Another thing I’ve noticed with Kids Lit is that the publishing seems to be about throwing a bunch of stuff against a wall and seeing what sticks. Red Wagon stuck I believe because beyond a story featuring wonderful drawings of cute animals it had a purpose and use. People buy it when they buy a red wagon.
wallets for quick and easy access (with a slot to keep your pen handy too), and fine wood sketch boxes to hold creative content for those that like to create on random loose pieces of paper.
3/Collaboration
I am still in the middle of this research project. I can say it’s been engaging for myself and it’s definitely helped give a better understanding of entrepreneurship and collaboration. It's also helped in the classroom where I can provide the insight to help the students understand their challenges.
That is the hope and the experiment with Crafty Llama, that it will engage an audience because they have a use and direct connection to the book. It has just come out in October and the reviews have been very positive. And so I am about to enter the clinical trial stage by taking the book on the road to craft shows. Just like my audience I didn’t want to just passively consume the content, I wanted to be actively engaged – by doing crafts myself. So that’s what I’ve been engaged in, and not just one discipline. I’ve been experimenting with screen printing on textiles, indie publishing, leather, and wood working. It’s been interesting juggling these diverse crafts but it’s also interesting how it all comes down to the basic fundamentals of communication design, specifically process. The importance of a rigorous process becomes clear when you are trying to stitch a straight line or get a clean (and safe) wood cut on a table saw. As with Crafty Llama I have made sure all the projects I make explore the hypothesis of audience collaboration. For instance I’ve created an indie comic book but also made it a colouring book to add an element of direct audience participation. I’ve also created a couple of picture books and drawing cards that feature characters that are only silhouette templates to allow the reader to participate directly and draw in the faces of the characters themselves. Obviously with textiles people wear and use them directly. And with my leather and wood work I have created content to be used by artists and writers. Leather sketchbook
4/Conclusion
I can say that while many things are changing, something I don’t think is changing is why. Why we make art. For myself it’s always been about communication, about finding an original voice and giving that voice to influence and contribute to community and culture.