Where do I start?

Inbetween everything else I managed to finish this Daintree Journal(photographed as work-in-progress) complete with painted page stubs, fold out handdrawn map and a variety of papers within its multiple sewn signatures.

Sometimes I'm slack about blogging because there's nothing much going on that I want to share with the internet. Sometimes I'm slack because I have too much to say, but no time to say it. Last week was one of the latter, when ideally each of the following paragraphs would have made a carefully crafted post on their own but since I still haven't found time to do all sorts of other regularly scheduled tasks, like laundrey, what follows is a swift survey of the week that was... intense.

I started teaching both of my book making courses at Arts Post, and I have delightful students, every one of them. The first night I was so nervous I couldn't even talk properly as my tongue felt like a swollen, recalcitrant sausage suddenly squatting in my mouth. Thursday morning was much easier, partly I suppose because I know all those students personally. All the students in both classes successfully completed a few little books in two different structures, including the Basic Book Craft Skills pamphlet (on sale here). I still have to work on getting the flow better so that the class isn't too rushed nor do I run out of material too soon. But I learned so much from the first week that I'm sure this week will be heaps better. I'm certainly feeling much more relaxed and confident anyway.

I also did a one off session this morning at Hamilton Girls High School with the Year 13 design students who are doing a unit on artist's books. That was so much fun! What a neat bunch of girls, they really got into making the Basics book, after I did a show and tell of some of the artists books I have made over the years.

Another big event last week was my Pecha Kucha presentation. I got quite nervous about that too, in the final hour or so before my turn. But it went well and I got masses of wonderful positive feedback afterwards, including a new enrollment for my Thursday class! I was thrilled to meet so many people excited about artists books, like Alice Lo who has her university students to make artists books, and awesome book designer Alan Deare.

There was lots more going on last week in and around my public appearances, including welcoming back a friend from 3 weeks in Mexico and farewelling other friends off on extended overseas adventures. And I finished the embroidery on my big coral project and got very involved in my digital storytelling/video poems projects, but these last thrilling developments really do deserve posts of their own so check back soon!

Inside the aforementioned Basic Book Craft Skills which is selling like little hotcakes on Etsy, and proving a satisfying first book project for my students.