Artist by Nature, Books by Design

Jen Sincero

“If you want to live a life you’ve never lived, you have to do things you’ve never done.” – Jen Sincero

By Rachel on March 29, 2017

That feeling of utter glee when you spend time with a book about the beauty and fun of great design of… books. (and other various paper bound items)

I had that pleasure this weekend in Houston’s sweet Brazos Bookstore. Books are displayed by their covers around the walls rather than their spines and it creates a museum like experience, except you can touch and smell and cradle all of the pieces on display. Kind of a petting zoo for book lovers.

The books closest to the light of the large front window were a variety of design books and I was drawn in that direction instinctively. Bells and Whistles, Printing with Special Effects literally winked at me so I picked it up and opened its matte white cover with embedded gold foiled text.

Purring as I flipped, image after image of three dimensional paper and ink sculptures cast as promotional materials tickled my brains for a good long while. My RealMe voice said, ‘See – it’s right here – exciting graphic design!’ and my MeanMe voice disappeared under the thunderous bass of vibrating confidence.

Once home, I found the the sketch above from over a decade ago, my dream life as I envisioned it at that time. What I wanted to strive for. Looking at it now, I realize I have several of these things in place. Short of that belly dancing hobby I haven’t picked up yet and and a few major publishing and travel goals, I’m actually moving in the direction I want to, however ploddingly and unobviously.

After reading Jen Sincero’s You Are A Badass I’ve taken to quoting her regularly. A friend even gave me the You Are A Badass page-a-day desk calendar and it is from there that I derive some sharable inspiration this week. Jen says:

Here’s the good news:

1. We all know way more than we give ourselves credit for knowing.

2. We are drawn to things we’re naturally good at (which counts more than having a graduate degree in the subject, BTW)

3. There’s no better teacher than necessity.

4. Passion trumps fear.

I think, therefore, I can create awesomeness. Or horrendousness. But the bottom line is that it’s through our thoughts that we create our realities.

We’re still allowed to dream, and our dreams are still available to us, but as we move through life, we must make the conscious effort to overcome whatever judgments we have, as well as kick all our fears from past experiences in the head, and participate in our own badassery. Whatever that looks like for you.

If you want to live a life you’ve never lived, you have to do things you’ve never done.

Thank you! Yes, yes, and more yes!

The joy of recognizing my bliss in that book and finding that old map of a dream life reminds me to connect with the Force and dare to do things I’ve never done.

Rumi

Let the beauty we love be what we do. – Rumi

By Rachel on March 21, 2017

While sorting and sifting, tossing, tearing, and leveling the pile ever slowly, this little scrap caught my eye. It attached itself to my hand so I turned it over, reading and re-reading the poem I hand copied at least a decade ago.

The little scrap that made its way back into the sun.

Ah yes! Rumi! He has always resonated with me as a dancer. ‘Don’t sit still and read’ he urges. Wake up! Play music! Get your body moving!

Rumi tells me what so many are saying to my recent discovery. Don’t just wait for your mind to direct you – use your body to direct your mind.

I can’t imagine Rumi had so rigorous a regimen as Tony Robbins’ priming ritual, but I get the sense that the transformative power of commanding our physical selves in order to direct our intellectual and emotional selves is the same wether we plunge our bodies into freezing water or do a sun salutation. Or our 100s. Or some serious head banging. Whatever turns us on, just so long as we do it everyday, in the morning, before that feeling of emptiness leads us to meaningless screen time.

Walking my dogs into the woods, out through a grassy field, down to our little pond and up a dirt road has been my morning action lately. It gives me time to observe nature’s morning actions, mostly the Texas spring flower explosions happening right now, but I also listen to birds sing their first songs of the day while fresh air expands both my lungs and my mind’s capacity to receive.

And I say, don’t just do it once a day. Do it again and again. In the middle of the day, when it’s time to move from your chair/computer/book/machine, skip the screen and instead find something that lifts your spirit. A sprint up the stairs. I walk around the building. A 3 minute meditation outside with the sun on your face.

My go-to computer break is the few minutes it takes to dance to Earth, Wind, and Fire’s September or The Kungs This Girl – an equally motivating groove. My body moves without hesitation or instruction and my brain gets a jolt of dopamine.

As I begin this adventure into the wild world of making beauty in books – I will move and groove and kiss the ground with gratitude for my time on Earth.

How about you? Why are you still here? Go shake a tail feather!

Today, like every other day,
we wake up empty and frightened.

Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading.
Take down a musical instrument.

Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

~ Rumi

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Birthday Gift

“We think back through our mothers if we are women” – Virginia Woolf

By Rachel on March 15, 2017

Their love created another beautiful smile, the smile of MaryAnn

Favorite photos from my life collection often become the central element in my card making. Such a simple and wonderful exchange – a moment illustrated in faded, glossy tones with fashions that incite elation, youthful optimism brimming in everyone’s faces, my family in it’s early formation. I have spent timeless hours with old photos from both sides of my family helping me connect the varied chapters of my life and encouraging a familiarity with people whose influence I embrace.

Re-framing images in a gift is my way of saying thank you for creating your life as you did, for your participation in my life, and for our relationship as it continues to grow.

For my mother’s 70th birthday I wanted to celebrate her radiance and beauty in both her youth and her wise years. Choosing one image was impossible. Instead I made a short book using 59 images, totaling 26 pages which I created by folding 13 – 11 x 17″ full color prints in half.

As a long time collector of beautiful bits of paper, I found a lovely wallpaper-esque roll of cotton fiber paper in my craft closet to use as detail over a black card stock cover.

I put it together using an uncomplicated Japanese stitch binding. This video tutorial by Sea Lemon was perfect and when I found myself needing single frame instruction, this step-by-step at Design Sponge did the trick. Both are clear and easy to follow.

Seeing my baby self in the light of my mother’s glowing smile, fixed gaze, and capable hands fills me with warmth. Her smile became the theme of the book. By the third book, my stitching edged on graceful. Final size : 8.25 x 7.5″.

Her smile persisted, even through unimaginable sadness

Life, as always, was full of adventure, difficulty, joy, sorrow, gratitude and faith.

Seventy years of smiles has made MaryAnn’s beauty ageless.

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