadly, they seem to have missed one of the items i ordered, a book about the Icarus Project :-( I'm gonna have to email them back to solve this problem, but i hate doing this kind of stuff, really i do!
weirdest thing about all that is that the package that arrived today was the last order i made at Microcosm and was which was shipped about a week ago, and i'm still waiting for two previous orders that were shipped almost a week before the last one.
since these two first orders were pretty big, lot's of zines & books, they sent them in large boxes instead of flat envelopes like i usually get, so i hope and cross my fingers that it didn't get lost or stopped in the damn customs in Portugal, or that the guys at the post office didn't screwed my packages!
i know it's probably a big & heavy package and the delivery man/woman might not be able to bring it to my door but that's why they have warning flyers on heavy/big volume mail, for the gods' sake! arghh, i get really annoyed when mail delivery works that mediocre, it has happened before but then i didn't get mail/packages for a while and when i started again it worked fine... until now :-(

new book in the mailbox

finally, the books from my last BookDepository order started to arrive today. actually, i got another surprise from the mail earlier, when my posters arrived from AllPosters.com, but that's a whole different thing.

anyway, back to the book i was talking about, it's called «Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-destruction», by Sabrina Chapadjiev, and this is the product description from the Amazon.co.uk website:

"In a collection of original stories, essays, artwork and photography, Nan Goldin, Eileen Myles, bell hooks and other curring edge artists explore their use of art to survive abuse, madness, incest, depression and the impulse towards self-destruction. The diverse array of contributors - novelists, poets, cartoonists, artists, photographers, dancers, playwrights and burlesque performers - traverse the pains and passions that can both motivate and destroy women artists."

sounds kinda weird that i'm excited about this book, since it seems to be a bit of a heavy reading, but the main themes - art, women artists, pain - are quite appealing to me, also for personal reasons, of course, but it goes a bit beyond the personal side, since i'm becoming very interested in learning more about women artists. an, in a certain way, i hope that reading this book will sparkle my own creativity (if i really have any...).