Sunday, February 05, 2006

Mailbag for February 6th, 2006



A very light mailbag this week, and those emails that came through didn’t seem too pressing, time-wise. I’m going to roll them into next week’s mailbag and take this week off. Future questions can be left here, and the MFA Handbook can be ordered from Continuum here.

I want to take a minute and talk about a book by Jeffrey Yamaguchi that I think will be of interest to many on the blog. It’s called 52 Projects: Random Acts of Everyday Creativity, and I’ve been using it in my creative writing classes. It’s got all sorts of writing, photography, and art exercises, but more importantly it has a very smart section about the power and importance of projects, and actually seeing your goals as projects. Here’s an excerpt I like:

"What is true is that your ideas can get shut out, blocked by the neverending stream of distractions – bad television, a jerkball boss, looming credit card bills, crying kids, dinner menus, work deadlines, oil changes, food shopping, etc., etc., etc. Working on a project can help break through the obstacles and, due to the nature of the project-making process, taps directly into the creativity that is right there, where it has always been and always will be. The more projects you make, the more constant and forceful your creative impulses will be, not only with projects, but the rest of everything else as well.”

Good advice, especially for people who feel blocked or stuck. Starting and completing a small project can do wonders for your longer projects. You can find out more about Jeffrey and the book, and lots of artists that he features, on the 52 Projects site. Check him out. I’ll see you guys next week.

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