Celebrating one year of blogging! It’s been a pleasure getting to know all of you through my posts. Thank you for the support.

Major changes are in the air for my 1/2 Measure Studio this year. The reasoning behind my books is on my mind these days. I’m questioning the trajectory of my work. Changing paths is a big moment and one I want to see bring forward movement to my work.

For now, confusion! Why do this? Why do that? Why be an artist?

Do you have questions that haunt you as an artist?

In the last month, I have been working on a new artists’ book—a sequel to my book entitled Beside Me. Beside Me was a wonderful book on teams published in 2005.

How do your books come to life?

Mine usually start with a trip, a thought, an experience... This one started with an emotion.

Completely filled with emotion, my mind started to think of how to create this book and in what format. Thoughts raced through my mind.

Think, re-think, plan, images, dream, re-think, write, view it in my mind’s eye, dream of it, camera in hand, photograph, template, re-think, write, play in Photoshop, design pages, dream, cover? Binding! Think! Choose fonts, discussion, re-think, compose photographs, relate to book Beside Me, write, edit, paper size, size of book, re-design, Edit...

Ideas have gelled, cover and binding chosen. The real work starts and frustrations follow!

I had difficulties in ordering paper with the proper grain direction needed for printing the pages of my book. Was everyone in the companies I called asleep at the switch? After many phone calls, I’m hoping to receive the correct paper.

Particular companies understand book publishing and grain directions. One of those companies is Moab papers by Legion. They are always happy to talk about the needs of their customers.

What type of difficulties do you run into with paper? Size, grain direction, thickness, durability...

This waiting period is giving me time to conceive the cover and how the new book will flow with the first book Beside Me.