Book of Days – Opening Chapter

In this opening chapter (what I fondly like to think of as a pre-party), I have two videos to offer you. The first is a tutorial on creating an altered book. The second is a tutorial on using a cheap composition notebook as your book of days. The video quality is kind of sketchy. I’m hoping to get a new HD video camera in the very near future.

You are welcome to art along and use the book you create as your own ‘book of days’ throughout the year 2012. You may also opt not to make anything at all, and just be inspired by the techniques featured in the videos. You may also opt to use the book you create for something else entirely.

You are also welcome to use any other kind of book, too!

This post also contains some general information about keeping a book of days, which we will flesh out together as the weeks and months go by.

Creating an Altered Book of Days

The password is contained in your welcome letter when you sign up for the newsletter. If this embedded video doesn’t work for you, here is the direct link. Please note: if you have a free account with Vimeo, you can download this video and save it for future viewing.

Creating A Composition Book Of Days

NOTE: All references to the silent auction for this book are applicable only until January 1st, after which the auction will have already been held and won. xo

More On Keeping A Book Of Days

I consider the maintenance of a book of days to be a spiritual practice, but that might not be the case for everyone. I happen to hold most things I do as a human bean sacred, including arting, so the idea that art is spiritual is a no-brainer for me. You can use your book of days without any spiritual context whatsoever. Just think of it as a place to play and memory keep and that will serve you very well.

Keeping a book of days need not be expensive or time consuming. While the full spreads may take me anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, the simpler, mini-spreads take no more than 15 minutes each. Having a dedicated space for your art practice really helps to streamline the process, but this isn’t necessary either. You can keep a small basket of basic supplies (all you *really* need is a pen and paper) beside you in the living room and do your daily entries while watching television. You’ll get more out of it if you treat the time as sacred, light a candle, sip something nourishing (be that hot chocolate, herbal tea, cool clear water, or a glass of wine), but you will get *something* out of it by simply doing it.

While this is a ‘no pressure’ programme, those of you who do undertake this practice will find yourself burgeoning and growing in ways you never expected. Those of you who have difficulty making time for art will discover that a) there is always time for art and b) you are not as shiny when you skip your practice. Yes, it’s a little like yoga or exercising or cleaning the house in the sense that it takes discipline to maintain, but it is so much fun and so fruitful that you will find yourself looking forward to it and really missing it when time really doesn’t permit.

As we journey together throughout this year, I’ll be sharing some tips and tricks around time management, too, so prepare to hear me say “there’s no reason, ever, not to art”. I don’t mean to be a drill sergeant about it, but I do mean to tell you this: If you want it, you will make it happen.

E-mails will begin in January of 2012. In the meantime, please add your link here, join us on Facebook, sign up to the Flickr group, and share your brand new book of days with in either of those places. If you need (or want!) my personal attention, please e-mail me at effythewild (at) gmail (dot) com. I would be thrilled to hear from you.