100-107

 100-107 Front Cover

100-107 separated out of envelopes, each book has 6 pages

100-107 bound together in envelopes 

 100-107 binding detail

Book 100 caused quite a problem. The hundredth book, I thought, it should be big, yes, very big. Complicated, yes, very complicated, and full of details, yes, horribly so. I got quite tangled in these thoughts and images, and steeped in thinking rather than doing, and then I began teaching. Teaching requires, for me, a significant time and emotional investment and a full immersion of myself, one that I quite like, where I read and re-read the required reading, re-create assignments so they are engaging and involved, hands-on/minds-on learning we say, and truthfully dedicate myself to my students. Their semester long task, developing and sustaining  a creative habit. Not unlike the one I have abandoned here. 

Over the semester I witnessed how my students struggled to develop a habit that would increase their own creativity and productivity. Then after tumbling through some crashing waves, each found a smooth rhythm, each creative expression emerged-  unique, fresh and with some necessary ragged edges. Seeing young adults grow socially, emotionally and intellectually, and take creativity seriously- with spices of humor, is what fulfills me in teaching higher ed. After heart-felt final presentations and subsequent grading I return to re-immerse myself in my own life and projects.  Like visiting an old high school friend after having experienced several life transitions, I return now to the book project. Some catching up I will do, however I have found, not surprisingly I suppose, that I enjoy the process, at times a book will take more attention than just one day, often requiring a few days. At the end of this project I will have 365 books, each handmade by me, however I will reconsider this idea of abookaday, to mean each day a book will be worked on, conceptualized, rather than completed to meet the daily deadline, which, truthfully, I've never been good at anyway. My own creative stance needs freedom to sprawl, reach and flip around, so now the blog and book making will be a bit more acrobatic and less linear. I certainly hope you will continue to follow, at your own risk of course.