I think the core motivator for my journaling is a love of making books. At six, I made one about a knight and his pet dachshund that I still remember quite clearly. And I got my first computer in 1982 primarily because it meant I could finally set justified type. Still, I have never made an edition of books.
I also love receiving books and magazines that other people have hand made and this past week, the postman brought me three different self published journal books that I found quite inspiring.
One is the first issue of " The Puffin" which is published by Katrien Van der Straeten. Katrien's Journal is just 32 pages plus a cover but is jammed to the margins with drawings and stories about her doings. She created this zine to share news with her friends and family around the world, particularly in Holland and Massachusetts. She begins the issue by talking about her discovery of drawing, earlier this year. Quite rightly, she says that she has discovered that "drawing is not an art form with all the judgments that are attached to "art" but a form of creativity and self expression of pure and simple. " She shares her story and her drawings in order to encourage readers to also take up illustrated journaling. It is a wonderful first volume in what I hope will be a long and enduring journey for Katrien and her friends and family.
Richard Bell, our pal in Yorkshire, has begun publishing a series of raw journals he calls 'sushi' books. I ordered a copy of " This Distant Northern Sea ", in which Richard presents a single day's drawing on a trip he took in Scarborough. His drawings are, of course, fantastic (visitors to his site and readers of his many other books will expect no less). He draws commuters, the view out the train window, herring gulls, fishing boats, we do this, and villages on the the shoreline, a staggering amount of work for one single day of drawing and painting. If you'd like your own copy, ask Richard what to do.
And then, issue No. 40 of the Moonlight Chronicles arrived. I believe this issue is the most interesting in at least a year, and I'm not saying that just because it carries a column I wrote. D. Price's magazine flows out of his life and shares its ups and downs. He seems to be enjoying a particularly strong creative renaissance these days and the magazine shows it. This is also the first issue that Dan has published using his very own copier and the reproduction is sharper than ever before. He tells me he can now confidently start putting more of his great photos in the magazine. I am supposed to head out to Oregon soon to help Dan build an underground room to house his copier, a curious blend of high technology and hobo architecture.
All three of these magazines were simply and inexpensively produced, reproduced on copiers or computer printers, and distributed by word of mouth to friends, old and new. They share the spirit of blogging with the added benefits of killing some trees along the way. I've never been tempted to make more than one copy of any of my books (with the exception of Everyday Matters, I guess) but it must be a great accomplishment for these self publishers to share their work with so many people.
Other zines I've enjoyed include Tublegs, a crafts and creativity oriented zine by Traci Bunkers
Trumpetvine Travels devoted to the world of illustrated travel journaling
and a comic-zine about life on a Yorkshire farm called Goathland
and Dream Whip about the life of a person in Lubbock, TX and beyond (this site has many interesting things but I suggest you start with the very first button that will lead you to dozens of reproductions of pages of the zine).