I continue to marvel at the connections I make by virtue of having an on-line presence. Recently I received an e-mail out of the blue from book artist Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord asking if I'd be interested in participating in a project to distribute free copies of her book, Art Lessons - Reflections From An Artist's Life, through the networking site BookCrossing. Her plan was to send one copy of the book to one person in each of the 50 states and 10 provinces, and she was in need of someone in Idaho. Would I be that person?
Leery of unsolicited e-mails offering something for free, and having never heard of either Gaylord or BookCrossing, some research was in order before responding. I soon learned that this was on the up and up, and that Susan's specialty is art book making - something that I am very interested in. In fact, some of her work is included in Cover to Cover which I own (and so I guess I had heard of her). A quick look at the description of the book she'd be sending along clinched it - I was sure this was a book I'd want to read and pass on...because that's the deal if I accepted - the book is not mine to keep but to pass along, recording that "catch and release" on BookCrossing so Susan can follow its progress. You can read about this project in her own words on her blog here.
So a free book to read and share from an artist who I am guessing found me through my blog during an Internet search - how wonderful is that? So I said yes, and the book arrived Saturday. It's only about 40 pages but filled with just the sort of personal reflections, quotations and gentle advice we struggling artists need to hear...even if we've heard some of it time and again. It's such a quick read but full of things to ponder that I plan to read it several more times before sending it on its way. I'm thinking I may need to buy a copy not just for myself, but several more for gifts. Thanks, Internet, for bringing Susan and her book to me.
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| A sample of the personal story the author/artist shares |
2 comments:
Hi Sheila, thanks for sharing!
When I started to get attention to bookbindg craft I browsed almost all books Amazon.com offered and Susan Gaylord was one of these. Unfortunatelly the bookstore I usually order foreigner books couldn't import her title but I access her website sometimes because she has many interesting bookbinding projects to children.
And Bookcrossing... ah, many librarians know this project because it shares our goal of ensure that more and more people read more more books.
So, thanks for sharing the prime utilization of Internet, it is a very good way to start my day.
Cheers!!
Lucia
How very delightful, Lucia! Hasn't the internet made our world small indeed? Yes, I did see on Susan's website her things for children. That is always impressive because the art can only be carried on if we can spark that interest in the young ones. A great day to you!
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