A Gift of Light & Love (for you)

The Chocolate Room, Brooklyn, NY (March 2009) (a black & white version of this photo appears in Lanterns)

They say the snow is a-comin' to these here parts this weekend. I plan to cozy up at home, baking, cooking, reading, and generally nesting. Whatever the weather in your part of the world, I hope these days are full of your favorite things.

As we approach the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, here's a small gift of light and love from me to you. Click below to hear me read an excerpt from Lanterns: A Gathering of Stories. This piece closes the book and is called "Lanterns: An Invitation."

(If the audio player doesn't appear, try hitting your browser's "refresh" button.)

Audio for Your Heart

Today I want to share with you the words of two women whose voices (written and spoken) I love.

First, head over to Jen Lee's online corner and listen to her read the title poem from her Fortunes collection. It's my favorite piece in the whole book. (You can buy Fortunes and other lovely items in Jen's Etsy shop.)

Karen Maezen Miller of Cheerio Road has a new book forthcoming called Hand Wash Cold: Instructions for an Ordinary Life. Click below to hear her read an excerpt from Chapter 12: "Stacking Up and Nothing to Show for It." You can pre-order Karen's book here.

Seeing Our Own Creations (Behind the Scenes of Lanterns)

Cheska in sunlight

Creative vision and process are funny things.

When I had the initial idea for Lanterns, I knew I wanted to celebrate friendships within creative community. I had a very clear idea of who I would ask to contribute and what topic I hoped each person would write on. In this sense, the whole project was very clear to me from the beginning.

As I wrote in the last post, everything came together beautifully and relatively easily, which I took as a sign that I was on the right path. As I immersed myself ever deeper in the work of creating a book in five weeks, my vision simultaneously narrowed and blurred. I was so focused on the details of what I was doing that I lost sight of the bigger picture. 

In the throes of creation, this type of vision isn't a bad thing. I needed that slim, tight focus to pay attention to every little detail that goes into creating, editing, selling, and shipping a book. The list of tasks was long, and I was worried about forgetting a crucial step; so I made plenty of notes and timetables. This kept me buzzing along like a good worker bee.

Then it was time to unveil the book to the world. I tried to describe what it was, why you'd want it, why it was so beautiful and important. But I was stumped. My vision was still stuck in the nitty gritty details of creation, even though it was time to shift back into big picture thinking. I knew all of the trees by name, but I couldn't find my way out of the forest.

It took reading Jen Lemen's beautiful description of the book and those of several contributors to refocus my vision, to remind me of what this book was all about. We need creative companions who can help us to see more clearly the value and meaning of our work. We don't always know what we're creating until after the work is done and we send it out into the world.

I thought I had a clear vision of Lanterns at the beginning, but I'm only now starting to really see it.

(Pre-orders started shipping on Monday 12/14/09. There's still time to order for Christmas delivery in the U.S. Order by Thursday 12/17/09 for first class delivery.)

Don't Go It Alone (Behind the Scenes of Lanterns)

moonflower unfurled

So many creative arts appear to be solitary pursuits: the writer tapping out words in silence, the artist alone in her studio. We do much of our creation while by ourselves, but we hardly ever create alone. Lanterns celebrates and explores the ways that creative community connects us, empowers us, unfurls us. Friends who share our desire to create beauty and do good work sharpen our creative vision and restore our clarity when that vision starts to dim or tarnish.

I could not have created this book without community. This is not just because six other women contributed their words and images to fill its pages. Even if this were a completely different project, one filled with only my own words and images, so many hands would have gone into creating it. Since this was my first project of this kind, I had to learn -- and do -- many new things at once. The collective knowledge and support of those in my creative community guided me through every step of the process.

Friends told me where to find the best price on shipping materials, how to handle large mailings, how to set prices, how to configure the payment process. They brainstormed ideas and worked through roadblocks with me. They advised, collaborated, consulted. They offered up the best of their creative selves, asking for nothing in return. Many of these friends were contributors to the book, but others were not. Lanterns came into this world because a team of people cared to make it so.

The printer was the one piece of the puzzle that I had to find on my own through cold calling. I'd considered printing the books through an online service like Lulu or Blurb, but decided I wanted a local printer so I could interact with an expert face-to-face. I wanted someone who would become part of the team. I called several printers that I'd heard of before, and then called one on a whim because I liked the name: ArtCraft Printers. ArtCraft: If they lived up to their name, surely this would be a printer who would understand my vision, who would help me to create something beautiful.

Sure enough, they lived up to their name. They learned what the project was about and immediately offered suggestions on making the book look and feel like a little treasure -- all without me asking and before I'd hired them. I decided to work with them because they behaved like a consultant-collaborator, not merely a vendor or contractor. They cared about doing good work and about helping me to do good work. 

I found Tilky Fernandez, the designer for the project, through a friend's referral. I'd already seen some of Tilky's work, so I felt good about hiring her. I knew she was talented and had heard she was detail-oriented, but I wasn't prepared for the heart and soul she would pour into the book. She took the project personally. I hadn't hired a designer so much as found an ally who excels in a skill set that I lack. She rounded out the team perfectly and brought my vision to the page.

One of my biggest downfalls is the fear that I'll appear to be unknowledgeable, which my insecure mind equates with "stupid," though the rest of me knows better. I like to have the answers and to be in control. When that's not possible, I at least like to look like I know what I'm doing. But this mixture of pride and insecurity only holds me back and shrinks my creative vision. I need help in my creative pursuits. And so do you. We all need each other.

No matter what you're creating, you don't have to go it alone. There is a time to sit quietly and do your work, but you do not have to be alone in the journey.

Speed & Beauty (Behind the Scenes of Lanterns)

Squam Lake, NH (September 2009)

I approved the proof of Lanterns at the printer today, bringing me one step closer to fully realizing that this little dream has worked its way into reality. A vision that came into focus just four weeks and four days ago is nearly ready to ship out into the world. This is the biggest -- and fastest -- creative project I've ever undertaken. Just six weeks ago, I would not have expected those two things (big vision and speed) to coincide.

I had declared 2009 my year of action, and darn if that hasn't been true. It's taken some work and some trust to get here, but pulling together a 52-page gift book with six other contributors was a whizzbang way to round out the year, for sure. I often get stuck on creative projects, never getting them off the ground or letting them languish along the way. Taking this quicksilver approach was something new for me. And as a lot of new things are, it was both liberating and a bit frightening.

If I hadn't done this project fast-fast-fast, I may have sat on it forever. By putting it out there without over-thinking it and by going at lightning speed, I was forced to keep moving. There was little time for doubt and meltdowns along the way, only time to keep doing the work set before me. I did take several detours down the paths of worry and whining, but each time my husband and friends guided me gently back to the light. The very components of friendship and creative community that I was celebrating in the book helped me to create it.

Amazingly, I found that I didn't have to sacrifice quality for speed. I think this is due to two main factors. First of all, this project wanted to be created. It was waiting to be born. The idea arrived pretty much fully formed and everything fell into place beautifully along the way. The hurdles were minor, and most of them were byproducts of my own self-imposed stress. The second key factor is that I invited reliable, quality people to be part of the project. From the contributors to the designer to the printer, this was a well-oiled machine. Each of them shared my vision and was dedicated to doing good work.

I did have a few moments at the beginning of the project when I wondered if I was crazy for setting such a short timetable. I emailed Jen (one of the contributors) in a panic, asking her if I was delusional for thinking I could do this. Over the past year, Jen had shown me how to combine quality creative endeavors and speed by doing exactly that herself. Her reply confirmed what I already suspected to be true: If I didn't act fast on this idea, I may never do it at all.

I don't think that speed is the name of the game all the time. But introducing it to my skills toolbox has made an enormous impact on what I now think is possible and how I'll consider approaching creative projects in the future. I'm thrilled with the book itself and so thankful for this new perspective on the creative process.

Is there an idea that you can take immediate action on and run with to completion? It could be a tiny or a big thing, but something that is calling your name and waiting to be born?

(Remember that you can still order Lanterns in time for Christmas delivery in the U.S. And all of you international peeps: keep your fingers crossed and I'll see what magic I can work in the post for you.)