24 May MY BOOK IS HERE!

Posted at 08:57h in BOOKS, CRAFT by

Aaaaahhh!!! It’s HERE! I can’t believe I’m holding it in my hands.
I sat curled up on the couch for 20 minutes afraid to open the package, it was all a bit emotional. I finally plucked up the courage and BOOM! It was awesome.

I have designed many books in my time, in fact I have a whole bookshelf of books and magazines that I have designed for other people, but this is the very first time that my name has been on the cover. It feels so surreal!

The first book I ever made was called What is Green? and was first published in 1987 as a limited edition one off. It was about ten pages long and featured holes cut out of the pages revealing a green foil Quality Street wrapper that I had glued onto the back page. My mum told me it was fabulous and kept it in our bookcase alongside her hefty fine art books and my love for creating books was cemented. So I’d like to say a huge thanks to my mum for nurturing my love of books and always making time to be creative together.

This is one of my favourite quotes ever. I have used it as the opener for my book because it sums up everything I feel about creativity.

“Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”

― Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country

Creativity doesn’t mean making something perfect, it doesn’t mean making something pretty or useful. It’s just about making. It could be something small like a birthday card, a flick of eyeliner, a flamboyant sandwich, anything! Just for the purpose of being a creator. Because if you’re not creating anything, you end up being a lurker in your own life. And that’s no way to live.

So my book is all about celebrating creativity, and having a go even if it comes out wonky.

Quick Crafts – For Parents Who Think They Hate Craft is coming your way on August 8th, but you can pre-order on Amazon here.