"Who's it for", Seth Godin asks? When you're doing the work. When you're making things. Who is it you envision? Who do you imagine giving it to? It's deceiving how simple the question seems. And, maybe it is. At least, for those of you without a proclivity for overthinking.
It's tempting to say it's for me, but that's only a partial truth. It's the doing of the work that serves that purpose. It's the making that gives me something. The end result though? The collages? The writing? The images, and musings, and expressive ponderings? The things that come about because of the ongoing commitment to doing the work of creating? That's more of an ambiguity. I'm not sure who it's for, but I know it's not for me.
Rebecca Solnit says that small moments matter. Some times, more than we realize. Often times, more than we'll ever know. When joy, and wonder, and liberation refract into prismatic instances of brilliance and potentiality, even if only "for an hour or a day", it can be the thing that helps to chart our course. It can become our guiding principles. Solnit says that "It's an argument for tiny and temporary victories". A convocation "for the possibility of partial victories in the absence or even the impossibility of total victories."
If you ask me, "who's it for?", maybe that's my answer. It's for people who still believe, or at least still want to find a way to.
It's for people who know that, in all likelihood, the world has reached an irreparable level of fucked-up-ness, but still believe that we need do something.
People who know that all hope may be lost, and that there may be no fixing anything, but still believe that making beautiful things can heal some small part of it in some small way.
It's for people who know that everything might be irredeemable, but still believe it's worth saving anyway.
If you ask me "who's it for?", I hope...
…it's for you...
P.S. - At the risk of stating the obvious, I love making things. And, I especially love people who makes things that keep me wanting to make things. Recently I acquired some great things from great people who fulfill precisely that role.
is not only a treasure to the zine making community, but a gift of a person to makers everywhere. She made a Wisdom Deck. I picked one up and boy am I glad I did.
It’s like tarot cards for creative people. No matter what part of the process I find myself in, I flip through the deck and discover a card that speaks exactly what I’m most in need of hearing.
sent me a package filled with tasty paper fragments.
And included a marvelous mini zine in with it too.
If you appreciate my work at all, you owe Dave a debt of gratitude. I stumbled upon Dave’s Youtube Channel about a year and half ago, as I was trying to learn how to use Affinity photo. I wanted to incorporate some graphic design elements into my collage work and it became apparent that incorporating digital processes would be essential. Dave’s tutorials were indispensable. I’m not sure I could be doing what I do now had it not been for him.
P.P.S. - ICAD Day 307-310 - all the collages featured in this newsletter are available for purchase here.
What an amazing compliment to wake up to on a Sunday morning. Thank you Duane 🙏. This made my day.
I love your posts. For the art, for the links, for your thoughts.
In amongst everything, they’re a breath of fresh air and peace.